Featured Content Contributor:  James Hu is the founder and CEO of Jobscan.

James developed a tool that helps job seekers optimize their resumes for applicant tracking systems and is an expert on ATS and the job search process. Thank you for sharing these valuable tips, James!

We all know by now how important LinkedIn® professional networking services is to the job search process. It houses your resume, professional network, job-related news and conversations. LinkedIn® groups are perhaps lesser used, but have great potential for helping you find your dream job. Just like with any tool, knowing how to use the groups will make all the difference. Follow these four steps to learn how to use LinkedIn® groups in your job search.

1. Make Connections.

One of the best ways to utilize LinkedIn® groups is to learn names; names of companies, CEOs, and employees. Become aware of which companies and people post frequently in groups relevant to your career. Follow those companies and connect with the people who run them and work for them. Then, they will start to recognize your name and keep you on their radar. Rather than just connecting with anyone and everyone on LinkedIn®, be strategic about connections.

2. Become a Part of Discussions.

Another way to make your name known in your field is to become a part of discussions. A more recent development of LinkedIn® group discussions is the addition of the “@” function. Members can now tag other members in discussions, making them much easier to follow and to build on conversations with others. Hiring managers and CEOs can look at those discussions to see how candidates think. From there, they might connect with you and potentially ask you for a job interview.

3. Share Articles.

Sharing articles is another route to take if you want to get noticed by hiring managers and recruiters (which you do!). Hiring managers want to see the way you think when considering you as a potential employee. If you share articles about innovative ways to help your industry grow, for example, they will see that you are a forward-thinker. Be thoughtful about each article you share, being aware of how others will perceive you based on the opinions of the person who wrote the article. Always think about your professional brand, and whether or not each article aligns with that brand. You should also share resources that can help fellow job seekers. By doing this, you will make connections with others and show hiring managers that you are not selfish.

4. Check out Job Boards.

Oftentimes, LinkedIn® groups have their own job boards. When you click on a specific group, you’ll see two tabs: “conversations” and “jobs”. When you click on “jobs”, you’ll see a running feed of new jobs posted by other members (hiring managers and recruiters) of the group. These are jobs that you, as a member of the group, have first dibs on before outside job seekers even know they are open. Plus, the hiring manager will already think highly of you for being an active member of the group. Remember, when applying for any job, you should beware of applicant tracking systems.

LinkedIn® groups have developed into a useful networking tool over the past couple of years. They are now much more exclusive (members have to be approved by the group creator), and they are much more interactive than in years past. Remember, you can join up to 50 groups on LinkedIn®, and an unlimited amount of subgroups. Start using LinkedIn® groups daily or weekly to improve and speed up your job search. 

Featured Content Contributor:  James Hu is the founder and CEO of Jobscan an analytics tool that helps job seekers land more interviews by comparing one’s resume against any job description for keywords and match rate.