What Is LinkedIn?

What is LinkedIn used for?

LinkedIn is no longer just a place to plonk down your resume and hope a recruiter finds you a job. It’s for entrepreneurs and business owners, freelancers, job seekers, networkers, and anyone with an interest in business. On LinkedIn you can:

• Show off those skills, achievements, and your experience. Turn your boring resume into a dazzling digital shrine where your career victories live forever
• Tap into a vast pool of professionals, thought leaders, and industry experts to build meaningful relationships and stay updated on the latest trends and news
• Lurk on industry bigwigs' profiles - and actually build a relationship with them
• Build meaningful connections with colleagues, partners, and peers in your industry
• Create the all-important partnerships, new business opportunities, and collaborations your business needs to grow
• Create a professional profile that serves as a digital resume, highlighting your skills, experience, and achievements. Oh, and a professional headshot that says "I'm approachable but could definitely handle your company's Q4 strategy" (while hiding the 17 selfies it took to get it right)
• Find your next superstar employee who's somehow both "detail-oriented" AND a "big picture thinker" AND a "team player" AND a "self-starter"
• Find your next job
• And so much more.

Key features of LinkedIn

LinkedIn isn’t just another social platform - it's your personal hype machine, opportunity magnet, and digital Rolodex rolled into one addictive scroll-fest. Think of it as speed-dating for your career, where a single connection might lead to your dream job, a million-dollar client, or at minimum, someone to commiserate with about corporate buzzwords.

My profile

Your LinkedIn profile is your digital business card, showcasing your skills, experience, and personality. Make it count by keeping it up-to-date and highlighting your achievements. Think of it as your professional alter ego's highlight reel.

My network

The My Network tab is where you'll find your connections, and it's also where you can add new contacts and search for people in your industry. This is a powerful tool for expanding your network and finding potential partners or clients.

Home feed

When you log in, you'll land on your Home feed, where you'll see updates from your connections and company pages. This is where the conversation happens. Make the most of it by engaging with others through liking, commenting, and sharing their posts.

Jobs

The job section is all about new opportunities - where you can search for job openings and get personalized recommendations based on your skills and experience. If you're hiring, this is where you can see your job posts and applicants.

Messages

If you add the right people, create brilliant content, and DM anyone who might actually be useful for your business, messages are where all of the cool DMs live.

Recommendations & Endorsements

Give recommendations, ask for them, or browse through your current recommendations. You can also endorse people for skills, or see who’s endorsed you for your own skills.

LinkedIn Learning

LinkedIn has plenty of opportunities for you to learn a wide range of skills on the platform. From negotiation to writing your CV, you’ll find it all here.

Analytics

Get stats like profile views, how your posts are performing, and how your connections are growing.

Events

Host or attend virtual professional events on a huge range of topics.

LinkedIn Sales Navigator

Upgrade to LinkedIn Sales Navigator and you’ll be able to build lists of leads, work out who you need to speak to in a company, see exactly who viewed your profile, and more.

LinkedIn for business

Forget dusty business cards and awkward networking events with lukewarm coffee. LinkedIn for business is your company's digital swagger on steroids. It's where your business or personal brand can strut its stuff in the professional playground without anyone judging your casual Friday attire.

As a business owner, LinkedIn is your secret weapon for stalking - ahem, "researching" - potential clients while they're busy humble-bragging about their latest achievements. Create a company page that's part corporate portfolio, part popularity contest. Where employees can proudly display their association with your brand.

Best of all? LinkedIn is where B2B deals are born, nurtured, and closed - often before anyone has to endure a single conference room muffin.

LinkedIn membership options

LinkedIn offers several membership tiers to help professionals connect and grow their careers or businesses - each with its own set of cool features.

Free LinkedIn account (Basic)

The standard free account gives you plenty to work with:

• Create a professional profile
• Build your network (up to 30,000 connections)
• Post jobs
• Search and apply for jobs
• Post content
• Comment on other people’s content
• Browse profiles
• Send messages to connections
• Join groups

Premium Career

Perfect for job seekers ($39.99/month or save with annual billing):

• See who viewed your profile
• InMail credits to message people outside your network
• Salary insights on job postings
• Applicant insights (see how you compare to other applicants)
• Featured applicant status on job applications
• Online video courses through LinkedIn Learning

Premium Business

Great for professionals looking to grow their influence ($59.99/month):

• All Career features
• More InMail credits
• Unlimited people browsing
• Advanced business insights
• Enhanced search filters

LinkedIn Sales Navigator

For sales professionals ($79.99/month and up):

• Lead recommendations
• Advanced search and filtering
• Sales insights and alerts
• CRM integration
• Lead and account lists

LinkedIn Recruiter Lite

For hiring managers and recruiters ($139.99/month):

• Advanced talent search
• More InMail credits
• Candidate tracking
• Integrated hiring tools
• Smart suggestions

LinkedIn occasionally updates its pricing and features, so checking their official website for the latest details is always a good idea.

What is LinkedIn?

Whether you're rocking the free version or splurging on Premium features, LinkedIn is the professional playground where careers are made, businesses are built, and the occasional inspirational quote gets way more engagement than it probably deserves.

Unlike other social platforms where your vacation photos and political rants live forever, LinkedIn is where your professional self can shine without someone tagging you in that unfortunate karaoke video from 2017.

The platform continues to evolve beyond just a digital resume repository into a dynamic ecosystem for knowledge sharing, business development, and career advancement. From the job seeker crafting the perfect profile to the CEO building their profile as a thought leader, LinkedIn offers tools tailored to every professional journey.

So polish that profile picture, craft that compelling summary, and start connecting with purpose. Your next big opportunity might be just a connection request away. After all, in the professional world, it's not just about what you know or who you know - it's about who knows what you know on LinkedIn.

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