Shape Your Career: Intermediate Guide to Mastering LinkedIn

December 5, 2025
smacmagazine
Technology
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Shape Your Career: The Intermediate User’s Guide to Mastering LinkedIn

The advent of mobile app development has been a boon for many industries, including recruitment sector. App development companies, especially the ones that focus typically on easing up the recruitment process for both employer and the aspirants, have shared most of the spotlight. One such app, which is classic in the way it looks and impactful in the way it helps you find the right job is LinkedIn.

LinkedIn is clearly the most effective recruitment app and also a social media platform for professionals and job seekers. One can do a lot of things on LinkedIn by showcasing their skill set, thus increasing their chances of getting great career opportunities.

But nothing is that easy, right? WRONG! Just do your part on LinkedIn and see opportunities falling in, with the help of these tips:

Get an all-star profile

All-star profile sounds so badass. Like you bought some premium subscription that gives you special access to the special recruiters with their all-special remunerations. Well, LinkedIn actually does have a premium subscription, but it isn’t what you to need to get to have an all-star profile. To get an all-star profile, all you have to do is make sure that you fill each and every section of your LinkedIn profile with information about yourself. App development played a significant role here by allowing people to maintain their all-star profile from the comforts of their smartphone via the LinkedIn app. Create a nice headline for your profile that says something about your profession. It is advisable to create a catchy profile that isn’t all about the usual format tone. Don’t follow a typical tongue; rather express your professional details in your own words. Apart from the professional headline, experience, and achievements, don’t forget to mention your volunteering experience as well, as it speaks of your extracurricular activity.

Leverage the visibility feature

The good about LinkedIn is that the app uses common sense. The app knows a very basic rule that you can’t always be looking for a job, especially if you recently joined a new organisation. This is why LinkedIn allows you to control your visibility to recruiters looking for candidates for a job. This helps you in two ways. First, you won’t get unnecessary calls from recruiters when you least want them. And second, your CV/resume won’t be shown to recruiters, which means you can take all the time in the world to add more details to your resume. And finally, when you are ready, you can turn on the visibility to recruiters and embrace for a flood of career opportunities.

Inbuilt job portal

LinkedIn was founded to become the world’s largest social media network for professionals so that they can connect in a career-oriented environment without being bombarded with out-of-place ads and false information. But over the time, the platform has evolved, and reading the increasing demand for it, in 2011 LinkedIn launched the ‘Apply with LinkedIn’ feature to allow candidates to apply to job listings using their LinkedIn profile. Next significant step in the hiring sector for LinkedIn came out in 2016 when it launched Open Candidates feature to signal premium-badge recruiters

about the candidates looking for jobs. All these advanced helped LinkedIn to get more recognition as a platform for jobs, and today, LinkedIn has its own full-fledged job portal in the app that allows candidates to apply for job they find suitable for their profile. Not only that, LinkedIn also collaborates with other job portal like Naukri, Indeed, Shine and more, to create a pool of opportunities, so that candidates can apply for jobs from a single portal.

Publish your opinion

From what it looks like, LinkedIn believes in empowering its users by enabling them to voice their opinion on their area of interest, niche etc. This allows candidates to show off their expertise and domain knowledge in a particular area, which lets recruiters to find knowledgeable candidates and hire just the cream. From the perspective of recruiters, it is a great way to shortlist the best ones with suitable insights. Although the most of this utility goes to people who are into writing blogs and articles, almost anyone from any profession can share their knowledge on anything they are good at, which is a fair way for many to eventually figure out their passion and see how good they are at it.

LinkedIn is an amazing tool that is much more than just a social media for professionals. At present, LinkedIn is a source of great PPT presentations via Slideshare API, articles and expert opinions on diversified topics, and with a mobile app at its back, LinkedIn will continue to be the most coveted job search engine.

LinkedIn has become much more than a digital resume or a place to look for jobs. Today, it’s a learning platform, a networking hub, a personal branding powerhouse, and a global marketplace for talent. If you’re already familiar with the basics—like creating a profile or sending connection requests—this guide is for you.

This is the intermediate user’s roadmap to take your LinkedIn presence from visible to truly influential. Whether you’re a job seeker, a professional aiming for a promotion, or someone wanting to grow your personal brand, mastering these strategies will help you stand out and shape your career with confidence.

Build a Network That Actually Works for You

At the intermediate level, you shouldn’t just add connections—you should build meaningful relationships.

✔ Connect with purpose

Focus on:

Professionals in your industry
Recruiters
Leaders you admire
Colleagues from previous roles
People who share similar career goals

✔ Engage with your network

A comment is more effective than a connection request.
A conversation is more valuable than a like.

When you show up consistently, people start noticing—and opportunities follow.

Share Content That Establishes You as a Thought Leader

Intermediate users should begin posting content that reflects their expertise. You don’t have to be an “influencer”—you just need to be helpful, consistent, and authentic.

What should you post?

Lessons learned from work
Industry trends or insights
Growth stories
Personal achievements
Advice for beginners
Mini case studies
Tools or resources you use

Posting Frequency

Start with 1–2 posts per week. Consistency beats perfection.

Use LinkedIn’s Features to Unlock Opportunities

LinkedIn offers several tools that intermediate users often underuse:

✔ LinkedIn Learning:

Upskill with courses in leadership, AI, communication, marketing, and more.
Add completed certifications to your profile—they matter.

✔ Skills Assessments

Taking these assessments boosts your profile ranking with recruiters.

✔ Open to Work (Smartly)

Use this feature strategically so only recruiters can see your status if you prefer privacy.

✔ Creator Mode

Turn this on when you’re ready to build a stronger brand.
It unlocks:

Profile hashtags
Better analytics
Newsletter publishing
LinkedIn Live (for some users)

Strengthen Your Personal Brand

Your personal brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room—or online.

To shape it with intention:

✔ Stay consistent with your message

If you talk about leadership one day and baking cookies the next, your audience gets confused.
Choose 2–3 themes and stick to them.

✔ Present yourself professionally

Your profile photo, tone, writing style, and comments all shape your brand.

✔ Be approachable

Respond to messages.
Thank people for endorsements.
Support others’ achievements.

Here is a strategy guide to help you actively shape your career path, not just document it.

1. 🎯 Optimize Your Profile for Opportunity (Beyond the Basics)

A good profile gets you found. A great, optimized profile gets you considered for your next-level role.

The Keyword Strategy: Think like a recruiter. What specific skills, technologies, and job titles are in the descriptions for the role you want (not just the one you have)?
- Headline: Go beyond your current title. Use a formula like: Current Role | 3-5 Key Skills/Technologies | Value You Deliver. (e.g., Senior Project Manager | Agile & Scrum Certified | Driving Digital Transformation Projects).
- About Section: This is your career narrative. Use the first few lines to grab attention, incorporating those target keywords naturally. Structure it with quantifiable achievements: “Led a team of 5 to successfully launch X product, resulting in a 15% increase in user adoption.”
The Experience Section: Quantify Everything: Instead of listing duties, focus on impact and results. Use strong action verbs (Spearheaded, Optimized, Designed, Led) and back them up with numbers, percentages, or scale.
Showcase Your Learning: Actively add relevant Licenses & Certifications and courses (especially those from LinkedIn Learning, HubSpot, Coursera, etc.). This signals commitment to growth.

2. 🤝 Strategic Networking: Quality Over Quantity

You have connections—now it’s time to activate them for career growth.

Personalize Your Connection Requests: Never use the default “I’d like to connect with you.” Instead, mention why you are reaching out:
- Reference a mutual connection, a piece of their content you found insightful, or a specific company/project you admire.
- Example: “Hi [Name], I read your article on AI in marketing and found your point about data privacy compelling. As I’m focused on that in my current role, I’d love to connect and follow your work.”
The Informational Interview: Use your network to gain insights. Identify people in your target role or company, and politely request a 15-minute virtual coffee to hear about their career path, not to ask for a job. This is a powerful way to get unlisted advice and create advocates.
Engage with Industry Influencers: Don’t just follow; genuinely contribute to their discussions. A thoughtful, value-add comment can increase your visibility far more than a simple “like.”

3. 📣 Become a Thought Leader (The Power of Content)

This is where intermediate users separate themselves. Posting original content establishes you as an authority and an expert in your niche.

Share Your Insights: You don’t need a viral post. Start small:
- Share an interesting industry article and add a 3-4 sentence take on why it matters to your field.
- Post a quick “lesson learned” from a recent project or a new skill you acquired.
- Share a quick poll or question to spark discussion in your network.
Utilize LinkedIn Articles: For deeper dives, use the article publishing feature. Writing a well-researched article on a niche topic positions you as a thought leader and is a great way to showcase your communication skills.
Focus on Value: Your content should educate, inspire, or entertain your target audience (i.e., people who could hire you, partner with you, or mentor you).

4. 🔎 Leverage the Job Search Filters Like a Pro

The “Jobs” section is a rich resource, and its features are designed to surface you to recruiters.

“Open to Work” Settings: Ensure you have accurately specified your Target Job Titles, Work Locations (remote/hybrid/on-site), and Employment Type. If you want to keep it private from your current company, choose “Recruiters only” visibility.
Set Up Hyper-Specific Alerts: Create job alerts for the exact titles, skills, and companies you are targeting. This way, you’re notified the moment an ideal opportunity is posted.
Research Company Pages: Follow companies you are interested in. This keeps you updated on their news, culture, and, often, their newest hires, giving you a talking point for a connection request.