Networking with LinkedIn

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

It's much easier for an employer to hire someone when they've been recommended to them by someone they trust. But how do you access the right people and stay in touch with them? The answer is LinkedIn. If you're not using LinkedIn you're missing out on a valuable resource that can introduce you to and keep in you in touch with knowledgeable and experienced people.

For those that don't know, LinkedIn is a social media platform with similarities to Facebook. While Facebook is focused on your social life, LinkedIn is focused on your professional life. As they put it, when you join LinkedIn you get access to people, jobs, news, updates and insights that helps you be great at what you do.

Now you may be thinking this sort of thing isn't for me. My impression of LinkedIn is its more useful for those going into an office job. But as this video created by LinkedIn states, it's not just for executives, it's not just for old people with heavy briefcases, it's for you.

The advantages of LinkedIn

LinkedIn has many advantages.

• Sharing information
• Building relationships
• Staying up to date
• Making yourself visible to employers

Your profile holds all the information an employer might want to know about you. So put some time into creating it. Think of it like an online resume where you can show off your skills and experience. You can even display pieces of work you've completed as a link, image, or document. When people see examples of your work they know you can do what you claim, and they're more likely to contact you.

To make yourself visible to people you need to build up your contacts. This will usually be people you know, friends and family, people you met at a uni or Tafe, or people you've worked with. The advantage here is you can see who your contacts know and ask them to introduce you to one of them. This person may have a job opening you're interested in, or they may work in a field you're trying to get into and could give you helpful information. Approaching someone out of the blue can be difficult and they may not be interested in talking to a stranger. But when someone they know puts in a good word during the introduction things become easier.

Staying up to date on what's happening in a particular industry is important. Industries change all the time and by staying up to date you can make sure your skills are still relevant and learn about new opportunities you can pursue. Groups allow you to get involved in discussions and you can also follow experts in your chosen field to read about the topics they discuss.

When you're on LinkedIn employers will be able to find your profile and contact you if they want to talk. It's important to recognise that this isn't a substitute for looking for a job yourself. Don't expect to be contacted straight away. People do find jobs through Linked. So make sure you put some effort into networking and start building contacts. Do this and the chance an employer looking for someone with your skills finding you increases.

Getting the most out of LinkedIn

To get the most out of LinkedIn there are a couple of things you should keep in mind. While it's a social media platform it's not Facebook so don't treat it like Facebook. Don't spam people with messages or contact requests, and Keep the content you post professional and relevant to what you're trying to achieve.

Make sure you put some time into setting up your profile. Ensure you've filled in each section and that you've checked for spelling and grammar mistakes. This will be the employer's window into what sort of person you are so take you time and do it right.

The final bit of advice is get involved. If you sit there waiting for people to come to you and start a discussion you won't be taking advantage of the opportunity. If you join a group add something to the discussion instead of sitting there quietly. If you meet someone in person or through some other means and want to follow up with an opportunity they mentioned, invite them to connect on LinkedIn. This keeps you in touch with people and builds your network.

LinkedIn isn't a guarantee of a job, and you'll only get out of it what you put in. But with over 400 million people using LinkedIn, can you afford to miss out on the exposure it gives?

To get started LinkedIn has put together a collection of videos and quick tip sheets. They're aimed at students but anyone setting up their LinkedIn account should be able to get some value out of them. Quick tip sheets.

To get a better understanding of how to use LinkedIn. Here's a blog that discusses how to use it by giving you 35 useful tips. The ultimate cheat sheet for mastering LinkedIn

Would you like to comment on this article?

Name:
Location:
Comments:
	Please type the red letters and numbers into the red box above. This is to protect our system from SPAM and viruses.

Previous Comments

There are no comments for this blog post as yet. If you have recently commented then please be patient while your comment is reviewed by our staff.