6 tips to help you best utilize LinkedIn for your job search

Job Seekers

LinkedIn is the best tool to help you land that dream job. Follow these tips to help you best utilize LinkedIn for your job search.

Ensure your profile is complete and up-to-date

Your LinkedIn profile is your chance to showcase your skills and talents and help the right people and opportunities find their way to you. As your professional representation online, you can set it to be discoverable through the millions of searches on leading search engines and on LinkedIn.
Be sure that your profile is up-to-date with your latest work information and you have a well-written summary that touches on your experience, interests, and where you’d like to go. Start updating your profile now.

Users with complete profiles are 40 times more likely to receive opportunities through LinkedIn!

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Your connections should represent your “real world” network

When your network represents those you know and trust, you can utilize them for recommendations, and ask for introductions into a job or opportunity that you are interested in.
Your first step is to Import your address book and add those trusted connections who are already on LinkedIn. To complete your network, invite the contacts that are not on LinkedIn to join

Use the address book importer to import your address book directly from web-based email clients such as Gmail or Yahoo! Mail, or use the Outlook address book importer.

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Search on LinkedIn Jobs

LinkedIn Jobs has thousands of job listings for each category. You can search using keywords, title, company, and location to find the perfect opportunity for you.

Leverage the elements on your profile to help make yourself stand out. Getting recommended and having a strong network builds your professional credibility and helps you get hired.

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Message Key Network Contacts

Use an “inside connection” to help get you access to company or job you are interested in. When you browse to a job listing on LinkedIn Jobs, you can see which of your connections are at that company. Leverage these connections to help you find the right contacts at the company you are interested in.
You can also use the Advanced Search to find a user by keywords or companies. You can directly contact users through inMails or request an introduction through one of your contacts if you have common connections.

Another great way to use LinkedIn is to research your recruiters or interviewers. You can learn more about their background to have an edge over the other candidates.

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Demonstrate your Expertise on LinkedIn Answers

LinkedIn Answers is one of the best places on the web to share business knowledge. You can ask and answer questions on specific subject matter.
By demonstrating your expertise on LinkedIn you earn recognition that helps you build your credibility.

The more points of expertise you gain, the higher you appear on lists of experts.

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Use the JobsInsider Toolbar.

Once installed, the JobsInsider toolbar integrates into your web browser, so when you are viewing a job listing on an external job site, you can automatically see your inside connections at that company.  Download the toolbar today.

These inside connections can help you through informational interviews or by introducing you directly to the hiring manager.

via http://www.linkedin.com/