You, too, can use LinkedIn for socializing and job searching. In this three-part series, I’ll discuss:
1. What steps to take for LinkedIn success.
2. How to use LinkedIn for networking, new work, and collaboration.
3. When you should use Facebook instead of LinkedIn.
When I first joined LinkedIn, I just didn’t get it. I signed up, plugged in some of my information and let it sit. Where was the magic I expected?
Since then, I’ve heard at least one person say “I signed up with LinkedIn. It didn’t help me get a job.”
I looked at that person’s profile, and he had nearly no contacts and little information about his background. No wonder he received no job help.
I shook my head.
I’d made that same mistake a few years earlier.
To succeed on LinkedIn, you have to follow some guidelines:
1. Add Groups: I’ve joined a number of groups on internet marketing, e-commerce and pay-per-click marketing. This make it easier for people with my interests to add me as a connection. Recently, a recruiter called me with a position in my area. Groups also provide you with a way to find people who could collaborate with you on client work.
Add groups you’ve joined outside of LinkedIn such as your university alumni organization. It’s often easiest to add a connection or to send a message to a new connection if you’re in the same networking group. Otherwise, you will need the person’s email address (a bit of a pain to get sometimes) or what is called an introduction — and you’re only allowed five introductions.
2. Add a Link and Description: Include your website URL so people can learn more about you. Include a well-written description of your company or work to inform prospects and colleagues about your offerings.
3. Add People: There’s little that’s more important than adding people on LinkedIn. This is even more important than on Facebook. Once you add people you know to your LinkedIn profile, more people you know can find you.
After a while, the connections build upon one another, and you’ll be able to contact a wide range of people in your field.
