LinkedIn features you should start using

February 28, 2024

By Kim Komando

LinkedIn is one of the biggest social media sites for professionals. If you want to reconnect with old coworkers or find new jobs, it’s the place to be. Users love its many features, especially the profile page you can use to brag about your accomplishments.

There are a few tips and tricks you might have no idea about. Here are five features you can start using to your advantage today.

1. Use Sales Navigator to reach more people

This is a must-have tool for all of your outreach needs. Many of us struggle to find new clients and connect with big players in our industry. If you’re dealing with outdated information and need a leg up, check out LinkedIn Sales Navigator.

It lets you find new opportunities and even strengthen your existing customer relationships. Its powerful advanced search capabilities let you find exactly what you want. You can use filters like industry, geography, customer size and more.

Try this next trick if you want to keep it simple and attract people to you.

2. Save searches and get notified when there are updates

Speaking of filters, here’s an easy way to find good job prospects. You connect with the right people through LinkedIn’s saved searches and job alerts. If you want to keep track of your findings, save the search.

This way, even if you have a lot on your plate and get distracted by other tasks, you can pick up your search later. You can also get notifications whenever there’s an update in your search parameters. Here’s how.

Say you found someone through the People tab or Jobs tab. On the right-hand side of the search page, press Create search alert. Then, save your preferences by hitting Save. Just like that, you saved your search and will get helpful notifications in the future.

3. Use Boolean searches for better results

We’ve got you covered if you have never heard of a Boolean expression. It’s an expression that a programming language uses to produce specific values.

That’s some pretty complex computer-speak, so let’s put it in the context of a search engine. A Boolean search combines words, phrases and symbols to limit or define your search results.

Let’s say you want to find results for a job with two words in the title, like an art director. Your search results may include other types of directors. To ensure you only see that specific phrase, use quotation marks like “Art director.”

Boolean operators also include the words “AND,” “OR” and “NOT.” If there’s a specific company you dream of working for, try using “AND.” So, for example, an art director who longs for a Dreamworks job would type this into the search bar: “art director” AND Dreamworks.

4. Start a professional blog

One great way to show off your professional chops is by creating and sharing helpful content on LinkedIn. That’s right: There are many ways to use its features to spread your ideas. You can do this through status updates or insightful comments on related posts.

Its editor lets you post articles on the front of your profile. It’s a lot like a blog. This is a great way to impress potential employers.

Of course, you don’t have to create original content just for this site. If you write long, thoughtful posts on Instagram or Facebook, you can adjust them to suit the professional world of LinkedIn and then share them on your page. Many people don’t even know this, so you’ll automatically stand out compared to the competition if you start doing this.

5. This trick lets you see how your posts are performing

If you decide to post content on LinkedIn, you may want to see whether or not they’re successful. That way, you can figure out what you’re doing right and wrong. This also helps you come up with more successful strategies.

You can see which people looked over your post, including their job titles and city. The feature is so refined it even tells you if your readers were first or second-degree connections. Even better, the analytics window offers suggestions.

Employers: Here’s another way to use LinkedIn

Small businesses have unique needs, and it’s more important than ever to have the right people on your team. That’s why we trust LinkedIn Jobs to help. LinkedIn Jobs matches your open role with qualified candidates and puts your post in front of members every day so you can hire the right person faster.

Find the perfect fit for your business with LinkedIn Jobs. And, for a limited time, post a job for free — just visit LinkedIn.com/kim to get started today!