A recent milestone announced by LinkedIn could be good news for people in the greater Spokane area who take advantage of the job search features offered by the business-oriented social media network.
On Wednesday, February 6, LinkedIn Associate Product Manager Peter Rusev announced on the official LinkedIn blog that one billion endorsements have been given to 58 million people in less than six months since skill endorsements were introduced on September 24, 2012.
Rusev described some of the ways that endorsements can help LinkedIn users find jobs and network with other professionals in their fields.
According to Rusev, "... Did you know giving and receiving endorsements also helps members beef up their profiles? Not only have we seen a 2x weekly increase in recommendations since the launch of endorsements, members are also actively adding new skills to their profiles to showcase their full expertise. Not to mention the many, many coffee dates we know are being scheduled as a result.
"We know how important it is for you to showcase your professional best on LinkedIn and we’ve made it easy for you manage what endorsements show up on your profile. This can be handy when someone visits your profile (think recruiter, business partner, or customer), so they can quickly see your top strengths and the diverse skills you bring to the table.
"With more eyeballs on your profile, you may even want to use the opportunity to spruce up your profile, such as adding a particular project or work experience to go alongside the endorsements you’ve gathered from your peers."
On Wednesday, February 6, Ingrid Lunden of TechCrunch discussed other ways that endorsements can help job seekers.
According to Lunden, "Endorsements serve several purposes for LinkedIn. For starters, they help increase engagement on the site, and keep people on the site for longer, giving them more possibilities to get exposed to other services (and ads).
"They also give users the chance to provide more enhanced pictures of themselves — useful, since one of the main reasons for LinkedIn usage (despite all its moves to become central news information hubs) remain around people finding jobs.
"And along those lines, endorsements are also getting used as ways for people to network with each other. LinkedIn tells me that when users get endorsed their profiles appear higher up in searches, making them four times more likely to be seen by others."
If Rusev is right, it could be wise for job seekers in the Spokane area to take a few minutes and update their LinkedIn profiles. The potential to get seen more often by potential employers is hard to ignore.
People who aren't using LinkedIn already may want to sign up for a basic account. It is free, and creating a profile is a simple process.
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