Throughout my time in college and now in the beginning stages of my career, friends, professors and colleagues have all stressed the importance of networking. While nothing will ever replace face-to-face networking events, there are continually new ways to network from the comforts of your own home. Specially, people now look to LinkedIn to make connections with other professionals.
While LinkedIn provides an easy solution for networking, it can also be an overwhelming tool due to a dizzying array of functionalities and opportunities. Users can upload their resumes, endorse skills, join groups, and soon everyone will have the ability to create long-form posts—see my past blog on LinkedIn long-form—just to name a few of the site’s capabilities.
With so many opportunities available, simply “being” on LinkedIn isn’t enough anymore, as Liz DeForest pointed out on the Bliss Integrated Communication blog. Networking is a complicated and time-consuming task, but is one that is worthwhile—and one that I definitely need to take some more time to master.
DeForest suggests engaging as much as possible in order to become a better networker and in return enhance your professional brand. So how exactly does one “engage” on LinkedIn?
- Share your thoughts and ideas. Post in groups, share articles you find inspiring, or write long-form posts on experiences in your industry. By actively posting, sharing, and writing, your profile exposure will increase. Be sure to utilize the space on your profile to highlight items that didn’t make your resume.
- Use your connections and use your connections’ connections. Utilizing these relationships can help in client pursuits, personal career growth, and/or recruiting. Strategically connect. Connecting with friends and colleagues is the easy part; the hard part is to remember to connect those who you had positive interactions with in your personal and professional life.
- Make yourself available and visible on LinkedIn so the right people get in contact with you. Maybe a reporter is looking for a resource for an article or maybe a recruiter is looking for the ideal candidate. Regardless of the query, make yourself available for all opportunities that may come your way.
One of my New Year’s resolutions is to better utilize this powerful tool. LinkedIn has proven to be a great resource for many professionals, enhancing their personal brand and extending their network. Professionals share great insight and offer advice from their experiences and expertise, and as the site gains more popularity and expands its capabilities, it will be increasingly important to be active on LinkedIn.