LinkedInGuide

Using LinkedIn Actively in Your Job Search

Having a good profile is step one. This guide covers how to use LinkedIn to find roles, get noticed by recruiters, and turn connections into conversations.

7 min read

A good LinkedIn profile is table stakes. This guide is about the next step - using LinkedIn actively to find roles, get seen by recruiters, and have conversations that lead somewhere.

Set up your profile for search

Recruiters search LinkedIn using keywords. If your profile does not contain the words they are searching for, you will not appear in results. Before anything else, make sure your headline, About section, and experience entries contain the terms relevant to roles you are targeting.

💡 Turn on "Open to Work"

Go to your profile, click "Open to" below your name, and select "Finding a new job." You can choose to show this publicly or only to recruiters. The recruiter-only option is useful if you are job searching while still employed.

Finding roles on LinkedIn

How to search effectively

1Use the Jobs tab and set your location to "United Kingdom" or a specific city. Filter by date posted - "Past week" or "Past 24 hours" catches roles before they are buried.
2Save searches - LinkedIn will email you new matching roles daily.
3Follow companies you want to work for. Their job postings will appear in your feed.
4Check the "People also viewed" sidebar on job listings to find similar roles.
5Use Boolean search in the search bar: "graduate AND marketing AND London" to narrow results.

Getting noticed by recruiters

Recruiters search LinkedIn regularly. Appearing in their search results requires a complete, keyword-rich profile. But activity also matters - profiles that post content and engage with others rank higher in LinkedIn's algorithm.

Ways to increase your visibility

–Post about something you have learned, a project you completed, or an article relevant to your industry - even once a fortnight
–Comment thoughtfully on posts from people in your target industry - this puts your name in front of their network
–Like and share content from companies you are targeting - it signals genuine interest
–Connect with alumni from your university who work in sectors you are interested in - alumni response rates are significantly higher than cold outreach to strangers

Reaching out to people

Direct outreach - sending a connection request with a message - is one of the most underused job search tools. Most people are willing to have a brief conversation with a student who reaches out professionally.

A message that works

Hi [Name],

I came across your profile while researching [company or role type]. I am a final-year [subject] student at [university] looking to move into [area], and I found your background really interesting - particularly [specific detail].

I would love to ask a few questions about your experience if you have 15 minutes for a quick call or to exchange a couple of messages.

Thanks,
[Your name]

💡 Keep it short and specific

Long messages get ignored. Short, specific messages - especially ones that reference something genuine about the person's profile - get responses. Do not ask for a job in the first message. Ask for a conversation.

Following up

If you do not hear back within a week, one follow-up message is fine. After that, move on. Most people who do not respond are busy rather than hostile - a polite nudge occasionally changes that.

For more on networking messages including templates for different situations, read A Template for Reaching Out to Professionals on LinkedIn at /resources/networking-cold-message.

Next step

Make sure your profile supports your outreach

When someone receives your message, the first thing they do is click your profile. A Profile Polish review ensures what they find makes a strong impression.

To save this resource, press Ctrl+P (or Cmd+P on Mac) and select “Save as PDF”.

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