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"&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.linkedin.com/&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;externalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&amp;gt;LinkedIn&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; is heavily utilized by recruiters and employers to source candidates for employment, but it can be a waste of time if you\u2019re not using it effectively. It also can be a useful tool for job hunting, &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.thebalance.com/top-career-networking-tips-2062604&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot;&amp;gt;career networking&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; and professional development. However, it&amp;amp;#39;s imperative that you properly make use of LinkedIn&amp;amp;#39;s tools to reap the benefits. To start, everyone who is seeking a professional position should have a complete &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.thebalance.com/how-to-use-your-linkedin-profile-as-a-resume-2062598&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot;&amp;gt;LinkedIn profile&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;, connect with everyone they know and join LinkedIn Groups.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;Why LinkedIn Could Waste Your Time&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;Are you getting cheated?:&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt; Paying $29.95 per month for a \u201CJob Seeker Premium\u201D moves your application to the top of the list as a &amp;amp;#34;featured applicant.&amp;amp;#34; However, the recruiter sees a badge next to your name indicating you paid to be in that position. What does he think of you now? Plus, that&amp;amp;#39;s no guarantee of visibility; in fact, sales of premium subscriptions that float your &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.thebalance.com/free-resume-examples-and-writing-tips-2063596&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot;&amp;gt;resume&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; to the top of the applicant list were up 68 percent in the second quarter of 2013. In addition, LinkedIn charges the &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.thebalance.com/tips-for-finding-a-recruiter-for-job-seekers-2063690&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;5&amp;quot;&amp;gt;recruiter&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; a fee as well to post; actually matching your talents and qualifications to job opportunities is not really one of their concerns. Rather, it&amp;amp;#39;s to LinkedIn&amp;amp;#39;s benefit to keep everyone searching, both employers and applicants, so they can keep collecting fees.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;LinkedIn is simply a job board:&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt; The good news is that social media is used almost universally as a hiring tool. According to a 2015 article on &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;http://www.adweek.com/&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;externalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;6&amp;quot; rel=&amp;quot;nofollow&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Adweek.com&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;, 92 percent of recruiters surveyed using it as part of their process and of those, 87 percent use Linkedin compared to 55 percent utilizing Facebook and 47 percent on Twitter. That said, LinkedIn is just like &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;http://www.monster.com/&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;externalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;7&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Monster&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; and &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;http://www.careerbuilder.com/&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;externalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;8&amp;quot; rel=&amp;quot;nofollow&amp;quot;&amp;gt;CareerBuilder&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;--the site warehouses resumes and sells employers access to them. And according to the article &amp;amp;#34;Ask The Headhunter: Is LinkedIn Cheating Employers and Job Seekers Alike?&amp;amp;#34; on &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;http://www.pbs.org/&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;externalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;9&amp;quot;&amp;gt;pbs.org&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;, employers reported that just 1.3 percent of their hires came from Monster and 1.2 percent through CareerBuilder.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;How to Make LinkedIn Work for You&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Start with the basics. LinkedIn is not going to work for you if you don\u2019t identify yourself.\u00A0 Setting up a LinkedIn profile with \u201CPrivate Profile\u201D or \u201CHuman Resources Manager\u201D (if you&amp;amp;#39;re seeking applicants) instead of your name and asking someone to connect isn&amp;amp;#39;t going to be effective.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;People won&amp;amp;#39;t have any clue who you are and they won&amp;amp;#39;t try to figure it out. LinkedIn is for \u201Creal\u201D people to connect which each other \u2013 that\u2019s what makes it so successful and such a terrific networking tool.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;If confidentiality is a concern, simply be careful. Connect only with people you know well. Be strategic if you\u2019re job searching while employed and don\u2019t announce it to your connections. There are ways you can &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.thebalance.com/confidential-job-search-tips-2062142&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;10&amp;quot;&amp;gt;job search confidentially&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; without jeopardizing your current position.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;How to Get the Most Out of LinkedIn&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.thebalance.com/tips-to-make-a-better-linkedin-profile-2062332&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;11&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Get Started on LinkedIn&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;One of the most important parts of LinkedIn is your profile. That&amp;amp;#39;s what you use to connect with people in your network and your profile is how you get found on LinkedIn, because it contains information about your skills and experience.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.thebalance.com/take-a-professional-photo-for-linkedin-2064035&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;12&amp;quot;&amp;gt;How to Take and Choose a Professional Photo for LinkedIn&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;Tips and advice for how to take and choose a photo to use in your LinkedIn profile, including what to wear, what type of photo to use, and how to pick a picture that will make a great first impression.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.thebalance.com/how-to-send-linkedin-invitations-and-messages-2062315&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;13&amp;quot;&amp;gt;LinkedIn Message Guidelines&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;Tips for sending LinkedIn invitations asking people to join your network, as well as advice on writing LinkedIn messages requesting recommendations and job search and career assistance and advice.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<https://www.thebalance.com/is-linkedin-a-waste-of-time-2062320>