8 Genius LinkedIn Features (for job seekers)

Jeff -

From connecting with industry professionals to optimizing your job search, LinkedIn can be a powerful tool in your professional journey.

But are you getting the most out of it? Let's explore some underutilized LinkedIn features you might not know exist!

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Free Messaging via LinkedIn Groups

The first underrated LinkedIn feature is its group-based free messaging. Generally, to message someone outside your first-degree connections, you'd need a LinkedIn Premium subscription.

However, there's a workaround — if you're in the same LinkedIn group as another member, you can message them for free.

It's worth joining your high school and college alumni groups, as well as your company's LinkedIn group.

These are people who are likely to help you in your career. Plus, you can search for groups in your field of interest (like digital marketing) and network with professionals there.

Leveraging the 'People' Tab

Next, make use of the 'People' tab on LinkedIn pages. Here's an example: go to your college's page, search for a company (like Apple), and voilà! You have a list of alumni currently working there.

But here's a trick - instead of connecting from this page, copy their names and paste into the college alumni group. There's a good chance they're part of both, enabling you to message them directly.

Another technique is to go directly to a company page, filter by location and department, and find your first or second-degree connections. These are the people most likely to agree to a coffee chat.

Using the Company Page's 'About' Tab

Quickly, another tip is to visit a company's 'About' tab and click the "I’m interested" button. This adds your profile to the company recruiters' database, potentially leading to direct messages from them.

Note that not all companies have this feature and it may take some time before you see results.

Exploring Careers with the 'Career Explorer' Tool

LinkedIn's Career Explorer is an impressive tool for job seekers. You can explore job transitions based on your current role. This tool provides a list of roles people in your current position typically move into, offering inspiration if you're feeling stuck or lost in your career.

Furthermore, it also shows you the skills you already have and the ones you need to develop for your desired role. These insights can help you tailor your LinkedIn profile to be more appealing to recruiters.

Getting Creative with the 'Career Break' Feature

If you've experienced a career break or employment gap, LinkedIn's 'Career Break' feature allows you to explain this gap transparently.

You can add an experience mentioning the roles you're seeking and what you've been up to during your transition period. This way, instead of an unexplained gap, recruiters see a proactive approach to your career transition.

Most users overlook the 'Featured' section of their LinkedIn profile, thinking it's only for content creators. But job seekers can use this section to showcase their resumes and portfolios.

Simply add a link to your Google Drive where your resume is stored, give it a title (like "Your Name's Resume"), and leave the description blank to ensure visitors only need to click once to access it.

Using the 'Personalize Request' Feature

When connecting with someone via the LinkedIn mobile app, don't just hit the 'Connect' button because this just sends a super generic connection request.

You want to click on “Personalize request” directly to maximize your chances of the other person accepting your request.

Want to have an All-Star LinkedIn Profile?

Make sure to follow the steps in this video!