In this age of intense global competition, individuals in every profession need to know how to market themselves in order to make themselves more visible to prospective employers. In the past, self-promotion meant attending networking events and emailing contacts every once in a while.
Today, successful marketing requires a thorough understanding of the world of social networking. Depending on your industry, you may already be connected with co-workers on sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
In the world of professional networking, however, it a LinkedIn profile that can give you an edge over others and help you secure that big break that you have been looking for all along. This professional networking site has emerged as a leading choice for individuals the world over when it comes finding employment or other professional opportunities.
Today, successful marketing requires a thorough understanding of the world of social networking. Depending on your industry, you may already be connected with co-workers on sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
In the world of professional networking, however, it a LinkedIn profile that can give you an edge over others and help you secure that big break that you have been looking for all along. This professional networking site has emerged as a leading choice for individuals the world over when it comes finding employment or other professional opportunities.
Although LinkedIn can bring about some amazing opportunities for professionals, simply creating an account is not good enough. You need to know how to organize your profile to draw in others and how to reach out in order to make contacts of your own. You won't benefit much from using LinkedIn if you fail to utilize the site correctly.
The following tips will help you maximize networking opportunities on LinkedIn:
Make Recommendations
Don't expect to draw in recommendations from co-workers if you aren't willing to recommend them on your own. One of the best ways to foster a good relationship with other people on LinkedIn, is to write a thoughtful recommendation without asking for one in return. If you do this, you'll find that the person you recommend more than willing to help you out in the time of need. And, the chances are, they'll be happy to provide you with a recommendation in return.
Keep Your Profile Error Free
You wouldn't want to send in a resume with glaring spelling errors, so why is it okay to do so on your LinkedIn profile? When somebody looks up your name on a search engine, chances are pretty good that your profile on LinkedIn will be the first thing to pop up. There's nothing that will ruin your credibility and damage a first impression faster than allowing profile visitors to learn that you still haven't figured out how to use the spell check on your computer.
Spelling and grammar are not the only areas where LinkedIn users make big mistakes. A lot of users provide inaccurate work histories. Whether intentional or not, a misleading profile can give potential employers the wrong impression and may even lead to your termination - should they discover a false claim post your employment with the organisation.
Foster Connections
Some people make the mistake of equating LinkedIn with Facebook. The two social network are not alike. While having a smaller network of Facebook friends can be beneficial, there are virtually no benefits to retaining a small contact list on LinkedIn. Users know going in that they do not need to be friends in order to foster connections. You never know which user might provide you with your next big break, so don't be afraid to reach out to other people.
LinkedIn can create all kinds of new opportunities if used correctly. Give your career a boost by reaching out to others and uploading a professional resume on the world's top business networking site.