Creative Ways to Use LinkedIn to Help You Land Your Next Job

Since it was founded in 1992, LinkedIn has become the largest social networking site for professionals on the Internet. LinkedIn is a great way to reconnect with past colleagues and college friends that you may have lost touch with over the years. It is also an excellent place to learn more about your industry and profession. And, one of the best reasons to join LinkedIn is the opportunity to market yourself in today's tough job market and sluggish economy. It is free to join and you can spend as little or as much time as you like creating your professional profile. The more time you invest in creating your profile, the more beneficial it will be to you in your job search.

Many employers are now using LinkedIn to review a candidate's credentials either before or after the initial interview. It is important to make sure that your LinkedIn profile matches the information on your resume. Employers have been known to look for discrepancies between a resume and a LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn provides all users with a public profile link that can be activated so that your name, position and other information on your profile can be found in a Google search. The more exposure you can get for yourself in your job search process, the more opportunities will come your way. Your public profile link can also be added to your resume directing employers to your profile.

Networking is one of the most important tools in your job search process. The larger your network, the greater the possibility of knowing someone who works for a company that may be hiring. LinkedIn has several tools to help you to build your network. You can use the search feature to look for friends, former colleagues, current colleagues and college friends. You can search by name, company name, or school name. Each time you log into LinkedIn, you will see the number of colleagues from your current and former companies and schools that have recently joined LinkedIn which allows you to search for people you may know. There is also an option to send invitations from your current email address book. Inviting someone to join your network is as easy as few simple clicks of your mouse. When someone joins your network, you will be able to view his or her contacts as well. You will find many more colleagues and friends to invite to join your network.

Good quality references are very important to have when you are searching for a new job. LinkedIn has a feature that gives you the opportunity to ask former colleagues, managers, direct reports, etc. to recommend you based on your work when you were at the same organization. And, you can return the favor and recommended them as well. You can add these recommendations to your profile and anyone viewing your profile will be able to read your glowing references. Try to get recommendations from all of your past positions to add to your profile.

You can also join thousands of different groups on LinkedIn. There are alumni groups, groups of former co-workers, and industry and job specific groups for every industry and job on the planet. The groups are a great way to learn more about your industry and profession. However, many recruiters and hiring managers are now positing open positions in these groups. You will find positions that are not listed on any of the other job sites. And, you'll have the opportunity to communicate directly with the recruiter or hiring manager.

When you are lucky enough to land an interview, you can search LinkedIn for people you may know that currently work at the company. It is always helpful to have someone that works at the company give a personal recommendation for you. You'll be surprised at the number of people you will find that either you know personally or that one of your connections knows personally.

LinkedIn also has a job search function that is powered by SimplyHired. You will basically see the same positions that are listed on Simply hired with some advanced search features. You have heard it over and over again, most people find their next job through their contacts and networks rather than responding to job postings. There is no easier way to begin building your professional network than by using LinkedIn. LinkedIn is the best kept secret and the most creative way to find a new job in today's tough job market and struggling economy. And, it's free. It doesn't get any better than that.