Till recently, if you heard someone was going to update his or her profile on LinkedIn, you’d ask, “Why? Are you looking for a job?”. But that’s a thing of the past, LinkedIn is so much more than just a resume updation site, and it’ll serve you well to keep your LinkedIn profile fresh and updated all the while – not only when job hunting. Having a good presence on LinkedIn will bring jobs to you, not the other way around! If you still need convincing, here are 15 reasons why you should use LinkedIn to get noticed by the right people.
15 Reasons why you should use LinkedIn
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1. You’re more connected than you know
Yes, there are many tips and tricks to make connections on LinkedIn, but you’re already more connected than you know!! While your first level connections are obviously valuable, it is usually among your second and third level connections that you can make some meaningful relationships. With over 90% recruiters using LinkedIn, the more connections, the better!
2. You can follow companies of your interest
Just like you follow your favorite band or store on Facebook, LinkedIn lets you follow companies in your interest area. This is a great feature, especially if you’re dreaming of working there one day. The best part is this – when you follow a company, you get to see who it’s past and present employees are, and any connections among them could be the perfect starting point to get noticed by those who matter.
3. Your most-viewed connections can build more
Did you know that 41% of millionaires are on LinkedIn? Maybe we should have led with this one as a reason to join LinkedIn!! When you have a large number of connections on LinkedIn, it increases the likelihood of appearing at the top of others’ Most Viewed lists. This immediately increases visibility and can even get you more connections.
4. You can find out exactly why people are looking at you
LinkedIn allows you to check out who’s been checking you out – in quite a lot of detail. Even if you’re on the free version, you can still see at least five recent viewers and find out information about their job title, industry and more. More importantly, you can see how they ended up looking at you, like what keywords they searched for. This will give you valuable insights on how you can modify your profile and get more noticed.
5. You can make use of the Alumni Search
If you always thought Alumni was only for meeting old classmates, think again! LinkedIn makes your alumni increase your visibility by allowing you to use the Alumni tool to search for people connected to a school, college or location. You can filter the search results by jobs and hometowns to narrow down the connections that’ll work for you.
6. You can improve your Google presence
Have you ever googled yourself? Well even if you haven’t, you can be sure that a potential employer has! Studies show that about 80% of employers do a Google search for prospective candidates, and in most cases, it’s your LinkedIn profile that pops up the first. There can’t be a better reason to get on LinkedIn and polish up that profile!
7. You can showcase your talents
LinkedIn is the perfect place to get noticed because of your talents and no, you don’t need to blow your own trumpet! With plenty of features to display testimonials, recommendations and endorsements, your skills are on display for everyone to see. You can also update awards and other successes, so people know exactly what you’re capable of!
8. You can make better personal connections
Whatever industry you’re in, there are bound to be networking events where you have to meet people face to face. Having good visibility on LinkedIn makes it easier to connect with people when you meet them face to face. In fact, a study says that 44% of users reported having better connections in person thanks to LinkedIn.
9. You can promote your Brand
There is no doubt that personal branding is immensely important to achieve success of any kind. And LinkedIn is the best place to get it done. Forbes.com says that “LinkedIn is the only personal branding resource you need”. It’s a resume, cover letter, agent, personal blog, networking event, portfolio and references all rolled into a single, easy-to-use and accessible resource.
10. You can get more traffic to your site
If you’re a business of any kind, one of your primary concerns will be regarding getting more traffic to your website or your blog. With 50% of B2B customers checking LinkedIn before making a purchasing decision, this is the best platform to direct people to your site. It gives more insight into your personality as a business owner, and makes your business seem a more legit.
11. You can put up original content
Don’t have a blog? No problem – you have LinkedIn! LinkedIn has many options to upload your original content, whether it’s an article, image or video. A previous study showed that 3 million LinkedIn Pulse users shared content every week. If your content is fresh and relevant, it’ll get shared by all those people! What’s more, you can view detailed analytics to see how your content is faring on LinkedIn.
12. You can join groups
One of the biggest reasons to join LinkedIn to get noticed is this – LinkedIn groups. Joining active LinkedIn groups in your niche has many advantages. It exposes you to industry experts, opportunities as well as lots of valuable information. A list of good groups also does wonders for your profile.
13. You can help others
Ever heard of ‘He who helps humanity helps himself’? Well, that applies to LinkedIn too! When you help others make new connections, give endorsements or write a testimonial, it works in your benefit too. Answering questions in your expert area also goes a great way in boosting your visibility – both within groups as well as outside them.
14. You can enjoy constant updates
Being on LinkedIn improves your visibility by offering new features and updates frequently. The last year itself saw a slew of new updates – there were new search features, new blogging features, slicker homepage and customized feed. There’s more coming, like chatbots, AI and lots more, which will help your profile get noticed by exactly the people you want.
15. You get professional validation
Most of all, being on LinkedIn gives you professional validation. It lets others know that you are serious about your goals and your career. It makes your past more transparent, and shows honest reviews of what others think of you. It also gives an insight into your personality beyond the workplace, and shows how well rounded you are.
I think these are more than enough reasons to justify why you should be on LinkedIn! With more professionals and companies getting on the platform, and with more features added all the time, it’s high time you join the party too!
