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How To Use LinkedIn To Get a Job: A Guide [+ Tips]

24 Feb 2025

What is LinkedIn? 

LinkedIn is an online networking platform  for professionals to network, showcase their work experience,  search for job opportunities and keep up to date with industry trends.

How to use LinkedIn

How to set up a LinkedIn profile

Here are a few LinkedIn tips to help you land your next role:

Choose a LinkedIn profile picture 

Your profile picture should be of high quality and strike a balance between being professional and relaxed. For example, graduation photos or headshots are a good option for profile pictures. Filters and group photos should be avoided. 

While less important, you can also use a cover photo   on your profile. This is a great opportunity to make your profile visually appealing and stand out on LinkedIn. Your cover photo could be a representation of your personal brand or showcase your skills to potential employers.

Let your network know you’re open to new job opportunities through the ‘Open to Work’ feature on LinkedIn. This feature can be added to your profile through your profile settings and an ‘Open to Work’ photo frame will be added to your profile image.

Create a strong headline

Under your name, you can add a short description, giving others an insight into your professional profile. This is one of the first things someone will see on your profile so it’s important that you make yourself stand out. Even if you don’t have a job or haven’t had one before you should still try and be specific.  LinkedIn will automatically populate your headline based on your current or most recent experience, but you can customise this to help you get noticed in the industries you would like to work in. For example, rather than stating that you’re a student, you could say that you’re an ‘aspiring engineer’. 

Write a professional summary

The ‘About’ section is your opportunity to sell yourself to potential recruiters and employers. The word limit for the summary section is approximately 2,000 characters, which is around 290-500 words. Using keywords that recruiters are searching for will help you increase profile views and land the role you’re looking for. 

Showcase your work experience

One of the great things about LinkedIn is that you can add your skills and experience to your profile.  List any work experience, volunteering, skills, exams and certifications you have achieved. You should also use keywords that recruiters will be looking for such as ‘organised’, ‘strong communicator’ or ‘marketing intern’ as these will accelerate your profile, help you get views and ultimately help you find a job. 
You can also add links to portfolios and websites to show further proof of your experience and skills. 

How to make connections on LinkedIn?

You can connect with people on LinkedIn by:
●    Sending a connection request.
●    Following a person’s profile.

Why not connect with people you have met in person at things like networking events?

Obtain endorsements

Endorsements are another great way to highlight and prove that you have an excellent selection of skills. You can ask people you know - previous colleagues or employers – to provide one. You will have the option to accept or decline any endorsements so if you feel they aren’t quite right you’re more than welcome to remove them to keep your profile as optimised as possible.

Optimise your profile with LinkedIn SEO

Optimising your profile with LinkedIn SEO will enhance your profile visits and post engagement rates. You can do this by:

Focusing on keywords

Keywords are what searchers look for in search engines, in this case LinkedIn’s search feature. Example keywords include:
●    Marketing Manager.
●    Administrative Assistant.
●    Account Executive.

You should pull together a list of keywords that recruiters will be looking for and implement them in your profile’s headline, summary, and skills and endorsements sections.

Update your LinkedIn URL

You can personalise your LinkedIn URL to suit your job role to help boost your profile's visibility. For example, you can change your URL from ‘www.linkedin.com/in/joe-bloggs/22347798’ to ‘www.linkedin.com/in/joe-bloggs-account-executive/’.

You can change your URL by:
1.    Clicking the ‘Me’ icon.
2.    Clicking ‘View profile’.
3.    Clicking ‘Edit public profile & URL’.
4.    Your custom URL will appear on the right-hand side. Click the ‘Edit’ icon next to your public profile URL. 
5.    Edit the last part of your URL.
6.    Click save. 

Utilise LinkedIn’s job-search function

The job-search function allows you to search for and subscribe to job alerts based on companies, locations, or job roles, enabling you to keep on top of, and apply to, the type of roles you’re looking for.

Get posting on LinkedIn

Posting about your achievements such as certifications, obtaining work experience or getting a good grade on an exam will showcase your skills to as many people as possible. 

You can also post about industry updates and articles you have found interesting. This will help you get noticed and highlight your passion for growth and development and the industry you would like to work in. Once you get on people's radar you may find it easier and quicker to find a role. 

Utilise LinkedIn for networking

LinkedIn’s purpose is to get you connected with others.  Start by connecting with people you know. This can be people you studied with at school, college or university or previous employers and colleagues; this is a great way to get started. You can ask them to introduce you to their connections and connect with people in similar fields or with similar interests. 

Join LinkedIn groups

Joining LinkedIn groups is an excellent way to stay up to date with the latest industry news and trends. You can also share articles on LinkedIn and write blog posts sharing your knowledge. This can help you stand out from the crowd, especially during interviews as it’ll show that you have a keen interest for the industry and role you would like to work in. 

Improve your skills with LinkedIn

LinkedIn offers ‘LinkedIn Learning’ where you can take online courses to build your skills and obtain certifications that you can share on your profile. You can utilise their free month-long trial however a payment will be required after this.

Prepare for interviews 

LinkedIn can help you  by gathering in depth information. For example, if you know the name of your interviewer you can look them up on LinkedIn to learn more about their role and career progression . This can give you a feel for the type of person they are and the people the company hires as well as what career progression looks like within the company. 

How to announce a new job on LinkedIn

Once you’ve got a new job, you may want to share it with your new network! There are a few ways you can announce a new job on LinkedIn, such as:

• Turning on automatic notifications - LinkedIn will automatically inform your network of any major changes to your profile, such as starting a new job. You can turn these notifications on by
  • Clicking the ‘Me’ icon on your homepage.
  • Clicking on ‘settings and privacy’ from the drop down.
  • Clicking the tab named ‘visibility’.
  • Under the visibility of LinkedIn activity, click ‘share profile updates’.
  • Select ‘on’ to share your profile updates. You can turn this off at any time. 
  • Turn off your ‘open to work’ banner.
  • Post about it on your LinkedIn profile.
  • Ask your new employer if they have a branded image or video to use.