As a job seeker, you have a few key tools that play an important part in the search for your next career move. Treat your LinkedIn profile as one of those essential items, and you’ll be well on your way to landing your dream job.

With over 250 million active users on LinkedIn, you may be wondering how to stand out from the crowd. Luckily, there are a few quick ways to make the most out of your profile and focus your efforts on what matters most to you in your next opportunity.

1. Enhance your profile.

None of the advice in this article is relevant if your LinkedIn profile doesn’t reflect your current skills and experience. Make sure to include keywords that are relevant to the kind of work you do. Recruiters will often utilize these in their search to find qualified individuals for their jobs. Your profile summary and employment descriptions are good places to incorporate these. Lastly, make sure that you don’t miss out on any opportunities by double-checking that your contact information is correct and your notifications are turned on.

2. Define what you are looking for.

By utilizing LinkedIn’s Career Interests feature, you can let hiring professionals on the platform know what kinds of jobs you are after. You have the ability to choose different job titles, locations, company size and even your preferred start date. On your profile, you can also turn on the “let recruiters know you’re open” switch. This will help recruiters come to you without submitting a single application.

3. Utilize LinkedIn’s robust job search features.

LinkedIn makes it simple to find jobs that would be a good fit for you. You can filter open positions by a number of different fields and see if you have any connections to individuals at the organization you are applying to. You can also easily apply with your LinkedIn profile, saving you time and the pain of a long application process. If you want to be notified when new positions are posted, you may set up alerts for specific opportunities that you are looking for. These features allow you to focus your job search on the positions that are right for you and your career while saving you time in the long run.

4. Be active.

By dedicating a portion of your day to being active on LinkedIn, you can accomplish a number of different things. Start by liking posts by individuals both inside and outside of your network, sharing relevant content to your industry and sending a message or two. By engaging with your current connections, you will stay top-of-mind and doors to new opportunities may start to open. This will also help you stay up to date with trends in your industry, which could be good talking points during an interview down the line.

Putting a little effort behind your LinkedIn profile could advance your job search beyond the typical application process and create new opportunities in unexpected places.

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