The economy has no doubt made it tough to find work for recent graduates as well as well-qualified candidates. Although there always seem to be quite a few job openings on career websites, those almost always seem to be bombarded with thousands of candidates. As a recent graduate myself, I can attest to the fact that it can be tough to feel like you’re being heard when applying for a job. You feel as though your resume is just going into a huge pile of over-qualified candidates affected by the economy—and in many cases, this is exactly what happens.

For this reason, it is important to take other avenues to help find a job. The jobs are out there for many professions, it is just a matter of finding the jobs and then making your resume one of only a few, not thousands. One of the best ways to make this happen is by utilizing LinkedIn.

Although many think of LinkedIn as simply a place to house an electronic resume, there are actually quite a few opportunities to find jobs through this networking site. Not only are jobs sometimes posted, but there are many different groups that help to break up where the jobs can be found. This allows a candidate and an employer to work with a smaller, more manageable group of people.

Tips and Tricks to Using LinkedIn for Employment Opportunities

Simply having a LinkedIn profile could potentially aid in getting recruited for a job, but there are also other ways that someone can increase his/her chances. Consider some of these different options below:

• Connections – The more valuable connections that you accrue the better. If an employer was to visit your LinkedIn page, he/she would likely be more interested in you as a candidate if you had mutual connections. This will help employers slim down the list of applicants. Therefore, you should always make sure that you are connected via LinkedIn with all coworkers, friends, and certainly past employers.
• Recommendations – There are a few different ways that a LinkedIn user can get involved in the site. Probably the biggest thing you can do for your account is seek our recommendations. According to the LinkedIn Learning Center, users with complete profiles are 40 times more likely to receive opportunities. Help complete your profile by giving recommendations to your coworkers and bosses and then ask for some in return.
• Groups – I feel that this is the number one way to really find good quality jobs and have a chance of landing an interview. Not only are groups a great way to make the network much smaller, but employers post jobs onto the walls of these groups. In many cases, employers are looking to find someone via this medium. For example, I am part of a group for Alumni at Illinois State University. Employers who are also ISU alums are constantly posting jobs to this group, and these jobs are only visible to members of the group.
• Features – There are other miscellaneous features that you can utilize to help you find a job. On the side of your profile you can see how many people have viewed your profile in the last few days. If it’s low, consider joining more groups and becoming more active. You can share articles you’ve written via LinkedIn and even use the Portfolio Display option to showcase your work.

The great thing about LinkedIn is that it can work for any type of job in any industry. While networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook work better for those interested in communications and marketing, LinkedIn is useful for all.

Photo Credit: thevirtualcooler.com

Amanda DiSilvestro is a writer on topics ranging from social media to phone systems. She writes for an online resource that gives advice on topics including document software to small businesses and entrepreneurs for the leading business directory, Business.com.