Social media is no more a platform for informal discussions and chitchats for time-pass. Many businesses find their potential buyers on social media. Similarly, people can get in touch with others through social media for professional reasons. Linkedin is one of those social media websites where people look for professional opportunities, collaborations, and many more. Job seekers use the platform to get in touch with HR managers. On the other hand, recruiters and business managers also use the platform to find employees for their companies.
Linkedin offers a unique referral feature, which a user can refer you to a potential employer. In most cases, employees of a company use the platform to refer their friends to the HR managers of the company through Linkedin. Most companies love to get such referrals to fill vacant positions. The social media portal also offers Applicant Tracking System. Overall, it is a perfect platform to connect with people for professional reasons.
According to Linkedin, the platform passed the half-billion mark in 2021. In 2002, it started the journey as a social media platform and was later acquired by Microsoft. The platform kept adding users over the last few years. Today, it has emerged as the biggest virtual platform for professional networking.
According to the sources, 92% of the business marketing experts use Linkedin for B2B marketing purposes. So, building a professional network on this website can help you build a good reputation. Moreover, it enables you to move one step closer to your professional goals.
It would help if you connected to the right people to reap the benefits of Linkedin networking. In the following section, find a guide on following the right type of people on this platform.
After creating your profile on LinkedIn, you should follow the colleagues and coworkers on this social media platform. Finding colleagues on this platform is not difficult, as most professionals use LinkedIn today. If you do not find someone, you can send an invitation to join this portal. Among the colleagues, you will have your present and past coworkers. Staying connected to coworkers helps you build a virtual community that helps people find better professional opportunities.
After completing a college education, most people lose contact with many friends. You can find the college mates on LinkedIn and connect to them. Connecting to the college and institution friends can provide personal and professional benefits. Firstly, it feels great to reunite with old friends after a long time. Secondly, reuniting with old friends can help you find new professional opportunities. For example, you want a better job. You can ask your college friend to recommend you to a better employer through LinkedIn.
You may know a few entrepreneurs and small business owners. You should follow such people on LinkedIn to build a better professional network. The entrepreneurs and business owners may not belong to your professional sector. But, it is still essential to follow them, as they may benefit you in the long run. You never know who will prove beneficial to your professional life later. Therefore, developing a diverse and robust network is essential for everyone.
Do you know a few people working in non-profit organizations? If yes, you can connect to them on LinkedIn. Apparently, you may feel that people in non-profit organizations may not fetch any professional benefits. But, the fact is that such people have an extensive network. Therefore, they can help you to connect with different kinds of people. For example, your company needs a few employees. You can ask people from non-profit organizations to refer employees to your company.
Instead of individual profiles, you will also find many company profiles on LinkedIn. For seamless LinkedIn networking, you can follow such profiles. Many recruitment companies have their LinkedIn profiles, and they want to connect with various professionals through this social media platform. You can follow such profiles for professional benefits. You should update your LinkedIn bio to attract recruitment agencies. The agencies will connect to you with better professional opportunities.
If you work in the software development industry, you should follow the companies belonging to the IT sector on LinkedIn. Following the companies belonging to your professional industry will help you in many ways. Firstly, you will get quick industry updates. Secondly, you will enhance your digital exposure as a professional in a specific industry. Therefore, many employers and HR consultants will show interest in approaching you with job offers.
When creating the LinkedIn bio, you may use hashtags to highlight your professional skills and achievements. Other LinkedIn users do the same to gain professional exposure through this platform. Using these hashtags to showcase your talents or expertise helps you find a job on LinkedIn. Moreover, the hashtags also help you to find people with similar skills. Clicking on the hashtag will help you explore the people using the same hashtags on LinkedIn. You can follow such people to build a professional network through this social media platform.
LinkedIn has an algorithm to judge your profession and profile to suggest some friends. Whenever you open a LinkedIn account, you will find that dashboard features friend suggestions under the "People You May Know" section. Visit the profiles that LinkedIn suggests to you to explore the professional skills of such persons. If you find the person beneficial for your professional networking through LinkedIn, you should follow the person.
One of the best ways to widen your LinkedIn profile's reach is by asking for recommendations. You can ask LinkedIn friends for referrals. They can refer you to a potential employer or recruitment agency. Alternatively, they may also refer others to you. You can build an excellent professional network on this social media platform in this way. The strategy works well for everyone, especially if you want to grow a vast professional network through LinkedIn.
If you have used Facebook, you know the fundamentals of social media groups. In the groups, you meet like-minded people and build a friendly relationship. The LinkedIn groups work in the same manner, and thus you can join groups to explore like-minded people belonging to your profession. Following the groups can also help you find a job on LinkedIn. There are two ways of joining LinkedIn groups. Firstly, you can search groups using the search engine of this social media platform. Secondly, your friends will add you to various groups. You can request them to add you to a few particular groups that can aid your professionally.
LinkedIn can help you get a job if you follow the right people on this platform. On social media platforms, people follow the influencers to obtain knowledge, information, etc. Moreover, following the influencers helps you to build a professional network. So, how can you find the influencers on this social media platform?
LinkedIn users can find a few profiles with a LION badge. Here, LION stands for the LinkedIn Open Networker. Such people have many followers, and thus you can follow them to find some professional benefits. Sometimes, you may not get direct benefits from the influencers. But, following them will help you meet new people who can prove beneficial for your professional endeavour.
LinkedIn is a place to find people for professional networking. If you do not connect to unknown people, you will not get a job using this platform. However, following unknown people randomly will not provide any benefits. You should have a strategic approach to follow the people who can benefit you. LinkedIn is not a social media platform for random friendships and communications. Therefore, you should use the platform for professional reasons.
While following the recruitment consultants, people make a few mistakes. They follow the profiles which spread spam messages. Therefore, you should check the profiles carefully before following them. If the profile bio does not have adequate information, you must avoid following such people. At the same time, a profile picture is an essential tool, which stands for authenticity. Before following someone, you must take a close look at the profile photo.
Moreover, LinkedIn users should think twice before following their professional rivals on this social media platform. Your rival may use your network to strengthen his professional network. Therefore, you have to think before following the rivals.
LinkedIn allows you to connect to a maximum of 30000 people, and thus you can develop a vast professional network using this platform. You can easily find recruitment consultants on this social media platform. You can find business owners, recruitment officers, and many more. Thus, LinkedIn indeed helps you to find new jobs.
LinkedIn is a perfect social media platform for developing professional connections. Professional HR consultants can use this platform to connect with potential job seekers and employers. The platform is suitable to showcase your professional skills and experiences through the LinkedIn bio. Overall, it is a platform to develop a strong professional network. But, you need to find the right people to reap the benefits of professional networking on this platform.