Left Out of LinkedIn?

Robert Ford

mail@robertford.us

http://www.linkedin.com/in/fordrm

Left Out of LinkedIn?

An introduction to LinkedIn

- What is it?

- What can you use it for?

- How do you get started?

My LinkedIn Network

What is LinkedIn?

• “LinkedIn is an online network of more than 25 million experienced professionals from around the world, representing 150 industries.” [Source: LinkedIn]

• “LinkedIn is a business-oriented social networking site, mainly used for professional networking.” [Source: Wikipedia]

• “Linkedin is a business-oriented social network dedicated to helping professionals maintain a list of connections.” [Source: About.com]

• “LinkedIn is a professional networking group whose purpose is to provide its members a way to search and connect with each other to find jobs, people, and business opportunities.” [Source: Lee Devlin]

What can you use it for?

[Source: LinkedIn]

Through your network you can:

• Find potential clients, service providers, subject experts, and partners who come recommended

• Be found for business opportunities

• Get introduced to other professionals through the people you know

• Discover inside connections that can help you land jobs and close deals

• Post and distribute job listings & search for great jobs

• Find high-quality passive candidates

What can you use it for?What can you use it for?

[Source: "I'm On LinkedIn: Now What?”, Jason Alba]

Through your network, you have the:

1) Ability to be known and enhance your personal brand

2) Ability to be found by recruiters or other hiring authorities

3) Ability to find others and make important connections

4) Opportunity to learn and share

5) Ability to connect with group members

6) Opportunity to show you are plugged in to current technology

What can you use it for?

LinkedIn Terminology

• Profile Your profile is your “public face” — it's what other users see when they find

you through a search.

• Connections Connections are people you invite, or people who have invited you. They in turn are

connected to other people, and those people to still more.

• Groups Allows users to establish new business relationships by joining alumni, industry, or

professional and other relevant groups.

• Invitations For two people to connect, one must invite the other and the other must accept.

• Introductions Introductions let you contact or be contacted by LinkedIn users in your network

through the people you know. In this way, your connections can introduce you to anyone in your network (or introduce them to you) by forwarding messages through a chain of trusted professionals.

LinkedIn Profile

Users with complete profiles are 40 times more likely to receive opportunities through LinkedIn.

Your current position Two past positions Your education Your profile summary A profile photo Your specialties At least three recommendations

Your profile should be a rich description of your skills, interests and career history.

LinkedIn Connections

Contacts + Invitations = Connections

You make new connections by:

• Invite Contacts - manually entering names & emails.

• Import Contacts - load webmail address books (MSN, AOL, YAHOO, GMAIL) or extract / upload address book (.csv, .txt, or .vcf files).

• Colleagues - Find past or present co-workers, based on employment history.

• Classmates - Find past or present classmates, based on education history.

How Do You Get Started?

• Complete your profile Helps you find and be found by former (and future) colleagues,

clients, and partners

• Add Connections Current and past co-workers Respected clients Business partners Trusted suppliers and vendors Open networkers (TopLinked.com, MyLinkNetwork.com)

• Use your network Find jobs Find people Find business opportunities

Open Networking: Quality vs. Quantity?

• Two distinct schools of thought: Less is more

+++ relationships with people you know, trust & respect

+++ Strong basis for referrals

- - - network can become stagnant

More is more• +++ greater reach and visibility• - - - tenuous links

Open Networking Resources

• LIONs - Linked In Open Networkers

• TopLinked.com• The LIONS’ LAIR - http://www.themetanetwork.com• MyLinkNetwork.com• http://www.opennetworkers.info/group/onlinkedin

All relationships have potential to develop if mutual value exists. Think of it as open networking mirroring real life,

where we have different levels of friends and acquaintances

LinkedIn and Your Job Search

• Complete and update your profile (think of it as your online resume) Highlight your experience in the professional summary Include all keywords and skills from your resume, for better

searching Let people know what you’re looking for through the

Contact Settings (e.g. career opportunities, consulting offers, new ventures, job inquiries, reference requests, etc.)

Use Links to point to your web site, blog, etc. Make your profile public Use status field - it acts as a tickler to your network,

keeping them informed of what you’re up to.

Update your profile regularly, so your information is up-to-date.

LinkedIn and Your Job Search

• Search for jobs on LinkedIn Check both tabs (‘LinkedIn’ & ‘The Web’)

• Research, research, research! Company Job Poster Current Employees Former Employees

• Use Browser Toolbar (IE / Firefox) Quick search from anywhere Direct access to LinkedIn See your inside connections at any hiring company

LinkedIn and Your Job Search

• Look for (and give) referrals• Builds credibility• Provides insight into experience / character

LinkedIn and Personal Branding

Personal Branding• “Just as a brand represents others perceptions of a product,

a personal brand is others' collective view of you.”• “A personal brand is the summation of the strengths that you

exhibit and the commitment to certain aspects of your job/life.”

• “Personal branding is the conscious and systematic process where people and their careers are effectively marketed as brands in virtue of their competences, distinctive personality traits, abilities and skill sets, with the goal of promoting and building a solid reputation and a well-gained prestige”

[Source: LinkedIn Answers]

Personal Branding Toolkit

• LinkedIn Profile• Web page / portfolio• Blogs• LinkedIn Groups• LinkedIn Answers• The Brand Called You• Personal Branding

“Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.” [Source: Tom Peters]

Q & A

Any Questions?

Useful Resources

• http://www.slideshare.net/avinash.raghava/effective-ways-to-use-linkedin

• http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2007/01/ten_ways_to_use.html

• http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=linkedin&search_type=&aq=f

• http://www.askdavetaylor.com/what_are_best_practices_for_a_linkedin_job_search.html

• http://imonlinkedinnowwhat.com/• http://www.linkedinpersonaltrainer.com/• http://www.job-hunt.org/executive-job-search/linkedin-for-

executives.shtml