LinkedIn is a powerful tool for professional networking – with an algorithm that uses your profile to connect you with interesting people from around the world. But did you know that it can provide you with great job opportunities directly in your inbox if you tune your profile a bit? In this post, we'll explain how you can make use the network to get even more out of it for your career.

LinkedIn is a business-oriented social networking website located in Mountain View, California that was founded in December 2002 and launched in May 2003. Since then, it has grown exponentially! And, thinking about it, the success is only logical. Because LinkedIn offers professionals the opportunity to not only network with friends and acquaintances. But also to make new connections that wouldn’t have been possible offline. And that was the goal from the very beginning.

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LinkedIn’s slow start was then followed by full throttle

Back then, LinkedIn’s growth was rather low, but as with many other tech companies, the network had to grow to a certain point to reach exponential growth. And, of course, you need a critical mass of members to become interesting for more members as well as advertising companies.

And that's exactly what happened in 2005, when the company took the next big step. Because that was the time when it became possible for companies to post job listings on LinkedIn and also search for potential employees.

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How LinkedIn became one of the biggest social networks

LinkedIn became profitable in 2007, the year in which the network already had more than 15 million members - by 2011, it had more than 100 million.

Another milestone was reached in 2016, when the company was bought by Microsoft for about $26 billion. The following year, user numbers had risen to more than 500 million members in around 200 countries.

In February 2022, the network had 722 million members. For comparison: Instagram has about one billion and Facebook 2.74 billion users.

Originally, LinkedIn wanted to connect people without them having to meet in real life and also set up an online resume. They wanted to be the first site to have a digital profile for every single working professional in the world. The theory was that, as new technologies developed, LinkedIn would be able to adapt and continue to grow as a professional social network.

How you can prepare your LinkedIn profile for your job search

A theory that backed the right horse. Because nowadays, a considerable part of our daily life takes place on the Internet. You could almost say that there is a reversal, so that life very often takes place digitally instead of offline. And so does the job search – for which LinkedIn can be perfect if you've prepared your profile well.

How? Stick to these five steps.

1. Start by updating your profile. Make sure your profile is up-to-date and complete. Include information about your work experience, education, and skills. Make sure your CV is well written and ready to be sent when the time comes.
2. Use keywords in your profile to be seen. When employers search for candidates on LinkedIn, they use keywords. So it's important to include relevant keywords in your profile. For example, if you're looking for a job in marketing, you might include keywords like "marketing," "social media," and "content marketing." If you don’t have the right keywords in your profile, the algorithm won’t display your profile to recruiters or people looking for valuable connections.
3. Connect with potential employers. LinkedIn is a great way to connect with them. Follow companies you're interested in and join relevant industry groups.
4. Showcase your work. One of the best ways to showcase your work is to create a portfolio on LinkedIn. You can add projects, writing samples, presentations, and more to your portfolio.
5. Get recommendations from past employers and co-workers. Recommendations from past employers and co-workers can add credibility to your LinkedIn profile. Ask them to write a short paragraph recommending you for the type of job you're seeking.

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Finished working on your LinkedIn profile? Then don't forget these important tips!

It's always a good idea to start searching for jobs when you're still employed. Because you shouldn't underestimate that people perceive you differently when you're part of a company. A bit of the company's reputation always radiates off on you. Therefore, it makes sense to look for jobs while you’re still in the company and can present that on LinkedIn. Plus, employers are often hesitant to hire someone who is unemployed, as it might be a sign that the person is not reliable or hard-working.

Another big reason to start searching while you still have a job is the money factor. If you wait until you've lost your job, you may find yourself in a difficult financial situation. You'll likely have less money to live on, and you may have to dip into your savings. And, even if you're not successful in finding a new job right away, at least you'll have the security of knowing that you have a current source of income.

Keep in mind: LinkedIn is a social network in the best sense of the term. Be social!

One of the most important pieces of advice we can give you is that LinkedIn is a social network. It sounds funny, but don’t forget, that it’s for writing, explaining, presenting and arguing – while Instagram is only visual, narrative and emotional.

Therefore, use that! Show people who you are. Write about your work life, your experiences, and the things you've learned. That's a great aspect of LinkedIn that you can and should take advantage of. If you do that, recruiters will take notice of you.

And don’t forget: You can also contact recruiters yourself. Interact with them on LinkedIn, comment on posts, and add people. Just be out there. Because why should you wait for a recruiter to come to you? The hierarchy is reversed on LinkedIn. You too have something they want, don’t you? Right. So let's go!

If you don’t want to wait, switch on your LinkedIn job alerts. This way, LinkedIn will send you notifications for jobs that you defined yourself. Sometimes, though, you also get a lot of spam on LinkedIn. That's why we want to introduce you to a real alternative. At 50inTech, our goal is to make the tech industry more inclusive and equitable.

And part of our mission is to give people who identify as women (i.e. womenX and minorities) easy access to inclusive companies. And to unbiased recruiters. We connect companies that represent the right values with talent that have the right skills. All you have to do for top-notch job opportunities delivered straight to your inbox is become part of the 50inTech family and sign up with us as talent. We look forward to seeing you!