LinkedIn has been in operation since 2003 and is widely considered the benchmark for social networking platforms for professional networking. The platform has more than 700 million users from countries around the world, and each week 40 million people use LinkedIn to search for jobs

Who's on LinkedIn?
If you use it correctly and with panache, LinkedIn can do almost wonders for your career development. Recruiters and employers alike use LinkedIn to find job candidates, and sometimes even use recently departed or newly hired employees to make professional connections. But as with many job search tools, there is a possibility that it becomes a waste of time.

If you are not using LinkedIn effectively, your searches, messages and other activities on the site can consume hours, wasting a significant amount of time.
Here's what you need to know about using LinkedIn for your career.

Do you need a profile on LinkedIn?

Yes 🙂

Even if you decide not to spend much time on LinkedIn, or at all, it's still worth spending 30 minutes or, just set up your complete LinkedIn profile. Update it afterward with just any new big accomplishments.

Recruiters and hiring managers use LinkedIn to search for candidates. So if you don't have a presence on this site, you won't show up in the search. Having an account on LinkedIn also means you can use the site to research companies, interviewers, recruiters and hiring managers, which is helpful before you apply and show up for interviews.

In short, having a profile is a good idea. Even if you're not actively looking for employment, you can use LinkedIn to connect with current and former colleagues and network with people you've met at networking events, conferences and the like.

To get even more involved with the site, join LinkedIn Groups. These communities exist for different categories - geographic locations, alumni groups, industry groups, etc.
It's not clear whether LinkedIn can help you in your job search, but here's a look at the good and bad features of the service.

Benefits of creating an account on LinkedIn

It's free. There is a paid option that offers additional benefits, but the basic free version offers plenty of features. One caveat: although creating and maintaining an account is financially free, these tasks consume your time (another cost).

Important people use LinkedIn. Recruiters and hiring managers often check out a candidate on LinkedIn after receiving a job application or resume.

This is another way to see job ads. You can search for jobs on the site. In addition, people often post jobs that may be more hidden.

This can be part of the application process. More and more companies are moving to standard online applications, and more often than ever you'll see a LinkedIn section near the resume submission tool, where you can upload your LinkedIn profile right next to your resume. If done right, this is a huge advantage because potential hiring managers will be looking not only at your resume, but also at your LinkedIn profile.

It's an easy, modern way to maintain connections that can be helpful to your career. The person you met at a conference five years ago may work at your dream company, and a colleague from your first job may know the manager you want to contact. All it takes is a short message to reconnect and follow a new lead.

This is a good way to research companies. During the job application and interview process, an important step is to search for companies. LinkedIn can help you with this. In addition, you can also search on the platform for people you will be interviewing, which can help you prepare for the interview.

It can help build your brand. People can give endorsements and recommendations, which helps give recruiters and anyone else looking at your profile a sense of your experience and talents.

In general, you can think of your LinkedIn profile as a good way to develop and build your brand. Often, a person's LinkedIn profile page is one of the top results when someone searches for their name online.

Once you've set up your profile, you'll want to use LinkedIn effectively for your networking and job search goals. For example, you can invite current and former colleagues to join your network. Start growing your network and writing messages to your contacts.

You can also send messages on LinkedIn asking for recommendations, as well as for help and advice on your job and career search.