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Social Media: LinkedIn – the basics
Different social media have different uses, strengths and advantages. LinkedIn is a networking
site aimed at professionals. It provides a platform for users to interact with other registered
users to establish and document networks of people they know and trust professionally.
LinkedIn allows you to create a personal profile, become a member of/host groups,
recommend other users, keep in touch with former colleagues, recruit employees and search
for jobs using the LinkedIn networks. Knowing how to use LinkedIn's features and optimise
your profile will help you get the most from this valuable social media platform.
How to sign up to LinkedIn
You can sign up for a free basic account at www.linkedin.com Enter the details requested in
the space provided.
A verification email will be sent to the email address supplied, you must follow the instructions
on the email to complete the registration.
Profile information
LinkedIn's profile wizard will take you through the steps of entering your region, industry,
company and current job title. You will also be asked whether you are employed, a business
owner, looking for work, working independently or a student.
This information then completes your basic profile.
Profile design
Like most social media platforms, you can customise how your profile looks. You should upload
a clear picture that represents your professional image. It can be a traditional head and
shoulders photograph, an image of you at work or the company logo if permitted to do so.
Building your profile
The more information on your LinkedIn profile, the more visible you will be to others using
LinkedIn. Include specific skills, company website address, Twitter and blog information,
employment history and educational details.
Connections
People in your network are called connections and these are made up of 1st-degree, 2nddegree, and 3rd-degree connections and fellow members of your LinkedIn Groups.
LinkedIn will prompt you to search for connections using your email. This will require your
permission for LinkedIn to access to your email contact list or address book. This tool allows
you to see who among your email connections already has a LinkedIn account and invite them
to become part of your professional network.
Alternatively, you can skip this step and search and add connections individually.
1st-degree - People you are directly connected to because you have accepted their invitation
to connect, or they have accepted your invitation. A 1st-degree icon will appear next to their
name in search results and on their profile.
2nd-degree - People who are connected to your 1st-degree connections. A 2nd-degree icon
will appear next to their name in search results and on their profile. You can request a
connection invitation by clicking Connect or contact them through an InMail (upgraded
account) or an introduction.
3rd-degree - People who are connected to your 2nd-degree connections. A 3rd-degree icon
will appear next to their name in search results and on their profile.
If the users’ full first and last names are displayed, indicates that you can send a
connection invitation by clicking Connect.
If only the first letter of the users’ last name is displayed, the Connect function is not
available however, you can still contact them through an InMail (upgraded account) or
an introduction.
Introduction
Introductions allow you to contact members in your extended network through existing
connections. You can use the introduction function to contact someone who is two or three
degrees away from you through one of your connections.
To do this, find the person you want to connect with and select the dropdown on the send
InMail icon. Here you select get introduced and click on the relevant person who you wish to
make the introduction. Your connection will, in turn, decide whether to forward your message
on to the desired recipient (if in your 2nd degree network) or on to a shared connection (if in
your 3rd degree network).
Once the member accepts your introduction you can exchange information and do business.
You will not become 1st degree connections unless one of you invites the other to connect and
the request is accepted.
All LinkedIn members have a certain number of introductions they can request. Which account
you hold depends on how many introductions are available to you.
Recommendations
A recommendation is a comment written by a LinkedIn member to endorse another.
Recommendations are a valuable addition to your profile as people interested in hiring or
doing business with someone often considers these when making decisions.
You can ask connections for recommendations and then post them to your profile once you
have approved them. The recommendations function is located under the Profile tab. Here you
can manage recommendations you have given, received and ask for a recommendation.
Seek recommendations from clients, previous supervisors and others who can give testimony
about the skills you want to highlight.
LinkedIn Groups
LinkedIn Groups provide a place for professionals in the same industry or with similar interests
to share content, find answers, post and view jobs and make business contacts.
Groups can be found in the Groups Directory. Here you can also view suggestions of groups
you may like, create a new group and a list of the groups you are currently a member of. Full
information on groups can be found here
http://help.linkedin.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1164
Going mobile
Apps for LinkedIn are available for smart phones.
Managing your account
It is important to maintain and update your profile on a regular basis, including adding new
connections.
All information should be current and you should add occasional updates in the space
provided. Your LinkedIn connections will be notified when you update your profile or add a
new connection.
Part-funded by
This project has been delivered with support from the CITB Growth Fund, which aims to ensure
that the construction industry has the right people, with the right skills, in the right place, at
the right time and is equipped to meet the future skills demands of the industry.