If you don't have a LinkedIn account, we suggest that you get one. Since the inception of LinkedIn in 2003, students and professionals from all walks of life have been able to create and promote their very own online CV.
The networking platform has been a focal point for graduates looking for a career in their line of work, as well the 90% of recruiters using the platform to source professionals. There are over 590 million LinkedIn users, and over 15 million job listings.
It's the reason why 40 million students and college graduates have signed up!
Create your career profile and get hired
Applying for jobs used to feel like a real struggle. Remember having to upload your CV, cover letter and personal profile to different job searching platforms? This process was often extremely time consuming, and would require signing up with multiple accounts.
The worst thing about this process, is that the likelihood of a recruiter finding you wasn't great at all...
With LinkedIn, you are able to create your own profile, photo, bio, and resume all in one. Visually, this system makes your biography much easier to read for recruiters who may have to go through hundreds of CV's a day.
A career profile allows you to showcase your voluntary experience and provide a detailed description of your role at your current and previous employers. You automatically become more employable, and your profile literally comes to life.
What do we mean by this? If you have a LinkedIn account, go and Google search your full name. You will find that your profile appears in the top 2-3 searches. This is important, as recruiters will often do a google search of your name to find out more about you.
Establish professional connections
Now that there is so much emphasis on creating a unique career profile, there is a higher demand to use LinkedIn as a resource to establish real connections.
While LinkedIn is predominantly used for recruitment, the shift in the last few years has seen an increase in creative content. Professionals have been sharing their creative content as a way to connect with other individuals in the industry.
These relationships made can lead to business sales, referrals and even career opportunities.