What is LinkedIn and how to use it to grow professionally

Despite the fact that this platform has been operating successfully in the global market for more than 10 years, there are still people who wonder what LinkedIn is.

If this is your case, the first thing you should know is that it is a network that offers you the chance to take advantage of new business opportunities and professional growth.
 


LinkedIn is owned by Microsoft and currently has more than 700 million registered users around the world. It has been considered the best professional community to successfully develop your network of contacts at work and professional level.

It can literally become your best ally when looking for a new job, regardless of where you are.
And if you have a company, it will also help you a lot since it will allow you to position yourself in your niche with greater solidity and efficiency.

What is LinkedIn?

Today we would like to tell you in depth what LinkedIn is and how you can take advantage of it to strategically scale your business, or to get new job offers that bring you closer to your financial independence.

This is an eminently business social network, since it is focused on business, networking and employment.

It was founded in 2002, specifically in California, and since then it has grown rapidly globally.
Any user interested in creating a professional profile to look for a new job, or to make themselves known among other companies related to their employability sector, can join LinkedIn easily and free of charge.

Without a doubt, it is one of the best platforms to connect with friends, colleagues, former colleagues, and even with the recruiting staff of local and international companies.

In short, it can be used by individuals and companies around the world, and in theory, they become job seekers and job offerers.

Utility of this professional network


Knowing what LinkedIn is, or understanding what it is for, could bring you closer to new job opportunities no matter where you are.

This network serves to connect you with potential employers around the world; thus increasing your opportunities for professional development and growth.

It is very useful to get new sources of employment. So if you're looking for remote or on-site jobs, you should join the LinkedIn community soon.

It is also very useful for online networking, and this is something that companies that carry out Business to Business, or B2B, activities take advantage of very well.

Below we will explain in more detail what this professional network, so popular today, is for:

1. It helps you demonstrate your professional skills:

LinkedIn is key to demonstrating your skills, abilities, knowledge and professional skills.
Creating a profile in this network and keeping it 100% updated will help you boost your personal brand, and to better position yourself in your employment sector.

It also offers you the possibility of creating a good reputation in the digital and work environment, based on your talents and professional virtues.

2. It is ideal for networking:


This platform is very beneficial for powerful networking with other colleagues, or with members of other companies that you would like to join in the immediate future.

It is important to know that if you are looking for a job without building closer relationships with your network, it will be more difficult for you to move in the right direction.

That's how relevant networking is in today's market. Therefore, it is essential that you create a LinkedIn account as soon as possible and start taking advantage of its features to connect with key figures in the sector.

Currently, all the people who could help you grow professionally are concentrated on a single platform, and this is none other than LinkedIn.

To speed up this process, you can interact in your content, or in that of your contacts, as well as establish connections by private message with other influential professionals in your sector.

3. It offers you new employment opportunities:

This network is specially designed for you to get new jobs that are directly related to your knowledge and talents.
Knowing well what LinkedIn is, you understand that it is not considered a job board per se.

But even so, it has the potential to connect you with companies that are looking for qualified professionals, or that are simply interested in profiles like yours.

All you have to do is register on the site and follow the right companies and you'll start seeing job offers posted by their recruiters on their own accounts.

To do this, you must have these companies within your network of contacts, and in case any of their offers interest you, you can send them your resume in a matter of seconds.

Every day, companies that are in the recruitment process publish an announcement in which they describe their job offers.

If you have them within your network, you will be able to see them first hand, and if not, it is very likely that you will find out through the actions of other users.

3. It is key to getting new clients:

If your current role is not an employee, but an employer, you should also have an active presence on this platform.

You may be a company and you wonder what is LinkedIn?, or if it would really be of any use to your own business? In the latter case, the answer is completely affirmative.

This platform not only helps professionals who are looking for a job, but also companies and businesses in a myriad of fields.

If you have a product or service company, you can use LinkedIn to get new clients, associates or suppliers.

Through this great ecosystem of online jobs , you have the chance to meet new ventures or companies that allow you to scale your own business as an expert.

According to a Hubspot survey, this platform is 277% more effective than Facebook and Twitter when it comes to attracting potential customers.

4. Boost your business strategies:

If you are still wondering what LinkedIn is, or if it can really help you boost your business strategies, we must tell you that it is designed to take your brand, product or service to the next level.

If you have digital representation, in the form of a blog or online store, you need to rely on LinkedIn to increase your web traffic.

This platform can help you increase visits to your blog or website, as long as you execute a good social traffic strategy.

You must design a plan to share valuable content through this network, in order to attract more quality users to your own platforms.

You currently have two great ways to execute your traffic goals: creating new posts via “LinkedIn Pulse”, or sharing content from your wall or profile.

How LinkedIn works


Now that you know what LinkedIn is, it's time for you to familiarize yourself with how it all works.
It does not matter that you are a professional, or that you have a company; in any case you can get a great advantage.

Therefore, we will share a small step by step to better illustrate how it works:

1. Create a personal account (In case you are a professional):

The starting point is to join the community of active LinkedIn users, regardless of the country where you are.

If you are a professional looking for new platforms to get remote work, it is time for you to create a personal profile on this social network.

Registration is quick, easy and free. You only have to provide personal and professional data, such as:

– Level of studies.
– Professional and work experience.
- Languages.
– Professional skills and qualities.

As soon as you complete your personal account, LinkedIn will start suggesting certain contacts based on where you graduated from, or where you've worked.

Consequently, your task will be to evaluate these prospects to determine whether or not it is convenient for you to add them to your network of contacts.

2. Create a page for your business or company:


If you do not play the figure of a professional or self-employed person looking for work, it is very likely that you represent a company or company.

In that case you should create a page for your business. You can do it from your personal profile, just by accessing the “Company Pages” option.

Be sure to include the logo, a precise and clear description, the address of the business, and any other information that represents or identifies it more easily.

Once your page is ready, you can start interacting with the professionals that you would like to add to your work team.

Great advantages of using LinkedIn


At this point you already know what LinkedIn is and how it works. For this reason, we would like to share some of its advantages:

1. It is an excellent platform to interact with other professionals in your sector of expertise and thus make yourself known within that niche.
2. You can get new jobs, remote or face-to-face, through the offers published on this network.
3. There are no borders to develop large work networks; this is what is known as networking.
4. You can become a new user from wherever you are and without paying a penny.
5. It allows you to increase the reach of your content, which will improve the image of your business and help you with the positioning of your brand.
6. If you have an online business , such as a virtual store , it will help you improve your web traffic and attract new customers with relative ease.
7. The recruitment process in your company will become more effective and light if you incorporate LinkedIn into your strategy for attracting human talent.
8. The database of jobs and workers that this network has is one of the largest in the world.
9. Once you know what LinkedIn is, you understand how important it is to gain visibility with your personal or business brand.
10. The "LinkedIn Jobs" section makes your searches significantly easier, while the "LinkedIn Learning" section allows you to take online courses (paid or free) on technology, human resources, business and more.

Disadvantages of the platform

LinkedIn has almost no downsides. It really is a very complete and effective platform to connect companies with workers in a real, valuable and authentic way.

However, the fact that it has some paid and not free features is considered by many as a disadvantage.
Indeed, the LinkedIn Premium version offers more advanced features for both active job seekers on this platform and human resources managers.

Some of these paid add-ons include:

– Send private messages to people who are not part of your network of contacts.
– Know who has visited your profile during the last 90 days.
– Make searches with filters and obtain a greater volume of results.
– Promote your business.
– Learn new knowledge and acquire new skills to improve your CV.
– Stand out professionally and increase your chances of being contacted by active recruiters on LinkedIn.

Use LinkedIn to grow professionally

Now that you know what LinkedIn is, don't hesitate to use it actively to grow professionally.

Do not forget that it can be very helpful if you are looking for new jobs, or if you have a company and need to expand your work team with qualified and expert professionals.

This platform offers you endless benefits and you can take full advantage of them to get closer to your financial freedom, or to scale your business like never before.
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