The Big Three Finale!
It’s finally here, the last installment of The Big Three; A Series on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn and that means that we are going to wrap up our discussion with a lesson on the social media outlet, LinkedIn.
Being most popular with businesses for its more formal and “networking” style, LinkedIn is just that- a networking site. With the ability to post a resume- style profile, make professional connections, join professional and company groups, and more; LinkedIn is a great tool for connecting with prospects and clients without being too aggressive.
Like other social media outlets, LinkedIn lets you update your status, view the profiles of others, send messages, and complete a profile. What makes LinkedIn different is the fact that the profile is more focused on work educational information and it survey’s you on your goals in using the outlet with the options of: Career opportunities, Consulting offers, Job inquiries, Expertise requests, and other more professionally-focused options.
Other LinkedIn tools that can help increase its effectiveness are company profiles and Groups. A LinkedIn Company profile gathers the employees of a given company and groups them on a page that provides general stats and information on the company. This allows and encourages connection between employees.
LinkedIn Groups are similar to Facebook groups, but are made by organizations. Groups allow for news updates, article posting and commenting, and inter-group communications. LinkedIn also has a Recommendations feature that allows your connections to post reference-style comments on your page to add value to your profile and give some professional merit.
The most important thing to know when using LinkedIn is to be professional. LinkedIn is not the place for posting photos of a night out or posting a personal blog about your favorite food. Think about resumes and references when creating a LinkedIn account because the HR director of your dream company might just happen upon your profile.
