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Getting the most out of LinkedIn Boosting your professional network and your career

Getting the most out of LinkedIn

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Short guide to getting the best out of LinkedIn

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Page 1: Getting the most out of LinkedIn

Getting the most out of LinkedIn

Boosting your professional network and your career

Page 2: Getting the most out of LinkedIn

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?

Page 3: Getting the most out of LinkedIn

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

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

Page 4: Getting the most out of LinkedIn

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/

Page 5: Getting the most out of LinkedIn

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’

Page 6: Getting the most out of LinkedIn

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!

Page 7: Getting the most out of LinkedIn

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.

Page 8: Getting the most out of LinkedIn

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.)

Page 9: Getting the most out of LinkedIn

Applications• Add applications to link your blog,

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

Page 10: Getting the most out of LinkedIn

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’

Page 11: Getting the most out of LinkedIn

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

Page 12: Getting the most out of LinkedIn

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.

Page 13: Getting the most out of LinkedIn

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!

Page 14: Getting the most out of LinkedIn

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.

Page 15: Getting the most out of LinkedIn

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

Page 16: Getting the most out of LinkedIn

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)

Page 17: Getting the most out of LinkedIn

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

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

Page 18: Getting the most out of LinkedIn

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)

Page 19: Getting the most out of LinkedIn

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

Page 20: Getting the most out of LinkedIn

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!

Page 21: Getting the most out of LinkedIn

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!