Getting the most out of LinkedIn

Boosting your professional network and your career

Where do you want to be online?

• What is your digital footprint?

• Have you ever googled yourself?

• If your prospective employer googled you, what would come up?

A look at LinkedIn• http://www.linkedin.com/nhome/

Image from: http://nowsourcing.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/linkedin-motivation.jpg

Quote from a friend’s blog:“After a month of hard work in searching for a new position, I have applied for around 18 jobs – been interviewed by four, called back for two and offered two really good roles. Of the four roles I was interviewed for, one was me prospecting, one was a traditional application and two of them were through people finding me via LinkedIn, and a CV website.” From http://angelofharley.wordpress.com/2010/07/18/chartered-moi/

Setting up your profile• Ensure you have

complete profile (including a picture) and ensure your public profile is viewable (this means your profile will come up on a Google search)

• LinkedIn will tell you how complete your profile is on the right of the page ‘edit my profile’

Making a good first impression• Ensure you have an eye-catching

‘headline’ statement – this is the first thing people read when they find you, so your job title might not cut it!

Decide how much you want to make ‘public’

• You have the choice of what would come up when someone Googles your name.

• Choose by going to ‘edit/change public profile settings’ – tick the boxes of the things you want to appear.

Helping people to find you• Personalise your profile’s URL with

your name (go to edit public profile settings)

• Add your public profile link to your email signature & other places you inhabit online (such as Facebook, Twitter etc.)

Applications• Add applications to link your blog,

Twitter & Slideshare accounts to your profile (View profile & then click ‘add an application’)

Adding connections• Add as many connections as you can and keep

looking for new ones – just ask people you know, most people say yes! Look people up using the search bar and click on ‘add to network’.

• Or simply click on ‘Contacts’ & then ‘Add Connections’

Recommendations• These act like references• Ask people to endorse you & write some

endorsements/recommendations for others• You choose whether to accept or not & then they

go on your profile

Groups• Join a relevant LinkedIn group• You can use groups to network,

discuss professional life, get help etc.• Click on ‘Groups’ to find one to join.

Talk to your network!• Update your status regularly (but not too

regularly!) – if it looks like your last LinkedIn activity was months ago it doesn’t look good!

Answers• Find the ‘answers’ section on the ‘more’ tab• Find answers to questions you have or write an

answer to someone’s question – share your expertise! People can rate answers.

Things to do• Speak to your contacts on LinkedIn –

comment on their status or send them a message

• Answer a question on the ‘answers’ page – show your expertise

• If you are in a group, start a discussion, ask a question or join in a discussion

Things to do• Search for jobs on LinkedIn (it will also

make recommendations for jobs based on the information in your profile)

• Search for the organisation you are applying to work for and/or people you might work with

• Introduce contacts to each other through LinkedIn (ie forward the profile to a connection)

Things to do• Find out who’s looked at your profile

– find out by going to ‘home’ – look in the right column.

Checklist• Set public profile • Set personal Public Profile URL • Upload picture • Write eye-catching ‘headline’

statement • Complete all job role info & education

(NB. ‘school’ on LinkedIn = University/College)

Checklist cont.• Add appropriate applications (web

apps) • Ask for an endorsement/write an

endorsement • Add at least 20 connections • Respond to connection invitations

(click on the link in the email you got and then click on ‘accept’)

• Write a status update

That’s just a taster• There are lots of things to do on LinkedIn –

I haven’t figured it all out yet myself. • Set time aside, especially if you’re job

hunting, each week to browse on LinkedIn & share something of interest

• Click on different parts of the site to find new things – be playful!

• Make sure you have some kind of activity on there every week to show people you’re alive and kicking – you don’t know who might be looking you up!

Keep in touch – add me as a connection!

• Click on my profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/bryonytaylor and then click on ‘Add Bryony Taylor to your network’.

• If you don’t know me personally, please say why you’d like to connect! Thanks!