Clearly the use of LinkedIn is not a new concept for most of the networking world. With my transition into a new role with a Web Development company, I’ve struggled with an appropriate way to communicate my new role and the services Nextfly provides.
Immediately I realized the opportunities missed over the years with my connections. In the early years of LinkedIn, typically my interaction was to accept an invitation and possibly drop a quick line. Everyone’s extremely busy and the last thing most people wanted to be bothered with is those notifications about your profile updates. In addition, my previous role of CEO seemed to garner attention from every sales person. Which probably caused me to be more hands off then hands on with LinkedIn.
With the lack of engagement on LinkedIn over the years, I realized how even simple updates to my profile and network made a huge impact on my connections. Here are a few tips for networking and keeping your profile updated:
- Keep your profile update
- While I know you landed your dream job, as time passes you might forget about the milestones you accomplished early on in your role.
- Update your Profile image! I’ve seen hundreds of profiles where they clearly cropped a picture they took with their significant other.
- Don’t use your webcam or selfie for a profile image. Two reasons: Background, Background.
- Use your profile to highlight items you can’t fit on your resume.
- Customize your public profile URL and include this link on your resume.
- Update one section of your profile once a month.
- Recommendations/Endorsements
- If you’re going to ask for recommendations, don’t forget to provide recommendations of others in your network.
- Groups/Organizations
- Join groups affiliated with your industry. This will help you keep up to date on current trends as well as possible career opportunities.
- New Connections
- Make sure you use the connections tab to expand your network
- When reaching out to a new connection, do a little research on this individual and their company. Make sure you provide a brief personalized note introducing yourself.
- Stay Engaged
- Interact with your network and their accomplishments with more than a “like” of their posts. While you want to be careful not to clutter their messages, a quick note will go a long way.
- Company Page
- This is one of the most neglected areas from business owners. Make sure you create a company page for your business. This can be a great opportunity for you to post job openings within your company.
- Personal Views/Pictures
- LinkedIn is not the place to post the latest picture of your kids. You want to maintain an approachable profile, however, leave the non-business topics for the other social media sites.
While a quick search on the web will pull up hundreds of articles on the best way to utilize LinkedIn. Those who stay engaged and offer value to their network will be the ones to benefit the most from their LinkedIn profile. As you consider your approach, remember to keep your communication direct and genuine. Happy Connecting!