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Why You Should Use LinkedIn (If You Don’t Already)

Lindsey Pollak

Posted Jun. 20, 2008
Tagged: Work, LinkedIn, Networking

This week’s New York Times article about LinkedIn.com is yet another indication that membership in this professional networking site (note: basic membership is free) is now essential for any career-minded professional. The article announces that LinkedIn just raised $53 million in capital, ensuring that it will grow even larger and more robust.

Wanting to know more about LinkedIn’s features and benefits, I recently took a tour of the site with Krista Canfield, PR manager at LinkedIn. Here are the top activities she recommends for young professionals to get the maximum benefit from membership in the site:

Study people you admire. Want to be a chief marketing officer someday? Look at the profiles of current CMOs and see how they got there, what they studied, what skills they developed, where they’ve worked, what groups they belong to, and with whom they’re connected.
Tailor your profile to look similar to the people whose careers you want. Once you research those people you admire, work on tailoring your profile to be similar to theirs. LinkedIn is like having a bottomless stack of resumes to look through for great ideas on formatting, key words, and language.
Research people you are scheduled to meet. Whether for a job interview, a client meeting, or a networking get-together, use LinkedIn to learn about the background and interests of people before you meet them face-to-face. (It’s not stalking if the person has posted his or her information on a public website!)
Ask for and give advice. LinkedIn’s “Answers” feature is a great place to seek advice from a wide variety of people all around the world. You can also show the world what you have to offer by answering people’s questions about a topic where you have some expertise. Asking and answering questions is also a way to build your online visibility. The more active you are in forums like Answers, the more people will come across your profile and want to connect with you.
If you want to increase your Google-ability, set your profile as public and choose a vanity URL. Making your profile public allows you to be discovered through web searches in a way that you control. Your vanity URL (www.linkedin.com/in/yourname) allows you to easily promote your LinkedIn profile. I’ve noticed people including their LinkedIn URLs in their email signatures and even on business cards.

If you’re interested in more information and tips about making the most of LinkedIn, check out the resources listed in my blog post “Yes, people really get jobs through social networking,” the book I co-authored with Diane K. Danielson, The Savvy Gal’s Guide to Online Networking (Or, What Would Jane Austen Do?) and Jason Alba’s helpful book, I’m on LinkedIn…Now What?

Lindsey Pollak is an author and speaker specializing in career advice and women’s issues.

She is the author of the popular career advice book for college students and recent grads, Getting from College to Career: 90 Things to Do Before You Join the Real World and co-author with Diane K. Danielson of The Savvy Gal’s Guide to Online Networking (Or, What Would Jane Austen Do?).

Lindsey writes a top-rated career blog, Lindsey Pollak Blog, and contributes columns to The Huffington Post. Her writing also has appeared in Marie Claire magazine, PINK magazine, Metro New York newspaper and numerous career advice websites.

A noted expert on career issues, Lindsey’s advice has been featured in such media outlets as The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, New York Newsday, NewYorkTimes.com, Monster.com, Martha Stewart Living Radio and ABC News America This Morning.

Lindsey currently lives in New York City, and in her spare time she loves to bake and decorate cupcakes. See Lindsey Pollak's other posts and profile.

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2 Comments

Lindsey Pollak
07/29/08 06:58 PM

@Chris - so glad you are finding LinkedIn useful. Recruiters are all over LinkedIn, so it's a great place to be if you're job searching. Good luck!

- Lindsey

Chris Cadenhead
07/28/08 04:23 PM

I think LinkedIn is a great idea, and actually learned about *this* site, through an old co-worker who now works for Qvisory! I love the no-frills resume style of the site and how simple it is to connect to university alumni and past colleagues. I'm excited to see how being a part of the site will help my job search in the next couple (hopefully less) months.