Social Networking Showdown: LinkedIn
September 24, 2009 by Allison Boyer
Filed under Jobs
I have a profile on LinkedIn, and shame on me for not using it often enough. Unlike other social networking sites, LinkedIn is less about driving traffic and more about actually connecting with people who can put you ahead. LinkedIn is the professional version of Facebook and MySpace.
You should use LinkedIn if…
…you want a job, an employee, or an opportunity for just about anything. LinkedIn is the equivalent to walking into a room full of people who can help you professionally, shaking their hands, and handing them you business card.
Image: sxc.hu
You’ll find people from your college who can give you a boost up in your career just because you’re both alumni from the same school. You can find others in your industry who want to offer you work. You can find people who would be perfect as employees for you. You can find people you worked with in the past who have new and exciting projects to show you. You’ll find people who you think have no reason to contact you – and then suddenly, an opportunity comes along and they recommend you for a project because you’re a friend of a friend. The list goes on and on and on.
If networking can help you in real life, there’s a good chance that LinkedIn can help you too. There are few professionals who shouldn’t consider LinkedIn as a primary form of social networking
How to Best use LinkedIn
With LinkedIn, start by connecting your profile to all of your projects. You want to create a “hub” so to speak – a place where all of your freelancing activity comes together to highlight your writing abilities. Unlike with other social networking sites, on LinkedIn, you shouldn’t try to create a profile for every site. Rather, this is a place to promote yourself as a writer.
Link to as many people as possible, starting with other freelancers and spiraling out to include people from your alma mater, previous jobs, and so forth. Don’t forget to link with clients, and when you feature someone on your blog (or feature their company), check to see if they have a LinkedIn profile, and if so, link to them.
Keep your profile as up-to-date as possible, so you avoid missing opportunities.
Join groups and give recommendations. LinkedIn is all about scratching one anothers’ backs. I’m not suggesting that you should write a recommendation for all of the connects you have – but when someone is extremely talented or a great client/boss, let the world know. More often than not, they’ll return the favor, and that only boosts your profile.
Disadvantages of LinkedIn
Summary
Use LinkedIn if…
…you work in a career where networking is a benefit.
…you have time to devote to keeping your profile up to date.
…you are able to help other people network with people you know or you can recommend others with a short testimonial.
Do Not Use LinkedIn if…
…you’re trying to drive traffic rather than promote your services.
This post is part of the Social Neworking Showdown here at Bizzia. Check back throughout September for more posts about social networking sites.
LinkedIn works, but you have to spend time on it. And you have to grow your network. Having 10 or 15 connections won’t help you. The idea is to work your network like a politician works a roomful of voters at a party. You can’t be a wall flower.
Ask for recommendations. Ask for introductions. Fill out 100% of your profile. Participate in groups. Answer other people’s questions. It’s a long-term process, but it can pay off.
The most important feature is search. It’s pretty good on the free version and better on the paid version. Search for people you know and then get connections to others in the same company. Search for job titles and introduce yourself to those who might have work. Make a list of “dream” companies you’d like to work for and search for people who work there.
LinkedIn will seem odd to those used to other social media, because it’s not about socializing, it’s about connecting just like you would in real life. It’s the same as meeting someone and handing them your business card. You can’t be too pushy or promotional though.
Oh, and use those network updates to keep your name and activities in front of people. Again, it’s a long term payoff. Don’t expect immediate gratification.
I agree that LinkedIn can be a powerful resource. The ability to scope so many public profiles makes it a great marketplace to push out what you need or are looking for, but it does indeed require a lot of effort to maintain and leverage.
I think it’s valuable to use different types of networks for different purposes. Supplement LinkedIn with Facebook, WhoDoYouKnowAt, etc. Open networks help you leverage flimsier connections, Facebook helps you keep up with friends, WhoDoYouKnowAt allows you to leverage your close relationships, etc.