Linked innight 6310

Getting “LinkedIn”Using LinkedIn to its fullest potential

© Sparrey Consulting, 2010

Why LinkedIn night?


Lately, a number of clients have asked me “what exactly am I supposed to be doing with LinkedIn? Someone sent me an invitation once and I joined, but how do I make it work for me?” There are several ways to make LinkedIn a part managing your career, from identifying new opportunities to identifying talented people to join your team.

• Tonight we will:• Create or update your profile• Invite people to connect• Determine how to use recommendations• Join a relevant group• Review how to use LinkedIn to find a job• Discuss other creative uses for LinkedIn• Plan how to keep your profile current

What is LinkedIn for?


Based on the principle of 6-degrees of separation, LinkedIn allows people to build their network beyond people they immediately know. LinkedIn is based on 3-degrees of separation.

You

Your connections

Their connections

Their connections

1

2

3

Create your profile


• Brainstorm what to include on your profile– Summary statement– Most relevant job experiences– Education– Link to website– Affiliation with groups (professional organizations)

• Review details

Summary statement brainstormingWhat I want people to know about me:

My summary statement

Update your profile, part 1


Keeping your profile up-to-date will help with a job search, will make you more relevant for clients and more interesting to potential contacts.• Make sure that your summary

information is accurate• Review to determine if important

information should be added (especially valuable for entrepreneurs)

Make sure your current job is accurate

Include your twitter account ONLY if relevant for professional purposes

List past jobs that are relevant – you do not need to list ALL jobs, just past 5-10 years

Check your location & make sure it’s right!

Update your profile, part 2


Keeping your profile up-to-date will help with a job search, will make you more relevant for clients and more interesting to potential contacts.• Your LinkedIn profile is an online

resume. Do not include ALL resume bullets, but you should include 2-3 with each role. Treat the bullets with the same professionalism as a resume.

• Consider key words prospective employers in your field will be looking for. Be sure to include those prominently in your profile.

Details to updateDetail Requires update (Y/N) Completed

Job title

City

Industry / function

Past jobs

Education

Website

Link to Blog

Twitter

Personalized public profile link

Groups

Connections

Recommendations

Public profile link

Invite people to connect


Identify who you should invite• Consider people that you know in the real world!• Review contacts your address book and connected to them through LinkedIn.• Connect with people at current and former employers• Follow-up on suggested connections from LinkedIn and re-connect with people who you

would be willing to help in the future.• People you volunteer with.• Review members of groups that you are a part of within Linked In. Connect with people

that you’ve already met in the real world.

THE GOAL: Have 10X your age in LinkedIn contacts. This represents 10 new people you’ve met every year that you’ve been alive.

Invite people to connect


Connect through your email and add all contacts

Enter individual email addresses

Allows you to view current / former colleagues by company

Allows you to view current / former classmates by institution & graduation date

Recommendations from LinkedIn based on people within your network

Establish your reputation through recommendations


Who should you ask?

THE GOAL: determine if recommendations are relevant for your jobs.

Should you have recommendations?

How should you ask them?

Broaden your network:Join relevant groups


One important way to find valuable contacts is to join groups that are related to your career goals. • Review groups that colleagues are affiliated with, it’s usually a great start• Join alumni groups from schools and workplaces and professional associations

you belong to• Use the search functionality to identify groups that align with your interests

Additionally, group discussions can be incredibly valuable if you’re thinking about entering a new field or making a job change. • Find relevant industry groups• Follow discussions for specific groups (note: some groups are valuable to allow

you to connect with people but discussion boards are filled with spam. Other groups have great discussion features (usually groups associated with a specific industry).

Using LinkedIn to find a job, part 1:Informational interviewsOnce your profile is updated, the power of LinkedIn comes from identifying people to connect with who will provide valuable information, help to clarify your goals, learn more about specific companies and provide a window into opportunities. Note: one of the ways to make your search most effective is to select “relatedness” when searching.

• Identify companies you want to work for• Use people search to find people you are connected to at those companies• Ditto for industry

Using LinkedIn to find a job, part 2:Preparing for interviews• Look at company profiles to:

– Get news from blog– Research people you are interviewing with (note: they may see that you’ve

checked out their profile)– Follow stock price (where relevant)– Review statistics (size, gender mix, age, common job titles– Links to company websites, etc

Using LinkedIn to find a job, part 3:Doing your diligence on a job

• Use the “follow company” feature on LinkedIn to find out the following helpful information:– Common career paths before and after the company– Where employees are most connected– Departments & levels for new hires– Former employees and where they have departed to– Recent promotions and changes

Promoting your company

• Have a great summary statement• Include your LinkedIn profile link on your

email signature line• Use recommendations!• Set up events on Linked In• Sending messages to connections

Keeping yourself current

• Stay top-of-mind for contacts by updating aspects of your profile regularly– Update your profile status– Add new positions within the same company –

promotions, etc.– Join new groups

Date post:	18-Oct-2014
Category:	Education
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