Linkedin: Why You Can’t Ignore It

You’ve heard of LinkedIn and you’ve ignored it?  Or you have a Linkedin profile, but you’re not doing anything with it?

Here’s why you can’t ignore Linkedin any longer and what to do about it:

1.  It’s so easy!
Linkedin’s profiler builder walks you through creating your profile and importing your contacts.  There’s really no excuse not to…
What you should do: go the through the set up process, upload your resume, and import a contact list. Done!

2.  150 million people
There are nearly 150 million Linkedin users & that number is increasing. You can’t ignore that many colleagues and professionals friends are on Linkedin to connect with.
What you should do: Start by setting up your Linkedin profile, then connect with people.  Click on the “People You May Know” tab and peruse.  Don’t be afraid to connect with people you’ve worked with or know.  That’s what Linkedin is for: professional connections.  Ask for former bosses and colleagues to write a reference about you on Linkedin.  There’s nothing quite like a personal recommendation.

3.  Job Searching & Professional Development
Whether or not you’re actively searching for a job, Linkedin keeps you connected professionally.  There’s useful articles, blogs, forums and group discussions going on all the time that you can get connected to.  Use Linkedin as a kind of professional development forum.
What you should do:
On the top navigation bar, click on Groups and select “Groups you May Like.”  Join groups and check out their Linkedin conversation.  You might find some very helpful people, articles, and discussions.  Schedule time daily or weekly to get involved on Linkedin.  Check out our blog on how you can use Pinterest for professional development as well.

What you shouldn’t do on Linkedin:
-Use a bad picture.  Don’t use a picture that doesn’t let me connect with you personally, or turns people off to working with you.

-Set it and forget it.  Like we said before: set aside some time to utilize the different features of Linkedin.  The more you use Linkedin, the more familiar you’ll be with it and the more you’ll get out of it.

-Don’t forget about your company page. Once you’ve established your own personal profile you can set up a page for your business and link up your professional connections to your business.  (Read: get new leads)

Do you think Linkedin is an underused professional social network?