Why LinkedIn is Now Your Personal Brand Secret Weapon

Unless if you been living under a rock, LinkedIn has become a critical aspect of the job search experience. Just the other day, one of our clients particularly requested that we only share LinkedIn profiles instead of CVs with them. In a short survey we conducted, at least 70% of recruiters search for LinkedIn profiles before calling a candidate for a telephonic round. For job seekers looking out for senior management and leadership opportunities having a LinkedIn profile with impactful experience, skills and endorsements is now a must.

Unlike conventional specialist or generic career sites like Dice or CareerBuilder, LinkedIn has morphed into a social network integrating B2B, B2C and career-based services. The platform hosts Fortune 500 decision makers and executives, as well as professionals from reputable organizations. Not only is this music to the ear of marketing professionals, it is also crucially important to recruiters and job seekers. If you still give LinkedIn a second fiddle treatment, you should seriously consider giving the platform your all.

Related: How to use Social Selling Effectively for Your Next Job Search

The digital revolution hasn’t left any industry unscathed. Besides the obvious gains of automation, digital is transforming how companies recruit and job seekers search for their next big opportunity. LinkedIn is one professional network that has been rapidly evolving itself in this dynamic digital space. We live in an era driven by digital forces and information. Businesses are harnessing these forces to drive new ways of engaging their customers. As a job seeker you should be taking advantages of these trends too.

LinkedIn, the de-facto professional network has also become a crucial aspect of your online brand and social selling strategy. LinkedIn is the largest professional network with at 500 million users. It is present in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. LinkedIn’s acquisition by the Redmond behemoth goes a long way to highlight that the largest professional network is here to stay. Here are a few facts to put this idea into perspective. LinkedIn’s global reach among professionals is an unprecedented boon in our times!

If you are a job seeker serious about using personal branding and social selling to do the heavy lifting then LinkedIn is the way to go. Smart job seekers out there are using the platform to position themselves as experts in their field and drive clout. When done right this feat can create a solid personal brand traction for you. Everything you touch can lead to a career prospect, or maybe a side hustle. There is a lot of untapped potential on LinkedIn, unfortunately a lot people out there are yet to realise its potential.

There are a host of reasons why LinkedIn is still underrated by professionals. You hear excuses like: I am happy in my current job so I don’t need to use it. I don’t have interest using another social networking site; I have my hands full with Twitter and Facebook. I don’t find LinkedIn useful at all; it has never given me anything back. While these concerns are genuine; they fail to take into account long-term benefits one gains by building their brand on this platform. Some professionals are shockingly unaware what LinkedIn is and why they should be on the platform.

Related: How to use Social Selling Effectively for Your Next Job Search

Any professional seriously invested in their growth, learning or development know better that a LinkedIn presence is all the more crucial.

LinkedIn is more than just a database of professional contacts. This is a platform where you can learn new ideas about your industry and drive your career progression noticeably through tips and tricks. It is an opportunity to know everything about the people you admire in your workplace to successful leaders across the globe. You can get insights from books they read; mentors they follow; additional courses they pursued or life philosophy they base themselves on. All of this is a wealth of information which can help you orient your career on the path of success.

You should also use LinkedIn to keep yourself updated with trending news in your industry too. The news feed in your profile gets updated with relevant content from influencers, companies, people, topics and hashtags you follow. Skimming through this feed everyday on your way to work; during your coffee or lunch breaks is a great way to learn a lot about your industry.

What was the biggest reason you use LinkedIn for and what has noticeably moved in your professional life after you joined LinkedIn? Like the article and leave a comment below.

For the latest Leadership and Senior Management jobs in Analytics & Digital, Sales & Marketing, Finance & Operations and Human Resources across India with our Fortune 500 clients visit crescendo-global.com

This article was originally published on crescendo-global.com

Crescendo Global is an ISO 9001:2015 certified Leadership Hiring consulting arm of Crescendo Group with expertise in mid to senior level niche recruitment. We are passionate about empowering job seekers and employers with an engaging memorable job search and leadership hiring experience. Our consultants help candidates and clients succeed through a tailored, consultative approach backed by industry & market knowledge and proprietary assessment tools & processes.