LinkedIn is known as the ‘professional’ social Media platform. But when UK companies only fill around 25% of roles through social media recruitment but 90% of job seekers use it at some point in their career, is it actually the best place to find a job?

LinkedIn can help recruiters find you

We’ve written previously about how creating the right profile on TotalJobs can help recruiters find you and the same is true of LinkedIn.

There are the more well-known tactics such as adding an open-to-work badge to your profile picture but similar to TotalJobs keeping your profile up to date can pay dividends. On your profile, check that:

• you’ve added keywords to your experience; this can be based on jobs you’re interested in
• have a professional picture
• all your information is up to date

LinkedIn can help you research potential employers

LinkedIn is a fantastic tool to research potential employers. You can find out a lot about a company by what they are sharing on LinkedIn.

An active company page can show company culture, benefits, previous roles recruited, as well as company events that you may be able to attend. It can help you understand how the company is structured, opportunities for development and what you might need to include on your CV or job application to tailor to a particular organisation.

LinkedIn can help you network and raise your profile

LinkedIn is a content creation platform focused on professionals not just a job search tool. Creating regular content relating to your area of expertise can help raise your profile. It may also help you get you seen by potential employers.

However, a more effective way of being seen by potential employers can be by commenting on wide reaching posts, brand posts or potential employer posts. Think about your comments as adding value rather than one-word responses.

LinkedIn can help you search for roles

Perhaps the most obvious one, LinkedIn can help you find potential job vacancies. However, it is worth remembering that this will likely be part of a recruitment strategy for a business and not the only place they are posting vacancies. And it can be all too easy to be put off by the ‘over 100 applicants.

But using LinkedIn to job search means that you can see what roles are available and potential job titles. This can help you with your search on other sites by knowing what is out there. It can also help you go directly to company’s websites and see their available roles and gain a better understanding of what might appeal to a potential employer.

So, what to do when LinkedIn isn’t landing you that role?

One key thing is to remember that LinkedIn is just one tool in your job search. Use it effectively rather than exclusively. But what do we mean by that? Think about LinkedIn as a way to:

• Increase and talk with connections
• Share your expertise through comments and articles
• Share your up-to-date CV
• Allow you to research companies

If you’re not finding a job, our advice is to review other job sites. LinkedIn is primarily about professional development. Other job sites focus primarily on vacancies. When searching for a role make sure you know what tasks, responsibilities, and benefits you want so that you can effectively filter your preferred roles.

A job search might seem like something you can do by yourself, and in less challenging times for job seekers, this can be the case. However, knowing when to turn to a recruitment consultancy, like Good Egg Recruitment can help.

Our time is dedicated to recruitment. It means that we have more conversations with employers and understand more of what roles are available than you might have time to do. It means that we’re able to best advise you on the roles that are out there

We are also here to support you through the application process. We can give you strategic advice on making the most out of your CV. We do this with a personal and human approach. We truly care about you and your future. We’re more than just a job posting on our website; we’re here to invest the time into you, and help you find that role where you can be a ‘good egg’. Talk to Nicola nicola@goodeggrecruitment.com or Annette annette@goodeggrecruitment.com to find out how we can help.