Is a LinkedIn Profile Necessary in 2023?

LinkedIn has been around since 2003. Over the past two decades, the platform has grown to more than 830 million users spread across 200 countries and 188 million users in the U.S. alone.

Often described as a “professional social networking site,” LinkedIn is a hot spot for career networking, job searching, and recruiting. People worldwide use it to build more robust networks, find work opportunities, share industry knowledge, and find and showcase talent.

So, do you really NEED a LinkedIn profile for your job search in 2023?

The simple answer: Yes! The numerous benefits of LinkedIn are definitely worth the short time it takes to set up your LinkedIn profile and fill out your online resume. In fact, NOT having a LinkedIn profile can be a major red flag for potential employers.

What can you do with a LinkedIn profile?

The potential uses of LinkedIn are virtually unlimited. We have narrowed down the list to some of the most critical results you can achieve through the platform.

Find new, relevant job listings. LinkedIn is a phenomenal job listing service. Considering a wide range of parameters – such as industry, location, skills, interests, experience, salary, and other factors – the platform’s job search tool is practical and easy to use.

Let Recruiters (or the public) find you. Just inform them that you are “Open to Work.” This tool allows the LinkedIn algorithm to actively do the work for you. Once set up correctly, the system sends you open job postings for the type of work, position, role, location, and compensation you’re looking for.

Build and nurture your digital network. Through LinkedIn, you can easily identify and connect with recruiters and hiring managers. It’s also a great tool to keep in touch with former coworkers, clients, and important business leaders. If you are transitioning careers or seeking a new job, you can use LinkedIn to keep your network in the loop. You may even receive some promising referrals or introductions to connections who may become future employers or clients.

Develop your personal brand. Looking for a job is like selling a product. You have to create a distinctive personal brand and come up with strategic ways to promote yourself. LinkedIn provides a powerful platform for you to do just that – through a captivating profile, engaging posts, thoughtful comments, affiliations, and more!

Build credibility and trust. Having a well-developed profile establishes legitimacy in the eyes of potential clients, recruiters, and employers. Between 77% and 95% of employers and recruiters use LinkedIn as one of their fundamental tools for finding and vetting potential candidates. If you’ve established an impressive online presence (“All Star” status) on LinkedIn, you are sure to stand out to employers.

Establish your industry expertise. How? By writing insightful articles and posting relevant content. If you’re not a writer, you can always “like” and “share” posts and leave relevant comments on content that relates to your industry and goals.

Stay up-to-date on industry events and topics. LinkedIn is a great place for you to stay abreast of industry news and events and gather important insights from industry leaders. You can use the platform to follow potential employers’ pages and learn about their company culture and employees.

Promote your work. Whether you write your own blog, build custom homes, or manage a small upstart company, you can use LinkedIn to share your work and gain some online traffic and attention. Sharing projects and linking your profile to your portfolio is also a great way to gain employers’ attention during your job search.

Easily apply for jobs. LinkedIn has a setting that allows users to apply for jobs with a few clicks. This doesn’t just include jobs posted on LinkedIn, but many ATS programs and individual employers allow candidates to apply simply using their LinkedIn profile. Once the profile is set up properly, this function allows LinkedIn users to quickly and easily complete online employment with just a few clicks, saving a lot of time and hassle.

Avoid negative assumptions. These days, not having a LinkedIn profile is a red flag for potential employers. They may think: Why don’t you have one? Do you not understand the importance – especially during a job search? Are you hiding something? Do you not have any real, legit experience? Or are you just not tech-savvy? Too many negative assumptions! Although it’s best to build an “All Star” profile, a basic profile is better than no profile.

Not convinced? Check out these powerful LinkedIn Stats.

Someone gets hired every 3 minutes through LinkedIn (LinkedIn, 2020).
95% of employers and recruiters admit to seeking out and viewing potential employees on LinkedIn (Forbes, 2020).
Between 77% and 90% of employers use LinkedIn to find and vet candidates (Kinsta, 2022)
Forty-four percent of users take home $75,000 a year (LinkedIn, 2021).
More than 58 million listed companies are active on LinkedIn (LinkedIn, 2022).
LinkedIn has seen about 42% growth year-over-year (LinkedIn, 2021).
Forty percent of LinkedIn users use the platform daily (LinkedIn, 2021).
Adding a profile picture to your LinkedIn profile increases your profile view rate by 1400% (LinkedIn, 2019).
Being one of the first responders to a new job posting boosts your chances of getting a response from the employer by 400% (LinkedIn, 2021).

How to meet your job search goals with LinkedIn

To use LinkedIn most effectively for the job search process, a few steps are critical. You need to…

Optimize your profile for maximum visibility
Build upon and nurture your existing professional network
Utilize many of the platform’s other FREE job search tools

When setting up a LinkedIn profile, you must consider factors like search engine optimization (SEO), personal branding, industry credibility, and employer preferences. Having a strong professional profile on LinkedIn can be an employer’s deciding factor. It can be the difference between a successful and an unsuccessful job search.

It also takes a clear, refined job search strategy to ensure the jobs you are finding are really the ones that fit your level of experience, skill set, and interests.

Need help setting up and optimizing your LinkedIn Profile? Check out our Social Media Profile Service.

Not sure how to start building your LinkedIn network? We can help!

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