Unlocking Professional Growth: Understanding the Critical Role of Having Your Own LinkedIn Presence

Key Takeaways

• LinkedIn is for everyone, not just stuffy professionals. Students and workers alike can benefit from networking and job searching.
• Job search tools on LinkedIn can streamline applications. Keep profiles updated for easy job application integration.
• LinkedIn offers free online courses, groups, and games to engage users beyond job searching. Building connections is key.

When you think of LinkedIn, you probably think of boomers posting about their company’s latest PR stunt, or your over-achieving friend from high school who was just named to the 40 under 40 list. But LinkedIn actually has a lot more to offer, and if you aren’t on the platform, you (and your future career?!) may be missing out.

Who is Really Using LinkedIn

Obviously, LinkedIn users are mostly people who are already in the workforce. But that doesn’t mean it’s only for professionals. Among the CEOs and hiring managers, you can also find all the “worker bees” sharing memes and venting about common work struggles, as well as companies promoting their content and thought leadership.

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You can also find interns and students who are just starting and asking for advice. So, if you’re a student gearing up for graduation, this is definitely the time to set up a LinkedIn profile and start growing your network. You never know who might be able to help you land that dream job!

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Job Searching on LinkedIn

One of the main reasons people use LinkedIn is for job searching. There is a very robust job search tool that you can customize to help narrow down the search results . But sometimes, companies force you to apply directly on their website using their proprietary job application tools.

While this extra step is extremely annoying for job searchers, many of these third-party job applications offer a “log in via LinkedIn” option, which will automatically populate your info into their application tool based on what’s written on your LinkedIn profile. This feature alone is a huge reason why you should keep your LinkedIn active and updated! Pro tip: Use AI to help optimize your profile.

LinkedIn Learning Has Free Online Courses

Maybe you already have a job and are not currently looking to make a change. Or maybe you’re a student with zero job experience to write about on your profile. Does LinkedIn have anything else to offer you? Actually, yes!

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Even if you’re a seasoned pro and you love your job, there’s always room to grow. LinkedIn Learning offers free online courses in a huge variety of topics ranging from technical skills (need a crash course in GA4?) to soft skills (brush up on your public speaking perhaps?) which can help you to excel at work — and your course completion can be posted on your profile to beef it up a bit more.

What Else Does LinkedIn Offer?

Job applications are not exactly what most people would consider fun, nor a reason to keep coming back to engage with a social media platform. That’s why LinkedIn has a lot of other features that are more useful for the day-to-day.

LinkedIn Groups provide opportunities to connect with people who have similar career interests as you. People use LinkedIn Groups to share articles and thought leadership, as well as to ask questions and seek help with an issue they are facing. Since LinkedIn is the “professional social network,” people are more likely to be friendly and willing to help, instead of responding with snark. Take a few minutes to search for groups focused on topics that you’re interested in learning more about.

In addition to groups, you can also build connections by playing games are daily puzzles that challenge you to get the top score, and you can share your results with your friends to see if they can do better. This competitive camaraderie can be a great conversation starter when you’re trying to connect with your network.

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Ultimately, a social network is only as useful as the people that you connect with and follow. Your news feed will show recent posts from your connections, so make sure that your network is filled with people who will help educate you and boost your career. You can “follow” big-name CEOs and thought leaders in your industry without actually adding them as a connection, which means you can still learn and benefit from their expertise without actually knowing them.

LinkedIn provides a lot of opportunities for people who put in the time to curate their network. It can help you to save time on job searches, waste time on gaming, and maybe meet some interesting new people along the way. Keep your profile active and see how it can benefit you.