(NAPSI)—Whether you’re just starting your working life, looking for a new job or considering an entirely different career, useful connections and helpful tools are at your fingertips.

For example, there are more than 10 million job listings on LinkedIn.

Helpful Hints

Nearly all professionals at the most sought-after companies found their way in through their professional networks.

Here are five suggestions to help you find your way in.

1. Improve your LinkedIn profile. With more than 20 million professionals including recruiters, hiring managers and decision makers using LinkedIn search every week, making simple improvements to your profile can make a big difference.

Use the profile completion meter to see personalized recommendations on which profile sections you should add to increase your chances of showing up when a recruiter does a search. And take the time to share more on who you are. For starters, make sure to add key skills you’ve acquired, such as project management, teamwork and communication. Hint: You’re more likely to find your way in to opportunities if you list more than five skills. Also, don’t forget to add a photo. This will help your connections recognize you and it helps boost your visibility with employers, too. LinkedIn members with a profile photo get up to 21 times more profile views and nine times more connection requests than those without.

2. Search smart. Job search filters let you drill down into the aspects of a particular role that matter to you such as location, company, experience level, industry, and job function. Set alerts for the companies and jobs you’re interested in and update your career interests with what you’re seeking. You’ll get daily personalized job recommendations, some of which you can apply to straight from your phone. You can also search jobs where you have connections, and message them if you want to know more or if you want to ask for a referral.

3. Signal that you’re open to new opportunities by turning on Open Candidates in your career interests, which are found on the LinkedIn jobs page and on your profile page. This lets you privately signal to recruiters that you’re open to new opportunities. It also increases your chances of showing up in searches by recruiters.

4. Check your connections. Seventy percent of people get hired at a company where they have a personal connection. Your connections or mutual connections can be key to finding your next job. If you need a conversation starter, check for career milestones such as a job change, connections in common and similar insights to break the ice. Now is the time to message your network and catch up. You never know who will help you find your way in.

5. Don’t bury the lead. When you reach out to a connection in your professional network, Adam Neumann, co-founder and CEO of WeWork, recommends not overlooking the importance of the subject line. A few catchy words that hint toward the conversation can spark a great relationship and get the person on the other end immediately engaged.

Learn More

For further job-searching suggestions, go to http://blog.linkedin.com or go to www.linkedin.com/jobs to start searching!

On the Net:North American Precis Syndicate, Inc.(NAPSI)