By Emily Seamone

Photo by Rawpixel

If you are a professional who expects to have some type of career for many years to come, YES, you need to be on LinkedIn. LinkedIn allows professionals across industries and roles to connect, share information, and explore new opportunities.

Here are a few reasons why LinkedIn is such a powerful tool:

4 Reasons Why You Should Be on LinkedIn

1. LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network

As of 2020, LinkedIn has over 700 million members from 200 countries and territories, which is a lot of people you can network and connect with through this platform.

2. LinkedIn is indispensable for job searching

For starters, you can conduct a search for employment postings in the Jobs section based on various criteria, such as location, keywords, and company names. More importantly, LinkedIn displays who in your network is working at specific organizations, giving you the opportunity to reach out to these individuals for informational interviews and networking. One of these folks could be the inside connection you need to get your resume past the gatekeepers and directly onto the desks of hiring managers.

There are now more than 30 million companies on LinkedIn, many which have “company pages” detailing information such as their latest news, job postings, and who in your network works at these organizations. This is a great way to target specific organizations and keep tabs on your favorites.

3. LinkedIn facilitates networking

Due to major changes in today’s working world, we must be building and nurturing a network of professionals throughout our entire careers, not just when we need a job. By being on LinkedIn, you are there to not only receive assistance but to also help others, share and exchange information, and enhance relationships.

LinkedIn’s tools will help you expand your network and find professionals that could be valuable to your career. By searching for the schools you’ve attended, you can gain access to fellow alumni. Additionally, you can join groups on LinkedIn, which focus on different job sectors, career interests, corporations, nonprofits, universities, professional associations, and more. Once you join these entities, you can participate in their discussions, meet like-minded professionals, and learn about jobs that members post.

4. LinkedIn can help you build a professional digital presence

Finally, by having a profile on LinkedIn, you are establishing a positive, professional online presence. LinkedIn ranks high in search engine results, which means when someone searches for you on the internet, your LinkedIn profile will be one of the first items listed. Having a profile also allows your information to come up when employers, recruiters, and others conduct keyword searches on LinkedIn.

In summary, if you want to have a network of professionals you can tap into when needed, be approached for and find career-related opportunities, and begin building a strong digital identity, LinkedIn is the place to be!