Want To Get Hired Faster? Target Companies on LinkedIn
Ready to make LinkedIn your secret weapon for landing that dream job?
Using LinkedIn to target companies, you can dramatically improve your job search results by strategically connecting with employees, recruiters, and hiring managers—all in one place.
LinkedIn allows you to research companies and engage directly with key personnel, making it a powerful tool for unlocking doors at the companies you admire most.
Here are 8 powerful tips for engaging companies and accelerating your job search on LinkedIn:
Follow Companies and Updates
Begin by researching and hitting the “Follow” button for companies you’re interested in. Once you follow a company, you’ll get their latest updates and job postings directly in your LinkedIn feed. This helps you stay informed about the company’s latest moves and initiatives, giving you valuable talking points for networking and interviews.
At Life Working®, we believe that following companies on LinkedIn is a powerful job search tool. Company updates often reveal changes like new office locations, product launches, or leadership shifts, in addition to those new job postings. Following a company helps you understand its growth or market shifts and can give you an added edge in tailoring your applications and interview responses to their current goals.
Interested in more LinkedIn Tips? Supercharge Your Job Search: LinkedIn Tips To Land Your Dream Job
Signal Your Interest
Now that you’re following companies, it’s time to tell them you want to work for them.
LinkedIn has a feature that allows you to privately express interest in working for a company without needing to apply first—or use the #OpenToWork frame. Just scroll to the "About" or “Life” tab on a company's page (or “About the company” section of job details pages) and click the "I'm interested" button. Once you signal that you’re interested, you become visible to recruiters at the company who can now view your profile when searching for candidates.
Some important things to note here:
Not all companies use the “I’m Interested” button, only those with an active LinkedIn Career Page and Recruiter contracts will have this feature available on their company page.
You’ll be directed to set up a job alert to get weekly updates on new job postings and relevant content delivered right to your LinkedIn feed. To receive these notifications, go to "Page updates" and make sure in-app notifications are turned "On”.
You can signal interest in up to 50 companies on LinkedIn, increasing your visibility to recruiters.
Your privacy is protected, as only recruiters within your target company will see that you've signaled interest - recruiters from other companies won't be able to view it.
Connect with Company Recruiters and Hiring Managers
Once you’ve followed and expressed interest in a company, go a step further by identifying and engaging with its recruiters and hiring managers. Using the “Life” page (where they share employee experiences and company culture), look for featured employees, hiring announcements, or recruitment posts. Often, recruiters and hiring managers will post updates or comment on these pages, giving you valuable insights into who to connect with.
Engage with Company Posts Regularly
Liking, commenting, and sharing posts from companies you’re interested in can make you visible to their social media team and recruiters. This engagement helps you build rapport and keeps you on their radar, especially if you share insightful comments or industry knowledge.
Set Job Alerts for Your Target Companies
Building upon our “Signal Your Interest” section above, setting job alerts keeps you up to date on your target company’s current job opportunities (remember, not all companies use the “Signal Your Interest” setting, so setting job alerts for these other companies you’re targeting is essential). Organizations often announce new job openings or hiring initiatives on their LinkedIn pages before posting them elsewhere, so set your notifications to get alerted about new updates. Do this and you’ll be among the first to see and apply to these roles.
Leverage the Company’s “People” Page
Gain insights into a company's culture and meet its employees by exploring the “People” page after you follow them. Here you can search its current employee database by job title, location, school, or other keywords; then explore profiles and learn more about the qualifications, skills, and career paths of current employees. Use this as a guide for optimizing your LinkedIn profile to the skills and experiences desired by your target companies.
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Look for “People You May Know” in the Company
Another powerful networking tool is LinkedIn’s ability to suggest connections. Once you follow a company, LinkedIn will often suggest employees in that company under “People You May Know.” Whether you know these people or not, use this as an opportunity to connect with current employees, particularly those in similar roles or departments, and reach out for informational interviews to gain insight into the company.
Use Alumni to Build Inroads Into Your Target Companies
LinkedIn offers a powerful tool for connecting with alumni at your target companies. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to cross-reference and leverage those connections:
a. Go to the company page:
Type the name of your target company into the LinkedIn search bar and navigate to its company page.
b. Find the "People" tab:
On the company page, you'll see several tabs like "Home," "About," "Jobs," etc. Click on the "People" tab.
c. Use the "Schools" filter:
On the "People" page, you'll find a list of all employees who have listed that company on their profiles. Look for the "All filters" button on the right side of the page and click it.
Scroll down to the "Schools" filter and type in the name of your university.
Click "Show results."
d. Connect and Engage:
LinkedIn will display a list of employees at your target company who also attended your college or university.
Review their profiles to find those with relevant roles or experiences.
Send personalized connection requests, mentioning your shared alma mater and expressing your interest in their career path.
Extra Tips:
Use the alumni tool: LinkedIn has a dedicated alumni tool that can help you find and connect with alumni from your school. Go to your university's page on LinkedIn and click on the "Alumni" tab.
Join alumni groups: Many universities have alumni groups on LinkedIn. Joining these groups can help you expand your network and connect with people working in your target companies.
Attend virtual events: LinkedIn often hosts virtual events for alumni, providing opportunities to connect with people in different industries and locations.
By effectively using LinkedIn's search and filtering features, you can identify and connect with alumni who can provide valuable insights, advice, and potential pathways into your target companies.
Key Takeaways and Action Items
Create your own targeted company list and start building connections today.
Increase your visibility by letting internal recruiters know you are interested in working for their company.
Set Job Alerts to stay informed of the latest hiring plans at your targeted companies.
Stay updated on hiring news and be better prepared for interviews through a deeper understanding of your target company’s culture and needs.
One last thing to consider: don’t limit yourself to just following potential employers; also follow their competitors and industry leaders. This can expand your understanding of industry trends, innovations, and job market changes. Plus, you may discover companies you’d never considered before.
Want LinkedIn expertise in your corner? Contact us today for your free consultation, and put our team of Life Working® career experts to work for you today!
To Your Success,
The Life Working® LinkedIn, Resume Writing, and Career Coaching Team
Exploring Careers. Changing Lives.®