Definition of

LinkedIn

Postulant

LinkedIn can help you get job interviews.

LinkedIn is a social network whose purpose is to promote the development of professional careers and contribute to the recruitment of talents . Those who participate in the platform are usually workers looking to grow and companies that want to hire employees with a high level of training.

Before moving forward, it is important to indicate that social networks , in the field of computing, are websites or applications based on the relationships established between users, who publish content and interact with each other. In the specific case of LinkedIn , it is aimed at professional networking .

LinkedIn History

The history of LinkedIn begins in late 2002 from an idea by Reid Hoffman , who brought together Jean-Luc Vaillant , Eric Ly , Konstantin Guericke and Allen Blue to develop a virtual platform that would allow professionals to make connections and work together. in new projects.

After several months of preparations, the official launch of LinkedIn took place in May 2003 . Since its inception, this social network 's objectives were to help disseminate and detect job opportunities.

Little by little, LinkedIn was incorporating features. It went from being a space intended to house a digital CV to include multiple tools for personal branding , allowing you to join groups, create communities linked to a certain field and publicize skills that can receive endorsements (validations) from other users, for example.

A big step for the social network was the launch of LinkedIn Learning , an online training service through courses that provide access to a certification granted by the company itself. This educational feature is available to those who subscribe to LinkedIn Premium , the paid version of the platform.

It should be noted that LinkedIn has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange since 2011 . In 2016 , meanwhile, Microsoft invested more than $26 billion and took over the company, which today operates under its orbit. With Ryan Roslansky as director, LinkedIn currently has more than 850 million users in about two hundred countries.

Professional social network

The popularity of LinkedIn in different countries is useful for developing an international career.

Its purpose

The purpose of LinkedIn is to contribute to the connection of professionals worldwide, providing them with help to meet their work goals and improve their productivity. Likewise, the platform aims to contribute to the creation of economic opportunities.

Its operation is based on several pillars. On the one hand, LinkedIn serves to create new ties. When a user accepts an invitation to establish a connection, they immediately gain access to all the contacts of the professional in question, also viewing the company they work for and the position they hold there.

On the other hand, LinkedIn is useful for building audiences. Publications on LinkedIn can include all types of content (texts, photographs, videos, links, etc.), allowing the user to make their ideas and messages known.

LinkedIn can even be considered a job portal since it presents searches from thousands of companies. Members of the social network can apply very easily, taking advantage of the fact that they already have their personal data, training and experience registered. This resource is very valuable for the human resources departments of entities when they are searching for candidates.

Digital resources

Applying digital marketing strategies is key to gaining visibility on LinkedIn.

LinkedIn for professional development

Taking into account what has been indicated throughout this article, it is clear that LinkedIn can be of great help for professional development. Both for searching for permanent employment and for freelancing tasks, the social network provides numerous tools.

To get the most out of it, several issues must be taken into account. There are numerous portals and blogs that recommend what actions to take to exploit the full potential of LinkedIn .

It is key, in this framework, to take care of the details in the LinkedIn profile . It must be clear and as complete as possible, with data that may be of interest to potential employers or clients.

Status updates are also important to stay active and renew interest from the professional community. Another possibility, especially in certain sectors or in certain professions, is to opt for the publication of works to make known one's personal vision of a topic or to present the knowledge available on a topic.

Of course, anyone who intends to use LinkedIn for professional development should pay attention to private messaging. Through this channel you can receive everything from job offers to queries that can lead to business meetings or joint projects.

A different profile

It cannot be failed to mention that, beyond its professional focus, LinkedIn has acquired a more complete and different profile in recent years. More and more users are choosing to share personal content such as vacation images or sentimental information, as is usually done on Instagram or Facebook .

Searching for a partner on LinkedIn has also been referred to in the media. According to newspaper articles, there are users who take advantage of connections to track the possibilities of romantic links, similar to what happens on Tinder .