LinkedIn is a social network for professionals to connect, share, and learn. It’s like Facebook for your career. Despite being one of the most popular social platforms today, many people still have no idea what LinkedIn is for or how it can benefit them. Here’s everything you need to know to get the most out of LinkedIn.

Whether you're a marketing manager at a large company, a business owner running a small local store, or a college freshman looking for your first job after graduation, LinkedIn is for anyone who wants to take their professional life more seriously by seeking out new opportunities to grow their career and connect with other professionals.

You can think of LinkedIn as the high-tech equivalent of a traditional networking event, where you meet other professionals in person, talk a little bit about what you do, and exchange business cards. It’s like one big virtual networking event.

On LinkedIn, you network with people by adding them as “connections,” similar to how you would request a friend on Facebook. You converse via private messages (or available contact information), and you have all your professional experience and achievements neatly laid out in a profile to show to other users.