November 17, 2019,

Many people have a LinkedIn account, know that it is somehow concerned with job hunting, but are not sure exactly what to do to find a job using it.

It was this problem that Mary Aji, LinkedIn Key Account Director, addressed in a presentation for students at the American University of Ras Al Khaimah (AURAK).

She started by giving some basic information on the work-related social media platform. She said there are 650 million users worldwide with 4 million of them in the UAE, meaning that near enough every professional has an account. She said that 9/10 recruiters use LinkedIn.

She used the example of donuts to show the differences between the way different social media platforms are used, with, for example, Facebook being more suitable for saying “I like donuts” and Instagram for saying “here’s a cool photo of my donut”. In contrast, LinkedIn is for saying you hope to operate a donut franchise one day, you are looking for a job at a donut company or you have three years’ experience making donuts.

The top two activities on the platform were revealed to be checking out other people in first place, followed by reading content. Looking for jobs is, perhaps surprisingly, only the third most popular activity on LinkedIn.

The presenter gave participants advice on filling in their profiles. For example, including a photo on your page is key to getting more views but the photo must be the right one, she said, offering advice on the dos and don’ts of appropriate photos.

How to use it to find a job? Mary Aji recommended using the alumni tool to connect with your fellow alumni because referrals are the best way to get a job. Users should also set up job alerts. She also recommended using LinkedIn’s content by following recruitment agencies, companies and industries.