4 Ways LinkedIn Publishing Can Help Your Job Search

By Lauren Riley

When you think of job seeking using social media, what is the first network that pops into your head? If you didn’t think of LinkedIn immediately, then you’re probably in the minority. The professional network is a great tool that recruiters and job seekers use to look for candidates and jobs respectively.

There’s loads of ways you can use LinkedIn to your benefit during your job search, but now there’s a new feature that can really make you stand out from the job-seeking crowd and show off your expertise.

I’m talking about LinkedIn Publishing. The social network has been providing a publishing platform to its global influencers since 2012, but announced in February this year that they were rolling out the feature to all LinkedIn users. (If you haven’t been invited to publish yet, you can apply for it here if you have an existing LinkedIn profile.)

This is great news to professional bloggers who now have an extra platform for their content, but how could it benefit you during your job search? Here are four ways it will!

1.) Show Off Your Expertise

The best way you can use LinkedIn Publishing is to write articles about the industry you’re looking to get a job in. Not only will this showcase your knowledge, it will also show off your writing skills and your ability to communicate – great soft skills to possess!

Another great thing about LinkedIn Publishing is that your connections get a notification whenever you publish a post, meaning that if you’re connected to a lot of recruiters, you and your posts are always on their radar!

3.) Grow Your Reputation
It goes without saying that recruiters and hiring managers are more likely to go with the candidate that has the best possible reputation, and this is yet another perk of using LinkedIn Publishing to its full potential. As long as you’re creating consistently high-quality content, which gets people talking, you’re already on your way to building a good reputation.

Also, it’s not just LinkedIn users that will see your content. Depending on the type of keywords used and the amount of views and engagement your post receives, these LinkedIn posts can gain search engine traffic, giving yourself an even better change of growing your reputation outside of the boundaries of the LinkedIn site – exposing your personal brand to recruiters off-site.

Read all 4 ways and the complete B2C article

6 Tips for Writing Successful LinkedIn Articles

Amanda DiSilvestro

Back in February, publishing articles on LinkedIn was the hot topic. LinkedIn had finally opened up their publishing platform to all users, which would help them showcase content and improve their credibility. Unfortunately, many are still having trouble making this option really work and getting that visibility that every article needs to thrive.

LinkedIn is a great place to publish articles, it just isn't a great place to publish any old article you have lying around. You should have a strategy and consider what types of content work best for LinkedIn if you really want to find success.

How to Write Articles that Will Succeed on LinkedIn

LinkedIn sends nearly four times more people to your homepage than Twitter and Facebook, according to a report on Buffer App. It doesn't necessarily win when it comes to the social sharing of your stories, but it does when talking about direct traffic to your site. In other words, the benefits of publishing here are worth your while.

A few tips for writing for LinkedIn include:

1. Pick Topics the LinkedIn Audience Wants to Read

It's a good rule of thumb to write what you know, but people tend to forget that sometimes what they "know" doesn't quite fit in with the LinkedIn demographics. If you have a very successful gossip blog, that doesn't necessarily mean that your great story about Lindsay Lohan's move to London is going to succeed. For some, LinkedIn actually isn't the right platform.

The same can be said for those who are trying to simply copy and paste a blog post that they have already written. Although LinkedIn's algorithm won't hurt you just yet, this could hurt you if the voice and tone of the post isn't right for social. LinkedIn's audience is typically professionals (which is why a gossip column might not be your best bet), but it's still a social network where people want an opportunity to engage and learn something as opposed to reading the news.

2. Publish Posts Once Per Week and Be Consistent

There is no evidence yet if the frequency that you post articles has anything to do with your chances of being displayed on someone's network updates, but most are following past influencers' once-per-week routine.

You want to make sure you're consistently publishing in order to build a following, but putting too much out there could be overwhelming and hurt your chances of success. Again this isn't proven, but based on the success of past influencers the once-per-week rule seems to be a good one to follow.

3. Try to Limit Your Posts to 800 Words

Again, remembering the platform where you're publishing is key. People who are reading articles on LinkedIn are usually looking for something quick, informative and/or entertaining. If they wanted a long-form article or were trying to research something thoroughly, LinkedIn probably wouldn't be the first place they would check.

Tips 4-6 and the complete SearchEngineWatch article

6 Recruiter-Recommended LinkedIn Tips

by Kyra Mancine

Many recruiters and staffing managers rely on LinkedIn extensively when sourcing candidates. Whether you're employed or looking for a job, keeping your profile up-to-date is important. Maximize your profile, target your activity and you WILL get noticed.


1) Make the most of stealth mode. If you're updating your profile and DON'T want people to see every change you make, go into settings and click on "Turn on/off your activity broadcasts." This is highly recommended if you're employed and looking for new opportunities. It can look suspicious to your current employer and colleagues if they start to see you making additions to your page.

5) Make your status updates count.  Don't be "me" focused. Even though your LinkedIn page is obviously about you, it's better to offer your connections information that's relevant to THEM. You don't have to create the content yourself. Search Google and Yahoo for industry articles, career related content, etc. Don't be controversial. Safe topics can include workplace satisfaction, how to be more productive during the day, interview advice, etc. Remember, any time one of your connections comments and likes your status update, all their connections see it as well.


See all 6 tips and the complete Social-Hire post



Kyra Mancine is a member of the recruiting team at Oldcastle, North America’s largest manufacturer and distributor of building products and materials. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for career and job search advice, as well as job opportunities. We're here to help!

4 Keys To Scoring Amazing LinkedIn Recommendations

The Muse

How do we as humans make purchase decisions? In large part, we make them based on social proof.

What do others say about this product or that? Does someone we admire and trust rave on and on about it? Think for a moment about Yelp. How many times have you gone right over to Yelp.com—not company websites—before trying out a restaurant, a new hair stylist, or a resume writer?

My guess is plenty. You do this because you want to see what others are saying, and you’re going to base your decisions, at least in part, on these reviews.


The same exact thing goes on with hiring decisions. The “consumer” in this case is a hiring manager, recruiter, or HR person. Only, they’re not looking on Yelp; they’re over on LinkedIn.

LinkedIn recommendations provide you with the perfect opportunity to share third party endorsements—or social proof—of your talents with people trying to make purchase (in this case, hiring) decisions.

Don’t squander this opportunity.


Instead, follow these tips to score some amazing, relevant LinkedIn recommendations.

1. Find the “Ask to Be Recommended” Page
I’m not being a smart aleck. If you’ve never asked anyone for a LinkedIn recommendation, you may not even know how to find the page.

Here’s what to do: Hover over the tiny picture of yourself in the top right corner of the screen, and choose “Privacy & Settings.” From this screen, choose “Manage Your Recommendations” and then “Ask for Recommendations.”

2. Pick People Thoughtfully

This is no time to be willy-nilly with your requests. Your goal is to secure powerful recommendations that support your professional brand (more on that here) and the skills you most want to highlight. Ideally, you want to approach people who know your work well and can speak intelligently to the capabilities that will matter the most to your future employer.

Keys 3,4, and the complete Forbes article

How to Use LinkedIn Publisher to Get More Visibility

By Viveka von Rosen

Do you want more visibility on LinkedIn?

Are you using the new LinkedIn publishing platform?

Publishing content on LinkedIn Publisher can give your content and your reputation a boost.

In this article I’ll share the best practices for publishing your posts to LinkedIn for more visibility.

Why Use Publisher?

Posting articles to LinkedIn with Publisher makes the content searchable by keyword in LinkedIn’s post search box.

What you need to know for more visibility on LinkedIn with Publisher.

It’s a great way to showcase your knowledge and expertise in any given area, and that’s a big part of content marketing!

Beyond visibility in search, both your connections AND your followers see your published posts just like on Facebook.

If your post is viewed enough times, it’ll get picked up by LinkedIn’s newsreader, Pulse. At that point, you’ll get exponential views, comments and shares.

Your Publisher post can be picked up by Pulse.

Here’s a quick example showing just how powerful LinkedIn Publisher can be.

Wendy McClelland wrote an article called, “Why I Say NO to Coffee Meetings.” On LinkedIn Publisher, that single article got almost 60,000 views, 2,100 shares on LinkedIn, 515 comments, 218 Facebook likes and 93 tweets. I don’t know about you—but that’s usually more visibility then I get on my own blog!

This one article generated huge results for its author.

Wendy’s results?

• Over 10,000 views in two hours after being published
• The article has also been republished on over 60 other sites/blogs
• Over 150 new connections
• 2 radio interviews
• 2 new coaching clients
• Numerous joint venture offers
• 2 speaking gigs and a number of other future dates to be booked

Here’s how you can get started on Publisher and reap some of these rewards for yourself.

Read the rest of the Social Media Examiner article

Breakthrough Tips for a Sexy LinkedIn Profile

I'm hoping the click bait title worked...
There is actually some good advice in the article...

BY - Rosa E. Vargas, Resume Branding Strategist

Transform your LinkedIn profile into an inviting, influential, and irresistible digital communication tool. C’mon…I know you can. Then watch your profile views and invitations to connect triple!

Visual presence matters because it is true that you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. With prospective employers and clients navigating the sea of online social networking profiles, it is important to carefully frame your brand’s presentation. Don’t you think?

LET’S BEGIN WITH THE MATTER OF YOUR MUG. IT IS MORE THAN A HEADSHOT — IT’S ABOUT YOUR BRAND!

Contrary to what your friends might have told you -- no, your LinkedIn picture isn’t great.

If you’re not in professional or business casual attire, it’s not good!

If the picture is too dark or there are other faces in the background, it’s not good enough!

If you’re not nicely polished and if the picture is more than five years old—it definitely isn’t good!

Please make sure you’re up to snuff. Your LinkedIn headshot is not something to take lightly. Here are excellent tips, which will help you glam it up at your next photo shoot:

• Color Choices. Avoid patterns; select solid colors that complement your skin tone. What colors do others always like to see you in? That color you wear that stops folks in their tracks and they say, “That is your color!”

Recommendations: People with fair skin and light eyes look great in blues, pinks, and pastels. People with darker complexion should try brighter clothing such as white and warm colors, staying away from colors that match skin tone. By the way, black and white headshots are still very sexy! And, almost everyone looks great in black—just be sure the background offers enough contrast.

• Industry Relevance. Remember your target market. Choose clothing you are comfortable wearing and that is on-brand with your value offer and acceptable in your industry. For example, if you are a CFO you might want to wear conservative attire. As a Life Coach, you can exude a more relaxed demeanor by choosing more casual clothing. As an Executive Chef, brandishing your chef coat would be completely on brand.
  
• Radiate Health and Happiness. Drink lots of water before your photo shoot. Water will help your skin look vibrant and will help reduce dark circles. Get a little closer to the camera and smile. Close-ups are welcoming. Remember that it’s about making a connection.
  
• Your Face Is Center Stage. Darker backgrounds are usually better, driving the eyes to your face. White backgrounds can work with darker outfits. Natural backgrounds are also very inviting and don’t distract. So grab a camera and a friend and head to your nearest park on a sunny day. Please make sure you are the only face in the picture. Don’t distract your network with images of others in the background.

ENTICE THEM WITH A ‘WOW’ HEADLINE - Read the rest of the article for more great tips!

5 Effective LinkedIn Features You Probably Don’t Know About

Lisa Rangel

You probably know the basics of making your LinkedIn profile work for you, but did you know that LinkedIn has tons of new features that will help your job hunt?

LinkedIn has come a long way in streamlining the job search process and adding amazing features to their interface. The problem is that often times these features aren’t really announced (unless you read the LinkedIn blog) or they get lost in the shuffle.

Below you’ll find some effective LinkedIn features you should be using, but probably didn’t know about.

 1. Stay in the know with Pulse.

Pulse is the totally customizable news feature on your LinkedIn homepage. It’s primary function is to let you in on industry news and show you what some of the top companies are recommending.

Pulse grabs information from your LinkedIn profile and curates your page according to your professional interests. You can then share these industry related articles across social media platforms in order to position yourself as an expert in your field.

2. Get “Introduced” to Connections.

LinkedIn Introductions let you contact members in your extended network through the people you are already connected to.

If you want to contact someone who is two or three degrees away from you, you can request an introduction through one of your connections. Your connection will then decide whether or not to forward the message.

This is a nice way that you can avoid the awkwardness of cold calling or emailing when looking for new connections.

See features 3-5 and the complete article

10 Vital LinkedIn tips for Professionals

by Burriss Consulting, Inc.

#1 Vital LinkedIn Tip You must have a LinkedIn Profile Regardless of your business, industry or career aspirations, a LinkedIn Profile helps you to be discovered and we all want to be discovered.

#2 Vital LinkedIn Tip Include a Profile Picture on your LinkedIn Profile. It’s a great way for people to recognize you and remember that you are a good person and potentially a great LinkedIn connection

#4 Vital LinkedIn Tip Your LinkedIn Headline is not your Title Your LinkedIn Headline is the statement that says “WHO AM I” Don’t use “at”..the name of your company either.  

See all 10 tips and the complete article

8 Simple Steps to Build Your LinkedIn Profile

Chelsea Newton

 I LOVE LinkedIn. I’m a total junkie and think it is more powerful than a resume. Why?

• A resume is a flat document that requires regular updating.
• LinkedIn is a breathing professional presence. Your contacts can endorse your skills and recommend you. It has built in social proof that you are a great hire.

More than 300 million professionals around the world in over 200 countries and territories agree with me. The growth of this platform is mind boggling.

When it first launched, LinkedIn was aimed at professionals with extensive work experience. Over the last few years, they have added new profile components to help students build an online professional presence including the ability to list courses and extracurricular work.

Students are the fastest-growing demographic with over 39 million students and recent college graduates on the platform.

8 Tips to Build Your LinkedIn Profile:

1. Choose the Right Photo

Have a clean, crisp, and simple background and professional attire. Ensure you are solo in your photo and smiling. Don’t crop a photo from a party or social event (honesty I see this all the time!).

Pro-Tip: Don’t be afraid to dress up and ask a friend/roommate to take a photo. With today’s photo apps (i.e. instagram/photo app editing software) a smart phone photo can look amazing.

2. Have a Relevant Title

The title of Student at XXX University is just plain boring and useless in indicating your goal job.
Your title, photo and location are what show up in a search. Ensure you highlight what you are after.

Example: 4th Year Marketing Student Seeking a 4 Month Co-op 

Steps 3-8 and the complete article

7 Ways College Students Can Benefit from LinkedIn

Considering the excellent benefits that connecting with professionals on LinkedIn brings, college students can never ignore this social networking platform. In fact, your networking on LinkedIn should begin as early as possible. LinkedIn can help you find jobs as soon as you graduate from college.

However, it’s a regret that college students spend very little time on this professional social networking platform, as compared to the time spent on other popular social networking websites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.

Given below are some key tips on how college students should use LinkedIn and how they can reap maximum benefits by connecting with professionals on this social networking website.

1. Getting Job Email Alerts 

Once you have created your professional profile on LinkedIn, you can set email alerts to receive notifications of recommended jobs. Students and jobseekers will be able to see the notifications on their homepage as soon as they log into their LinkedIn accounts.

2. Connecting with Professionals

If you have a look at LinkedIn, you’ll be surprised to find out the large number of professionals who choose to connect here. In fact, you can find your friends, co-workers, colleagues, classmates and family members on this platform. And it’s never a tough job connecting with them all. What’s more, you can even import your email list to find out who among your friends is present on LinkedIn.

3. Conducting Company Research

One of the biggest benefits LinkedIn offers college students and jobseekers is that they can check out the pages of their targeted employers. By visiting company, pages, you can conduct a research on the whereabouts of the company, the hiring process and what people have to say about that organization. This kind of company research on LinkedIn can always keep a stay ahead of your competition and increases your employability.

Ways 4-7 and the complete Undercover Recruiter article