Professionals have gotten pretty picky since the COVID-19 pandemic. Many saw the sudden shift to remote work as restoring work-life balance. Recruiters report that job seekers want to work from home or they don’t want to work at all. Meanwhile, companies that have returned to in-office requirements have lost workers.

Of course not everyone wants to be remote. Still, whatever your needs are, your to-do list should include LinkedIn along with updating your resume, submitting to employment sites, and networking. It’s hard to argue with LinkedIn’s numbers. Over fourteen million jobs are posted on the site while it’s used by nearly 95% of recruiters. You probably already have a LinkedIn profile but if you want to supercharge your job search, you need to really engage. The average user only spends 17 minutes a month on the site while just three percent of users post at least once a week. If you’re serious about finding fulfilling employment, you should be way above the average. Here’s how to use LinkedIn to get a job.

Just having a presence on the site isn’t sufficient. There are things you can do to make your page more dynamic and appealing to potential employers. Here’s how to use LinkedIn to get a job.
Update, update, update

It’s easy to think of LinkedIn as just an online resume. Instead, view it as a living document, a profile that demonstrates your career growth. Start with the profile picture. Ideally you used a professional photographer to post a recent headshot. For inspiration, take a look at how executives appear on the back jacket of their autobiographies. Don’t use selfies or the casual party pics that flourish on Insta (although you should probably be culling those from any public profiles as well).

Instead of a stale resume, tell a story. Think about employing the STAR method: “Situation, Task, Action, and Result.” Include descriptions of how you solved a software bug, increased sales, or maximized a client’s click-throughs. Recruiters and hiring managers enjoy narratives as much as anyone and it’s one of the best examples of how to use LinkedIn to get a job. You can also post portfolios, giving concrete examples of the work you do.

Keep in mind that just as companies use Applicant Tracking Software (ATS) , recruiters relying on LinkedIn’s paid services use a similar tool. It often eliminates candidates who are currently unemployed, so keep phrases that suggest you aren’t working off of your profile. Do employ targeted keyword phrases that match some of the ones you see on job boards and accurately reflect your skills.
Consider Paid Services

You already have access to LinkedIn’s job search function. However, paying for LinkedIn’s Premium Career Account will among other things place your profile above those of non-paid accounts when you apply via “Jobs You Might Be Interested In.“ You’ll also get more granular data about who is viewing your profile along with a larger picture. It’s free for the first 30 days, which is enough time to see if the results you get are worth $30 a month.

Make Connections

Nothing will connect you with more potential employers than LinkedIn. Every connection you make is another chance at a foot in the door. Reach out to friends from college, former co-workers, even the compelling TED Talk speaker. Besides networking through your profile the site also offers online events –– perfect given how many in-person functions have been cancelled or postponed.

So set aside some time today and every day to polish and perfect your LinkedIn game. The results you’ll see will be well worth it.

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