What is LinkedIn?
LinkedIn is a personal/business networking tool. It's based on a version of the “six degrees of separation”. A theory says that anyone in the world can be connected to any other person in the world through a chain of acquaintances. LinkedIn is based on three degrees of separation. With over 30 million users and growing, this on-line networking tool is quickly becoming the standard of networking in today’s technology era.
How Does it Work?
An invitation only networking tool, LinkedIn allows users to create their own profile and connect with friends and colleagues. Your user profile consists of your:
- current and past employers
- experience summary
- detailed work experience
- education
- sports and hobbies
- awards
- groups and associations
- references
LinkedIn enables you to search for people, jobs, and companies. This dynamic networking tool provides you with the ability to find current information on your friends and business colleagues from your past and present. As your direct contacts grow, your entire network in your sphere of three degrees exponentially grows, allowing you to reach out to a vast number of people. This ability gives you the opportunity to ask questions, communicate, and seek help.
You can add as much or as little information to your profile as you want. The more information you provide about yourself, the better the chances are that friends and colleagues can connect with you. You can search the network by name, company, keywords, or interests.
When you first sign up and complete your profile, you'll only have a few contacts (your sphere of networking capability is limited). But you will be amazed at how fast your network grows in a short amount of time.
Evolving from a Static World....to Dynamic
If you're like me, it's likely you have a rolodex or a drawer full of business cards of all the people you've met or worked with in your career. Most likely, these cards are already out of date before they make it to your drawer. People change jobs, move away, change email, and replace phone numbers more quickly these days. I use the term “static” for this type of material, because it doesn't change, and it's an enormous task for you to keep updated.
LinkedIn provides you with a dynamic way to keep in contact with friends and colleagues. Each person continues to update and maintain their own contact information, providing you with the most current information and the opportunity to find them at their current workplace or current email address. Using LinkedIn I've reconnected with friends from 10 – 20 years ago. You never know who you'll reconnect with.
How to Network with LinkedIn
Statistics show that when looking for a job, approximately 85% of people find their next position through networking. Networking has become essential in today’s job environment. With many companies downsizing, off-shoring, and laying off employees, it behooves you to keep up your networking skills even while you're working.
LinkedIn gives you the opportunity to have your own url with your resume / profile (www.linkedin.com/in/yourname). It's a good idea to include this website address in your email to friends and colleagues. You may even want to add it to your business card, especially if searching for a job. This is all part of marketing yourself, and staying in touch with contacts and establishing a strong network. Don't wait until you've lost your job to start networking.
Job Search Capability
Most of us are aware of many job boards on the internet. Each of us can rattle off six or eight without blinking an eye. LinkedIn also provides you with job search capability. You can insert job title, location, and how many miles from your home you're willing to drive. This list of company names and job descriptions are similar to most of the other job boards; but this one tells you how you may be connected to that company, through your network of associations.
Completing your Profile
Your profile is an important part of marketing yourself on-line. The more up-to-date your profile is, the more people that will know about you and be able to help. As you fill out your profile, consider your audience to be prospective employers wanting to hire you as an asset to their organization. Your profile should be on par with your personal resume. Spelling and grammar usage is essential in presenting a capable and professional individual. If your resume is current, you may want to cut and paste certain sections to include in your profile. Career summary, experiences, education, and specialties are valuable contributors to your overall profile. Include special interests, hobbies, and sports activities to show your well roundedness.
And be honest about your qualifications “honesty is the best policy”. Don’t say you have a degree when you don’t. From talking to many recruiters, this is the one area that people seem to exaggerate the most. Also, join different groups and associations through LinkedIn. If you're not part of a group or an association, you're missing out on an opportunity to connect to people with like interests, and the ability to make new friends.
Finally, LinkedIn makes it easy for you to get references so the world can see what a great candidate you are. Getting 3-5 references is good practice to let people know the kind of person you are. Ask work colleagues, bosses, and friends to write up a paragraph about you and include it in your profile. Try to minimize the reciprocal references, since people do look at this and tend to discount these.
LinkedIn Summary
To sum up, LinkedIn is one of the biggest gatherings of professionals. It is an on-line forum where everyone has unlimited 24/7 access to valuable information. Information that is “key” for recruiters, friends, work colleagues, and for keeping in contact. As you become more familiar with this powerful networking tool, you will see the utility and advantage of making LinkedIn part of your networking experience. See the LinkedIn Presentation for an Overview.
Tips to Maintaining Your Network
Add a photo so people can see who they are interfacing with
Don’t forget to set your profile to full view
Keep your profile updated (current)
Check LinkedIn often for updates
Keep your direct connections warm
Be professional, be respectful
Be selective on your direct contacts
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