Social networking has taken over the internet and people's lives alike. While sites like Facebook and Twitter allow friends to stay in touch and see every single thing each other does to an almost stalker-like level, the role of social networking for business and anyone with a brand to promote has also been steadily increasing. It should come as no surprise then that LinkedIn, a social networking site designed for professional networking, has also increased in it's role in the business world.
Professional networking allows for one to be exposed to job opportunities, training resources, and events that will allow for further professional networking that would be hard to find out about otherwise. LinkedIn provides the perfect channel for these opportunities by connecting people on the most powerful medium for finding and sharing information about them--the Internet. As such, considering and building one's professional network on LinkedIn is critical for getting ahead in the business community. This is easier said then done, however, since how one goes about this and brands his- or herself can play an important role in finding and leveraging these opportunities.
Making sure your profile is complete and accurate is just the first step of properly branding yourself. This is what potential employers or referrers will see first. Obviously it is important to keep things professional, including your profile picture, to send the right impression. It's also important to make sure to provide details of as much relevant experience and qualifications as possible since this is what job opening opportunities will be looking for. Given the increase in automation, making sure to use proper terminology for these qualifications is also important since chances are a program looking for keywords may be the one doing the initial survey of your profile rather than a person who would be capable of determining what you meant to say. Some companies have even replaced traditional resumes as a way of screening potential hires with LinkedIn profiles, largely due to this automation.
Your profile, regardless of how good you make it, is still only useful if the right people actually see it. It's important to make the right connections on LinkedIn both on- and offline. Make sure you provide your LinkedIn information to anyone who would be a valuable professional networking contact, especially potential employers. Since you are constantly evolving professionally it's important to make these connections even if at the time you may not be what they are looking for since one day your qualifications and the employer's requirements may align and you'll have missed the opportunity otherwise. Even if this doesn't happen, they may know of other job prospects that are suited to your skills and refer you. Job fairs and seminars are a great place to make these connections, so go to as many as possible and be sure to exchange information.
Even within LinkedIn and the Internet as a whole there are opportunities for networking. Searching for and connecting with people who already work for companies and in fields you would be interested in is a good way to make valuable contacts, along with joining groups related to both of these factors as well.[1] Likewise, groups and forums outside of LinkedIn that are of interest to you and related to your field can also be a great place to find professional contacts to network with on LinkedIn. People you already know are important to connect with since even if they aren't in a related field they may have connections that are. They also might not be fully aware of what job interests and qualifications you actually have, which your well-designed profile will tell them.
Everyone wants to find a satisfying and meaningful career that keeps them constantly interested and growing within it. This is easier said than done, but utilizing powerful tools such as LinkedIn to maximize your exposure and connections is a key element to achieving this goal. Even if you don't know what this goal actually is yet, connecting with people who do things that interest you can help you determine what you want to do based on their experiences they relate to you. So go out there and start using your LinkedIn account as much as your Facebook account, although not in the same manner for obvious reasons, and your path to a rewarding career will be underway.
Very good post. Thorough and informative. Perhaps in the future you could go a little more in detail on what you mean by keeping things professional even beyond just how they dress. Things such as ways they present themselves with the email they have registered for people to see example use a professional sounding email. Other than that good post.
ReplyDeleteHi Jonathan, I like your post. LinkedIn is indeed one of the best ways to market yourself and as a result, everything in our profile including our picture, education, experience and so on affects the chances of getting recruited, and therefore we should make sure what we fill in can best promote ourselves. I also agree with you that joining interest group and following companies help increase chance of getting a job. Your post is very informative and helpful. Thanks for sharing!
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