As a confirmed networking junkie, I am always looking for my next fix. My
new fix is LinkedIn. An on-line social network, Linkedin is often
described as FaceBook for professionals.
With an emphasis on career history, educational background and association
membership, Linkedin has millions of members, with thousands more joining
each day.
Start with your contacts.
Once you register (basic membership is free) you can invite people to LinkIn
(connect to you through the online tool). You can search the LinkedIn data
base for people you know or upload your email address book. You will only
be able to view contact information for people with whom you are directly
connected.
The interface is easy to use and will pull contacts directly from your
address book in Outlook, Gmail, Yahoo or MSN accounts. And if you are
Outlook users, the downloadable toolbar makes it easy to continuously update
your contacts.
Your Contacts Have Contacts!
This is where the real power of LinkedIn comes in. While you may have only
100 people in your contact circle, each of those people know other people.
For example, after a year of building my contact list, I have more than 750
contacts (each of whom know on average 100 people) so my second tier circle
contains more than 80,000 people.
These same connections exist in the off-line world. Your friends know
people you want to meet, and sooner or later they may get around to
introducing you. With LinkedIn you can accelerate the process by requesting
invitations. You can search by skills, type of company, jobs held,
geographic regions, and common interests.
If you find someone who fits your search criteria, LinkedIn will tell you
how you are connected, who you know in common, and you can request an
invitation. When my assistant moved to St. Louis, we searched my data base
and discovered I had connections to marketing directors in some of the
largest companies in the city. We were able to make introductions and
accelerate her job search.
Beyond Your Address Book
LinkedIn is often overlooked in the world of social media, but as the tool
has grown it is much more than just another place to “add your friends.” For
job hunters and sales people with specific targets, it’s actually one of the
world’s best networking tools.
Whether you are looking for a job, an employee, an introduction to a key
executive or simply someone with the answer to burning questions, LinkedIn
can help you find people who will meet your need.
LinkedIn will never replace the face-to-face interaction, but it can give
your traditional networking an extra buzz.
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