Did you know LinkedIn has actually been around longer than most of the popular social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat? But it’s surprising that many of us are not quite familiar with LinkedIn. Or in most cases we create an account and then just totally forget about this. We hardly realize the importance of LinkedIn for professional success. 

LinkedIn was founded in 2003 and as of 2020, LinkedIn has almost 706 million users across the world. It is the world’s largest professional networking site. Though this is a social media platform, this focuses more on professional networking. LinkedIn offers unlimited number of network connections and job opportunities. This is a platform to showcase your skills, experiences, education, achievements and so on. That’s why LinkedIn is being called one of the best personal branding tools.

Now let’s explore why LinkedIn is such an important platform for professional success-

‌Networking opportunities- Nowadays networking has become the key to success. The faster you start networking the better it will be down the line. LinkedIn can help anyone building a virtual network of contacts. It provides plenty of opportunities to get connected with other professionals in your field or from different fields. This is a great platform to get to know more about like-minded people. 

‌Searching jobs- LinkedIn has a robust job board. Anyone who has an account on LinkedIn can search for jobs of their preferences. It’s so easy searching for jobs using keywords and location through this platform. LinkedIn also has job alert option. Anyone can set job alert based on their career interest and receive email updates regularly for available jobs. Searching jobs can not get easier than this.

Appearing in recruiter’s search- Recruiters or hiring managers use LinkedIn to search for potential candidates. It is easy and quick for recruiters as well to search for candidates through this platform. If you have an updated LinkedIn profile then there is a good chance that you might get noticed by your potential hiring authorities. It increases the chance of getting hired or at least viewed. 

Building brand- It’s important for everyone to build their professional brand just like any company build their brand. Personal websites can be a option for this. But personal websites often come with extra costs. Why spending so much money when you can do it in free? LinkedIn can be the best platform for creating your brand. When recruiters or hiring managers look through your profile they should be able to understand who you are and what your strengths and skills are.

‌Recommending and endorsing- Having an updated linkedIn profile is like creating your own brand. People who know you or have worked with you can recommend and endorse you. This is an amazing feature of LinkedIn. This will help to validate your area of expertise a bit more. Recruiters might get interested in you because of these validation.

‌Ranking name on Google- There are chances that employer will google your name when you apply for a job. If you are on LinkedIn, your profile might appear on google’s page. Ranking on google’s first page can be difficult if you are new on LinkedIn. But with an updated profile it is easy to get ranked on google’s page. This increases the possibility to get hired for your desired job.

‌Globalizing- By being active on LinkedIn you can make your profile visible or available for a broader audience. With the correct choice of keywords and content your skills, strengths, experiences, achievements can be visible to anyone beyond the barriers of countries.

Providing group support- LinkedIn has features for interest based professional groups. These groups can be a great way to connect with like-minded people and share thoughts, knowledge or just simply ask for help.

LinkedIn is an excellent way to find opportunities and be successful in professional life. Whether you are an individual looking for an opportunity to start your professional career or an experienced one who is searching for newer or better things for professional success, you can always find help through LinkedIn. Also this is an amazing platform for recruiters. It’s like LinkedIn has created a bridge between potential employees and employers. 

LinkedIn is not just a social media platform. It tells the story of your professional journey. It can bring your story to life.