LinkedIn is the equivalent of an online resume that is always accessible. Unlike a resume, however, it can also help you meet new professional contacts, impress potential clients and reconnect with former co-workers. Learning to use LinkedIn intelligently can help propel your business career to the next level. Here are four strategies to help you make the most of LinkedIn.
Ask for Recommendations Often
Since most people have only a couple recommendations, if someone opens up your profile and sees twenty recommendations, they are automatically going to assume that there is something special about you or your skill set. Getting recommendations isn’t difficult. Anyone who’s on LinkedIn can write a recommendation for you. Whether it is co-workers or employers, business partners or past clients, make it a point to ask for recommendations from everyone. It’s the equivalent of having twenty letters of recommendations attached to a resume.
Go through Your Past Contacts and Add Them
A lot of people don’t make full use of LinkedIn because they haven’t added their past contacts. People from past jobs, past employers, past partners (even from many years ago) may have valuable contacts that you can meet in the present. Go through your old telephone books, phones and email addresses and look for people you might have forgotten to add.
Update Your Profile Regularly
Not everyone uses LinkedIn every day. Some people use LinkedIn only when they’re looking for a job. Others use it only when they are looking to hire, or looking to find new clients. During off periods, a lot of people let their LinkedIn profile stagnate. They forget to ask for recommendations, forget to add new contacts and forget to add new workplaces. Anyone you meet could look you up on LinkedIn at any time. If they see an old profile, they will likely think that you are less connected, less skilled or less experienced than you actually are.
Keep your LinkedIn profile up to date. Even if you aren’t using it at this particular moment, make it a point to update it at least monthly. Remember that it is a publicly visible resume.
Search for New Contacts
LinkedIn allows you to search for contacts that are two degrees of separation away. In other words, if your friend Tom knows Rich, who knows Harry, and you want to get to know Harry, that can come up in a search. You may be more connected than you realize. Potential mentors, employers, clients and investors could just be one or two degrees of separation away. Get in the habit of searching for people who could help you in your career. Ask people you know, who know people you want to know, for referrals and recommendations.
These are a few LinkedIn strategies you can use to really take your networking and business contacts to the next level. Spruce up your LinkedIn page with recommendations, add past contacts, update your profile regularly and use the search feature to find people who could help you advance your career.
