What is LinkedIn

QuestionWhat if I was making the job seeking process much more complex then it should be? What about if my failure to build networks was now working against me? Is LinkedIn just the same as a work based Facebook? What can LinkedIn do for me anyway? 

In order for us to position ourselves for success, we need to understand the tools required and available and the way to use the tools, to maximise impact. LinkedIn is one of those tools. We need to start to think about how LinkedIn might help you to get to where you need to go and we need to develop and craft a profile that stands out. LinkedIn has many uses for the job seeker, but it will prove ineffective if not done properly.

What is LinkedIn?

At some stage during the last few years, you have come across LinkedIn. It’s hard to escape these days, isn’t it?  The latest stats tell us that the LinkedIn network has 610 million members, 303 million active monthly users, 40% of which visit the site daily. 90 million senior-level influencers and 63 million decision makers use LinkedIn. 57% of companies had a LinkedIn company page in 2013. 46% percent of the social media traffic to B2B company sites is from LinkedIn. That’s a pretty significant platform for the modern businessperson. But it would be fair to say that it’s a pretty polarising platform, with many people uncertain as to what it does and how it should be used to affect outcomes.

What is it used for? 

LinkedIn is mainly used to help people … 

Keep in Touch: With people changing jobs so often, LinkedIn gives users the opportunity to stay updated on where those in their professional network are working and how to contact them.

Get Help: When a user’s immediate network of contacts can’t help with a business problem, LinkedIn’s tools — Answers and Groups — lets them connect with experts through trusted introductions.

Search for Jobs: LinkedIn Jobs lets users search thousands of employment listings, with options for filling out applications directly on the site. The application and LinkedIn profile are then sent directly to the potential employer.

Hire New Employees: Hiring managers can use LinkedIn to find the candidate with the specific skill set and necessary experience.

It’s Not Your Resume

The LinkedIn profile is your digital ambassador. If you’re writing your LinkedIn profile as if it were your resume, then you’re missing the power of LinkedIn. Your LinkedIn profile allows you the opportunity to share your authentic business story in your own way. It is less structured than a resume format, so go ahead and make yours memorable to the potential connection or recruiter.

LinkedIn is a digital social platform, where you can shape and communicate your career story and build your personal and professional brand. Your LinkedIn profile is all about your career story.  What have you done, what do you want to do, what can you do and who are you connected to? It’s all about building curiosity, because curiosity, connection and credibility are powerful motivators for positive human interaction.

Remember …If you are going to have a LinkedIn profile, do it right and do it better than any of your competitors.

Use it for branding purposes

As Jeff Bezos (Founder and CEO of Amazon) said; “Your brand is what other people say about you when you are not in the room.” Make sure your profile and brand stand out, like a splash of colour in an otherwise drab corporate world.

We imagine things and people that we are familiar with or fond of, as better. It is a human cognitive bias and it influences how we respond to things. I have to like you, if I’m going to recommend and or employ you. 

So … the greater the impression that I have of you initially, the more likely that we will move forward together with positive momentum. It’s called the positivity effect … and your LinkedIn profile has the capacity to create or ruin a potential career opportunity. 

We have to get it right.

Action• Start the process of developing your LinkedIn profile. 
• Have a lookout others in your industry and see how they position themselves.
• Start to build a contact list of people that you should be networked with.

LinkedIn can be a valuable tool if done well and work against you if not done well. Many perceptions are gleaned through the way that we position ourselves and a quality LinkedIn profile can be a great differentiator and a source of competitive advantage. Don’t jump in halfway, you will be perceived as lazy and lacking in an understanding of official media and branding. It’s all in. 

Additional Information

Tips to enhance your LinkedIn profile – Enhance Your Profile 2017.pdf

What’s next?

It’s one thing to have a profile, but it’s another to have a profile that is aligned with your identity, sending out a consistent and on brand message. Your LI profile is an adjunct to other “Presence” collateral, but it is also the first time that I get to see and acknowledge certain things about you. It can potentially create even stronger positivity about you and reinforce why you are of interest to me.