Give Facebook a break. If you want your networking fix -- and maybe a boost to your career -- you might want to devote your energies to learning the ins and outs of LinkedIn.LinkedIn, a popular spot for professional networking, sometimes seems like nothing more than a way to post a glorified online resume. But that's just the surface. Once you have created a LinkedIn profile and started to make connections with others in your field, you can find plenty of other ways to use LinkedIn to help you do anything from snag an interview to organize an industry conference.
In fact, a number of books and web resources are available to help business professionals make the most of LinkedIn. Among the books, there's "How to REALLY Use LinkedIn," "The LinkedIn Personal Trainer" and "I'm on LinkedIn: Now What?" There's even "LinkedIn for Dummies," a book with index entries for everything from "awards and honors" to "web-based e-mail programs." At the Linked Intelligence website (linkedintelligence.com), you will find a page for "100+ Smart Ways to Use LinkedIn."
But maybe you don't want to sort through 100 ideas -- or read an entire book -- about LinkedIn. With that in mind, here are seven tips, many of them culled from LinkedIn fanatics, about how you can make the most of LinkedIn.
Be Connected
Guy Kawaskaki, author of "Reality Check: The Irreverent Guide to Outsmarting, Outmanaging, and Outmarketing Your Competition," advises LinkedIn members to "improve your connectability." This means posting not just your current job, but all of your affiliations -- your previous employers, professional association memberships, educational institutions and more. The idea isn't necessarily to hype all of your accomplishments, but to make it more likely other people will seek you out, via those affiliations, when they're looking to make connections on LinkedIn. And the more connections you have, the more you'll be able to do with LinkedIn.
Ask for Introductions
Whether you're looking for new clients, hoping for an informational interview or
putting together a panel discussion for a conference, you often need to get the attention on people who might not know you -- or have much incentive to pay attention to you. E-mail makes introductions easier these days, but it also makes them a lot easier to ignore. But if you have enough connections on LinkedIn, then you may already have a connection to someone who knows that person you want to meet. By viewing that luminary's profile on LinkedIn, you can see how close you're connected -- and how you can reach him or her. That means you can ask your contact to facilitate the introduction, making it a lot more likely you will
attract that person's attention.
Avoid Canned Invites
The "Dummies" book recommends against using the "canned invitations" provided by LinkedIn. "Nothing says, 'You're not really worth an extra few seconds of my time,'
quite like the all-too-familiar 'I'd like to add you to my professional network' message," according to the book. Instead, be brief and personal. "Enjoyed meeting you at the conference -- let's connect" will do.
Do Your Homework
LinkedIn can be a powerful research tool, allowing you to learn about the backgrounds of people you're meeting -- for an interview, say -- or to research companies. Want to learn about companies who hire people with your skills? Then enter specific keywords into LinkedIn, Kawasaki suggests, as a way to find out about companies where you might want to work.
Hype Yourself (Subtly)
Your LinkedIn profile can serve, in a sense, as a quasi-resume, highlighting your accomplishments. But would you include your resume in a standard e-mail? Nope. But you might want to include a link to your LinkedIn profile, making it possible to sell yourself to a potential partner, client or even employee. Divya Gugnani, chief executive and founder of the startup Behind the Burner, says she includes a profile link in e-mails as a way to add credibility.
"I like being able to subtly sell my expertise, as well as investigate other people's potential by reviewing their profiles," she wrote in a guest post at the LinkedIn blog (blog.linkedin.com), a spot with useful ideas for making the most of LinkedIn. "This has been great resource for recruiting new talent, including writers, videographers, graphic designers and interns."
Organize an Event
Planning an event, such as conference or panel discussion, can be a great way to highlight your organizational skills and also meet leaders in your field. But it also can be a logistical challenge (and costly, too). By updating your LinkedIn status with what you're looking for -- speakers, say, or even a space for the event -- you can get help in planning your event. That's what one active LinkedIn user did, and it paid off, as he found panelists for an event, sponsors for food and free space.
Help Others
Your network is there for you, but it's also a way to help others. When someone comes to you asking about job leads or other resources, look to your network for sources to help.
Allan Hoffman may be reached
at netscan@allanhoffman.com.