I
just recently spoke at the Connecticut Career Counseling & Development
Association’s (CCCDA) Winter Professional Development Workshop – which was
attended by career counselors and coaches from many of Connecticut’s colleges,
universities, and Department of Labor locations – about the importance and
benefits of using LinkedIn groups. I am
grateful that this turn-out was tremendous and the participation was
uplifting.
However,
whenever I speak –whether it is at a work function or for a group of young
people – I always worry whether or not I will have the time to include all the
pertinent information needed to get my message across. There is always so much information to
squeeze into such a short amount of time and I still want to be able to answer
questions.
During
this pass, one gracious woman approached me and said that although she
understands the importance of social media and all that I had to share, she
just didn’t trust having an “online presence.”
I explained to her that if there were ever a place to “promote oneself,”
LinkedIn is the place to start. This is
important for college students and recent graduates to know since LinkedIn is
considered the place for professionals to interact with other professionals. It
is unlike Facebook or Twitter and should be handled differently – LinkedIn could potentially help one network
and find work. With that in mind, it is utilized and looked upon differently. I’m a big advocate for LinkedIn because of its
professionalism and abilities; so what other place to build your online
presence as an industry expert and increase your social reach than to join
LinkedIn groups and participate in discussions and polls?
The reason being, LinkedIn
defines groups as a “Place for professionals in the same industry or with
similar interests to share content, find answers, post or view jobs, make
business contacts, and establish themselves as an industry expert.” By becoming a member, and participating in
LinkedIn groups, you are increasing your social reach and getting the word out
to the world how, and why, you are a professional and an expert at what it is
you do. There are four ways you can
benefit and make LinkedIn work for you: Participate in discussions, exchange
ideas, get advice, and link to other members.
The whole purpose is
to network with others like you. You are
building a reputation, along with gathering information and exchanging
ideas. However, remember, you are not
there to sell yourself, but rather to build relationships. Don’t jump into a group announcing that you
are looking for a job, right away.
Instead, sit back, and first observe.
Participate where appropriate and build trust.
Participate in
Discussions – If you see that a
discussion has started about an industry related topic and you are a specialist
in that subject, by all means, write something. It is ok to add your opinion and exchange
ideas. I know, in career services, one
of the most talked about subjects is “How do we get students more involved with
their career development and get them to come to Career Services?” I have seen hundreds of comments and posts
for the same thread, at times. Some
comments and ideas (and emails I have gotten) have seemed a little far-fetched,
but I notice that people are trying to think outside the box to get students
involved and if these people who are sharing were too afraid to comment, I
would not have gotten some really good ideas that are helping me do my
job. So don’t be afraid to
contribute. If you don’t see any discussions
that are an interest to you, feel free to start your own discussion. An idea is to post an article to a group and
ask what people think about the ideas in the article. This is a good way to start discussion and
get people to notice who you are.
Advice – Let’s say you are a 2nd or 3rd
degree connection with someone you want to connect with and you can’t because
their privacy settings are set so that they don’t receive messages from 2nd
or 3rd degree connections, you can still reach out to them and ask
them questions or send them emails to connect IF you both belong to the same
group. I have done this so many times to
people all across the world. It has
broadened my network and I’ve met some really cool people. Don’t be afraid to ask for ideas and advice. It is the practice of asking for ideas and
advice that will get people talking to you.
People LOVE to give advice…if they didn’t like to communicate and give
advice, then being on LinkedIn is the wrong avenue for them. For the most part, people participate in
groups because they want to exchange ideas, get advice and network with others.
That leads me to Networking
– If you are NOT connected to other members in your group, feel free to
reach out to them and introduce yourself.
Send them a LinkedIn invitation to connect. The one piece of personal advice I would give
here is if you do decide to reach out to someone you have never met before, send
them a more personalized message.
Instead of clicking on “Connect” and using the defaulted LinkedIn message,
customize your message and make it more personal. I am sure there have been times where
EVERYONE has gotten an invite from someone they didn’t know, who isn’t even in
the same industry or state. It can be a
little creepy. Therefore instead, send a
personalized message saying something like, “Hi Judy, I noticed you and I are
in the same group and I enjoy the contributions you make in the
discussions. Would you mind if I added
you to my connections?” The person on
the receiving end will appreciate it and you are building trust.
Overall, LinkedIn can
be used to help build trust, create relationships that get you noticed and
provide you with valuable industry information that just might make you
shine. Don’t be afraid at how other
people will receive you. Everyone on
LinkedIn has the same result in mind and LinkedIn’s privacy settings are so user
friendly. Try it out and see how you
like it. It has helped me tremendously
and I am sure it can help you, also. - Debra Manente
