LinkedIn – Guide to getting started
“Ready, fire, aim!”THIS EVENING’s OBJECTIVES
• Present a brief overview of LinkedIn
• To get you started
• Building on the basics
• Suggest one or two obvious pitfalls
• Where to go from here
OVERVIEW
• LinkedIn has 135,000,000 users – one new member every 7 seconds!
•Over 8 million members in UK
•Its primary audiences are businesses and management professionals – You & US
•This and Twitter are seen as the two greatest on-line business tools
• LinkedIn is FREE to join BUT You will probably need to upgrade
• LinkedIn collects data from you so it’s important to be aware of their Privacy Policy
Here Login Details
New Joiners
Source of information
“You complete me… (Jerry Maguire)”
To be 100 % you need:• A photo (not obligatory but well worth it!) and
include your full name• A professional headline – max 120 characters• Current Position – Explain your current role –
Name companies to enable effective searches• Past Positions – You can upload your CV• Education – Include University & Schools
• RECOMMENDATIONS - 3 at least
A LinkedIn Profile
Professional Headline
Current Role – associations and companies
Education – people do search by schools
Vital to build a Credible impression
A Great photo – what does it say about you?Keep it professional and approachable
Clicking here takes you to…
“One Degree of Separation”
Personal Website
Building The Brand
Now you have some basics in place, we can build out the brand.
• Additional Information – Make this a bit more about you - likes & dislikes
• Skills – You can add up to 50 skills• Summary – This is the gloss
The Summary
• Focus on what is relevant NOT what is just the most recent
• Accentuate your skills with real experiences• Try to build it as a story and make it
something people want to read• Not everyone does a “Summary” – I don’t
know why?
Further Optimisation•Check your entries for key words•Add contact details • Customise your Public URL
Start Connecting
• Be bold but selective• Grow your connections organically• Use as a follow-up to face to face• Import your email accounts• Personalise your invites – make them polite
Some Networking Ideas
• Join groups – Use “Groups You May Like”
Some Networking Ideas
• Review the connections and groups of people in your network.
• Do people searches• Groups are as more luck than judgement• Connect to The Colchester Executive Job Club• Establish your own group (advanced)
Group management
Set this to weekly
Go Into Groups / Settings
Some Minor Pitfalls
• Be polite & customise all your initial contacts• Always start with a brief introduction to any
connection request• Never feel you have to accept every request
from others – be selective• Be prepared to help others and find ways of
contributing• “If you wouldn’t do it in person don’t do it on
LinkedIn!” (Lindsey Pollak)
Where to go from here?
• Explore and have fun• LinkedIn is a tool – treat it as such – press
buttons and see what happens• Reading – Plenty of Online research• Resources: www.auxinconsulting.co.uk• http://www.zerogmedia.co.uk/finding-jobs-
using-linkedin/
Another Profile
Job seekers badge
Last piece of activity / sharing