Get Job and Internship Recommendations and Find Openings

Along the top of your LinkedIn home screen, you will see a tab for “Jobs.” LinkedIn uses your profile and search history to create a list of “Top job picks for you.” This is a list of open positions that match your skills and abilities. A great way to begin your job search is simply seeing what recommendations LinkedIn has for you.

Additionally, in this section, you can find the option to add an “open for work” banner to your profile, this let’s potential employers know that you are looking for new professional opportunities.

LinkedIn also puts together job collections for you based on your skills, and lets you know what organizations in your network are currently hiring. This gives you even more ways to explore current position openings.

Finally, along the left-hand side of the page LinkedIn gives you options to expand your job search beyond their suggestions by updating or changing your preferences, along with a way to organize your job search by saving jobs. They even offer assistance with interview preparation and additional job seeker guidance.

Networking

Use LinkedIn to connect with potential employers and expand your existing network. Use the search bar to search for those you would like to connect with, and browse individuals LinkedIn suggests you connect with through the “my network” tab.

Find Events

Along the left side of your home page, you can click on “Events” to see professional events such as trainings and get togethers you may be interested in. LinkedIn offers up a lot of suggestions. Attending these events can help you grow your skill set and network with those in your field.

Create Your Own Group

LinkedIn gives you an easy way to follow employers, organizations, and professional groups. But have you thought of starting your own group? Ideas for groups you might create include teams you work at school or at work, a professional group of those you know in your field, or an alumni group from a professional club or your university. The possibilities are endless, and anything you do will increase your LinkedIn engagement and increase your professional exposure.

Use LinkedIn to House Your Professional Portfolio

I always encourage students to create e-portfolios to show employers what you can do, and some fields require examples of your work before they will hire you. Through LinkedIn Projects (located in your profile) you can house your portfolio in a convenient place, update it easily, and employers can browse your work to get a good feel for your skill set.

Messaging

LinkedIn allows you to message your connections, and sometimes you can even message a potential connection while asking to connect. This enables you to easily reach a large number of professionals quickly and easily.

Job Prospecting

Another way to get noticed by potential employers is to comment on their posts and/or repost their posts. A former student spent a summer following companies he would like to work for on LinkedIn and other social media platforms. He actively commented on their posts, reposted their posts, and even created new posts tagging the companies. In a short time at one  company reached out to him with a job opportunity.

You can also use LinkedIn to find and reach out to people who work at companies you would like to work for. For example, once you identify a company you would like to work for, see if you already have any connections that work there. If you do, message them through LinkedIn to see if you can learn more about what they do and their company. (See Informational Interview to learn how this connection can lead to potential employment opportunities.)

If you have a dream company, but don’t have any connections that work there, try using LinkedIn to reach out to contacts at the company that may be useful to you. You can locate people by their job title or department. Once you identify the right people, message them and ask for an informational interview to learn more about what they do and their career path. Or, try reaching out to alumni from your university for guidance. They are often very happy to help young people from their alma mater.