Why LinkedIn is So Important for Professionals and Job-Seekers

LinkedIn might not be the most popular of all the social networks out there, but let’s not underestimate its importance, especially when it comes to connecting with industry professionals, furthering your career, hiring and getting hired, as well as for business-to-business (B2B) activities.

While it may not boast Facebook or Twitter-like numbers, LinkedIn is still the most popular and largest professional network/business-oriented social networking site out there. LinkedIn has 240 million active users right now out of more than 300 million registered members, and the social networking site grew 38% in 2013 – impressive, to say the least.

As of now, more than 3 million companies from all around the world have official LinkedIn Company Pages. Which means that working professionals, employees, entrepreneurs, CEO’s and job-seekers alike need to have an active presence on the website. Here are some reasons why:

LinkedIn is excellent for connecting with professionals

LinkedIn is great for creating strong connections, especially between professionals, like-minded individuals, thought-leaders and people in your industry or whom you share interests with.

Ask questions, share knowledge, get important insights, know about upcoming events, gain important information, know about job openings and opportunities inside and outside your circles, voice your opinions, participate in discussions, and so on.

It is very important to be in touch with people in your industry or niche and build strong, long-lasting connections with them, and LinkedIn lets you do just that.

LinkedIn remains the best platform to promote yourself as a professional

LinkedIn remains one of the best ways on the internet to promote yourself as a professional.

Your LinkedIn page is like your very own personal online portal/page where you can list all your achievements and accomplishments, details about your job experience and skills, as well as other information. This information is shared with everyone who you’re connected with, as well as other professionals, head-hunters, CEO’s and recruiters who might be looking for someone like you and stumble upon your profile.

You can use LinkedIn as a platform to advertise your skills and build credibility as a professional.

Make sure that you have a detailed, up-to-date and complete profile, that is impresses anyone who looks at it!

LinkedIn is the best place to get hired

If you’re looking for a job, LinkedIn remains the premium and only place that gives you a high chance of landing one!

LinkedIn can recommend job that match the details given in your profile, as well as show job listings that are relevant to you.

You can also visit company pages, and track companies for any job openings, individuals that may be leaving an organization (which of course means that there might be openings in said organization soon), and so on.

LinkedIn allows you to remain on top of what’s happening in the industry

At the end of the day, LinkedIn is just another social networking website – which means people share stuff on it. When you connect with your peers and colleagues, you gain knowledge, information and insights about what’s happening in your industry. You remain updated and in touch with everything that’s happening in your niche. You remain on top of all important events and whatever goes on that’s relevant to you.

So LinkedIn is an excellent way of keeping abreast of what’s happening in the industry, especially about things that are relevant to you.

LinkedIn is a great way of being found on Google

LinkedIn has a lot of authority on Google, and the website tends to rank well in the Google results (SERP) as well. As a result, LinkedIn individual (and company) pages tend to rank really well on Google.

So if you have a LinkedIn page for yourself, chances are that if you were to Google your name, your LinkedIn page will be one of the first results on the results page.

Which means that LinkedIn is not only an excellent way of being found, it is also an excellent way for recruiters or people you may have met at a conference to look you up and know more about you. This can be immense in terms of networking and staying in touch with them, as well as expanding your network.

  • This is a great article on the benefits of being connected on LinkedIn. My professional profile has grown exponentially through the connections I’ve made, and developing my business network is a lot easier when I can view the details of others’ profiles before I connect with them– it’s fantastic for making the right professional friends!

  • Lintang says:

    I could not agree more with the article you’ve written, Kinley. I am a professional freelance translator that some of clients came from the site. I did not need to apply for any job I am dreaming of. The HR managers – Localization managers – who found me through it.

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