Strengthening Your Professional Network with LinkedIn
By Megan Martin
In past generations, connections were mostly made in person. Networks were limited by travel expenses and guest lists. Today, we have the ability to network right at our fingertips. Thanks to the wonders of social media, an intern at a large corporation can now connect with the CEO.
But which sites are best for making connections and advancing your career? When weighing the pros and cons of social media sites, consider the purpose of the site and the quality of relationships you’ll find there.
Which Site to Choose?
If you’re currently using Facebook or Twitter to connect with colleagues, you may want to reconsider.
According to Jessi Hempel in her April 2010 Fortune magazine article, “How LinkedIn Will Fire Up Your Career,” LinkedIn is the best social media site for those who are serious about managing their career.
Unlike Facebook and Twitter, where your contacts might include everyone from old high school buddies to your mother, LinkedIn is specifically designed for business. Using the site not only reduces the risk of blurring your professional and private lives, but you’ll be able to make more professional contacts. LinkedIn has more than 60 million members and that number is on the rise.
One benefit of LinkedIn is that the site tends to attract members with more impressive credentials than other sites.
“The average [LinkedIn] member is a college-educated 43-year-old making $107,000,” says Hempel. “More than a quarter are senior executives. Every Fortune 500 company is represented. That's why recruiters rely on the site to find even the highest-caliber executives: Oracle found CFO Jeff Epstein via LinkedIn in 2008.”
She also points out that conversations on LinkedIn naturally veer toward cutting-edge, industry-specific information that professionals will want to keep tabs on.
“The reason LinkedIn works so well for professional matchmaking is that most of its members already have jobs,” says Hempel. “A cadre of happily employed people use it to research clients before sales calls, ask their connections for advice and read up on where former colleagues are landing gigs. In this environment, job seekers can do their networking without looking as if they're shopping themselves around.”
Getting Started
Jake Swearingen, author of the bnet.com article, “How to Get Started With LinkedIn,” recommends setting aside a day to create a profile and begin building your network.
Swearingen also recommends having a list of goals. He says it’s important to consider the following: “What do you want out of your network? Is there a field you hope to move into? A new position you’d like to try? Do you simply want to find other professionals in your field?”
Create a Profile That Defines You
In creating a profile, you should have two goals: first, to define yourself, and second, to get noticed.
In her job-hunt.org article, “How to Be Found More Easily in LinkedIn,” Marci Reynolds recommends the following:
• Make sure you complete the entire profile. Your work history should include job titles, detailed job descriptions, and your key responsibilities and accomplishments for each position. The more detailed you are, the more likely you are to show up higher in recruiters’ lists of search results.
• Search job descriptions for the types of positions you’re interested in, then use common keywords in your profile that will link you to the industry and position you’re searching for.
• Make sure the industry you select in your profile is for the job you’re looking for, not positions you’ve held. Otherwise you’ll attract notice for positions you’ve already done.
• Include a professional photograph, rather than an informal-yet-flattering one.
• Use powerful language in your headline. Remember that you’re marketing yourself, so you want your headline to grab attention. “Are you a ‘Marketing Professional,’” says Reynolds, “or a ‘Global Marketing Leader | Social Media Enthusiast | Online Advertising Guru?’ Just a few additional words can make the headline much more powerful.”
• Use commas rather than slashes between keywords. Sometimes LinkedIn technology doesn’t recognize words separated by slashes.
Build Your Network
Once your profile is created, you’re ready to start networking. First, use your list of email contacts to search for people you know and see if they’re members. Then you’ll be able to look at the profiles of anyone that person knows, and on down the list.
“Because of these three degrees of separation, your network can grow exponentially. Fewer than fifty direct contacts can translate to millions of business users,” says Swearingen.
It’s easy to get carried away making connections, so it’s important to decide who you really want to connect with. LinkedIn recommends: “Only invite those you know and trust.”
Strengthen Relationships by Helping Others
Swearingen says that a little goodwill can go a long ways towards strengthening your network relationships.
“There are three main things your network can do for you: answer business-related questions, make recommendations and introductions and provide company information,” he says.
He recommends focusing on helping others when you first join. If you can offer help, advice or services to others, you’ll build a strong reputation for yourself.
One way you can assist others is by answering questions in your area of expertise, thus showing off your own talents, ideas and abilities. Additionally, asking questions will persuade others to offer their advice, which can help all members of the network.
You can also introduce and recommend colleagues. This will encourage others to do the same for you.
Stay Connected
It’s not enough to create a profile. In order to see results, you have to be active and check in at least once a week, if not more. Says Swearingen,“You’ll need to continually update and refine your profile and your network. The most obvious way to do this is to add new contacts.”
Finally…have fun! Connecting with people can be enjoyable, whether you’re on a job search or not. Cherish your business relationships and your network will grow naturally. At the end of your career, odds are you’ll be amazed at how the people you knew—more than anything else—shaped your success.
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