LinkedIn provides a number of services depending on what side of the business scale you fall on. For job seekers and employees there are numerous advice columns and blogs about how to make the best most hirer-able profile. Forbes.com offers hints like make a findable and visually appealing profile, use linkedin to showcase what doesn't fit on your resume, strategically connect with others, snoop once you have a valuable network, and stay active on the site. Most recommendations follow this same idea, be professional, connect wisely, stay current, and be professional. LinkedIn provides a place for individuals to make contact with potential future employers before they are looking for a job and for job seekers to have one more place to turn during the job hunt.
On the other end of the spectrum, employers and recruiters have their own advice blogs to listen to. Companies can create their own unique page to represent their brand in an appealing way to attract job seekers. Recruiters for the companies can also have their own individual pages to build a network of future employees for their current company as well as their own personal network. Companies are recommended to post updates about what it happening to keep the audience interested and coming back to their page. If you can post interesting articles or updates on activities within the company, it is likely more people will pay attention and be interested. It is also important that companies provide details on their product and services as well as reviews. This helps create klout for the company and extend the brand image in a (hopefully) positive way.
LinkedIn provides a lot of great resources for those just starting out and those with questions on how to improve their page. From small businesses to the largest in the world, LinkedIn can help them all create strong networks to assist with hiring and business to business interactions. The image to the left provides a list of some of the FAQ's LinkedIn provides to help businesses use the services provided. I have been a part of LinkedIn since about 2011 or 2012 and have used it as my "website" when applying to jobs as it gives a little more detail than my resume provides. Over the years I have experimented with layout and order of contents as well as what jobs I highlight or hide. Currently, my page is in a weird middle ground between the theatre world and the business world as I try to make each job relevant to the other and my career aspirations. It may not be the best page, but it has gotten me a consulting job for Creative Conners the automation company I have worked with before to assist others in the region with programing or other questions.
As I have not worked at a company where I have had access to the company page I am curious to see how different if at all it is from the generic users page. I would be curious to know what the time commitment is to the LinkedIn page typically by a company to maintain and post updates and how it compares to other sites.
Overall, LinkedIn provides an excellent way for businesses and individuals to network with one another in a professional environment away from pictures of cats, kids, and food that is prevalent on other social media platforms. In the business world it is highly recommended that everyone have their own personal page as it is an easy way for recruiters to find you and evaluate your qualifications. As employable people it is important to keep your page up to date and appealing. For businesses the same is very true with the added task of keeping job listings current and present on the page.
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