LinkedIn and Your Job Search

After getting a LinkedIn account a few days ago, I’ve begun exploring the site and what the site can be used for. LinkedIn tells you how complete your profile is. Your profile will become more complete as you add information about yourself such as present position, past positions, work experience, and interests.

Yesterday I attended LinkedIn and Your Job Search. We learned that it is now considered more important than ever to use social media to present yourself well. LinkedIn is a social networking site for professionals. It allows one to put their work experiences in an online profile and connect with those they know. LinkedIn shows who is connected to who. A person can be introduced to someone through a mutual contact. This makes networking and business easier because connections are more personal.

Students usually have trouble finding people to connect to when they first join LinkedIn. Start with present and/or past coworkers. Connect with your friends and high school teachers. Create a small network and branch out later once you meet or are introduced to new people. LinkedIn is definitely an important part of professional networking. It can give you a competitive edge and can provide you with more opportunities than you would have had otherwise.

To get started with LinkedIn, go to JobFinder and view the presentation on LinkedIn located in the Podcasts and Handouts tab.