LinkedIn is a powerful tool for job hunting, but its effectiveness is heavily dependent on how you use it. There are many best practices for using the platform, but one that's often overlooked is the act of encouraging engagement.

There's obviously a big difference between likes and job offers. High engagement, however, is actually very useful for a job seeker. It allows you to network without initiating a conversation. It allows you to demonstrate your credibility. And it provides valuable feedback. This lets you know whether the content that you are posting is relevant to the people in your industry.

1. Optimize Your Profile

It's possible to get engagement on LinkedIn regardless of what photo you use. But if your profile doesn't look professional, it is going to be harder to achieve. If you haven't already done so, you should optimize your profile. Use a professional photo, fill out your profile completely, and make sure that everything is up-to-date. It's worth noting that high engagement levels without these things wouldn't help you find a job anyway.

2. Post Regular Updates

Like many social media platforms, LinkedIn rewards people who post regularly. Regular updates, therefore, attract attention and encourage existing followers to revisit your profile. You don't need daily posts to get attention on the platform, but you should aim for one new post per week. You should also schedule your posts for when they will get the most attention. This is usually during business hours. LinkedIn also allows you to schedule posts ahead of time.

3. Use Hashtags to Promote Your Posts

Regardless of what you post on LinkedIn, you obviously need people to read it before they can start engaging with it. Most people follow specific hashtags that they are interested in. By adding hashtags to your content, you can therefore show up directly in people's feeds.

To maximize the right type of engagement, aim for highly relevant hashtags to your specific industry. General, inspirational hashtags might increase views, but it won't benefit your job search if the viewers aren't in your industry.

4. Post About Interesting Topics

Engagement levels aren't always based on quality. What you write about is equally important. If you're not sure what to post, look at other people in your industry. What subjects are attracting the most attention? Try to cover topics that other people have had success with.

In doing so, you can avoid wasting time on posts that, regardless of their quality, won't receive attention. Writing posts on popular topics also demonstrates that you are highly informed about what's happening in your industry. While posting irrelevant content could suggest the opposite.

5. Post Valuable Information

People are far more likely to engage with your posts if they add value. If you are highly knowledgeable about a particular topic, aim for educational posts. This has the added benefit of demonstrating your expertise to potential employers.

If you don't have specialized knowledge, you can still add value by linking out to other resources that people in your industry may find useful. The point is to cut through the noise on LinkedIn and provide content that people can benefit from reading.

6. Ask Questions

People are far more likely to comment on a post if you ask a question. Questions are also easy to include regardless of what you are writing about. For example, if you were writing a list, you might ask people which item on the list they consider being the most useful and why.

You can also ask for other types of input, such as likes and shares. Try to include at least one call to action at the end of every post. Provided you ask politely, a certain amount of self-promotion is very much acceptable.

7. Share With Groups

LinkedIn's groups are ideal for sharing your content with people who are likely to be interested in it. The platform has groups dedicated to almost every industry, but some groups are more active than others.

Aim for groups that have plenty of members and where engagement on existing content is happening regularly. Groups are also ideal for getting inspiration about the type of content that you should be writing.

8. Respond to All Engagement

If somebody leaves a comment or otherwise engages with your profile, try to always respond. In doing so, you are not only encouraging them to repeat the action, you are demonstrating to other readers that you are active on the platform.

People are also far more likely to return to your LinkedIn profile page if they've talked to you, rather than just leaving an overlooked comment. If you look at popular profiles in your industry, you'll notice that communication often goes in both directions.

9. Reach Out to Others

Most people are on LinkedIn for the same reason that you are. Therefore, getting people to engage with your profile is a lot easier if you're willing to reach out to them. Look at other active profiles in your industry and interact with their content. When people notice that you are engaging with their profile, many will be happy to return the favor. This is also a good way to build followers.

10. Proofread Your Work

If your posts often have mistakes or poor grammar, this can harm your reputation and your engagement levels. Prior to posting anything, always read over your work carefully. If you've been posting content without doing this in the past, it's also worth going through your previous posts and looking for any mistakes.

An Engaging LinkedIn Profile Is a Valuable Tool for Any Job Seeker

LinkedIn is not only designed for networking. It allows you to tailor your profile so that all interaction only occurs with other people from your industry. Therefore, a profile with high engagement has the potential to offer a significant increase in your job hunting prospects.

Along with up-to-date information, having a lot of interaction on your profile demonstrates that you are highly knowledgeable about your industry. Many of the actions required to increase engagement also make your profile look more professional as a whole.