LinkedIn Profile – Mere Time Pass or MORE ?

Opportunity knocks only once, and this is not just an old saying, but also a harsh reality specifically if you are a job seeker. You might never know when opportunity might pass by you and you just donot recognize it. If you are a job seeker and you donot have one or neglect your Linked Profile then this will surely happen. Remember that your LinkedIn Profile is not just any other social profile that you make for passing your time. Instead, LinkedIn Profile is turning out to be a useful tool in the hand of job seekers. You might be adding people contacted through networking events and accept their requests, but this is not all. If you will stick to this approach, then you might not come under the radar of many top recruiters. A LinkedIn Profile acts like a shopping window for potential employers and hiring managers.

There are several reasons behind this rising significance of LinkedIn Profiles and some of the major ones are enumerated below:

• Applying for jobs and coming under the radar of potential employers is now a lot easier with LinkedIn. You can use LinkedIn particularly for job search by using job listings on LinkedIn. All you need to do is to submit your profile on the listings and simply click on the apply now butting to post your profile.

• With the advancement of social media, recruiters have got a new and innovative method of finding candidates and delving into their details, whereas job seekers have got a better platform for displaying their skills and making them visible to several recruiters at the same time. Social networking websites like LinkedIn helps in increasing your visibility among corporate recruiters and brings you greater opportunities in return. Remaining visible is the key to better job prospects, especially with the rising level of competition in the corporate world.

• Another reason why LinkedIn Profile is becoming a favorite of job seekers is that it serves the specific requirements of job search. If you have, a compelling profile then opportunities might come your way even from very weak connections that you build on LinkedIn. People sometimes even build connections with companies they want to work with and can find referrals for those companies as well.

• Everyone goes for a Google search when searching for someone or somethings details, and so does the employers, so if you have an appealing LinkedIn Profile and a potential employer goes for a Google search by entering your name, then this profile will come up on the top spots of Google search result. This means that you can ultimately have an impressive online reputation.

• Recently the membership on this social networking website has increase drastically and some studies also show that maximum recruiters use LinkedIn for scrutinizing candidates. In fact, executives and professionals belonging to different age groups are using LinkedIn for finding even better job opportunities.

• LinkedIn stands out as an important platform for building connections as more connections with professionals belonging to the same industry or field helps in gaining expertise as well as interrelating with contemporaries.

• Earlier you had to roam from office to office with your resume in your hand to find a job, and now you have a platform for yourself where you can promote yourself and catch the attention of employers without running from pillar to post. It works a like a website of your own where you can showcase your skills, tell about your experience in detail, and highlight your accomplishments all at the same time.

• You just have to bear in mind that your LinkedIn Profile is not your resume. The difference between the two lies in the fact that Resumes convey information about what you have achieved or what are your qualifications whereas, your LinkedIn Profile brings out the facts that tells about who you are. Whenever, employers look for candidates not just with the required qualifications but also with a particular character they will refer to LinkedIn to find the suitable person for the job.

• Your LinkedIn Profile also helps you to get latest job alerts that match your qualifications and abilities. Further, the connections that you build with this network will help you get job notifications that are shared on your network. This means that you will find more targeted jobs with your LinkedIn Profile.

• The way you maintain and update your LinkedIn Profile also affects your chances of impressing potential employers. Therefore, make sure that the information you put on your LinkedIn Profile should be complete and up-to-date.

• Presently, none of the social network completely focuses on networks of professional, which make LinkedIn different from other social networks and it is regarded safe as well.

With a great shift in the approach of job search with recruitment and social networking websites, being visible over the internet is of utmost importance to job seekers, as the more visible you are the better are your opportunities to land on a great job. Your LinkedIn Profile helps you in enhancing your visibility, which ultimately helps recruiters to notice you. A LinkedIn Profile comes on the top of the list of Google Search, so your visibility will hit the top once you create and maintain your LinkedIn Profile. Starting from custom URL, to profile photo, to the headline, job descriptions, and summary, there are several elements on this social network that you can use to your advantage and can be noticed by employers who hover over these networks to find suitable candidates. If you donot leverage your LinkedIn Profile, then you will miss out on some of the most luring offers that you will ever get. If you have not paid attention to your profile of late or is not using it in the way it should be, then it is time to polish it up, use it in the direction of job search, and simply see how it can create magic for you.