A few weeks ago, I was preparing to teach a class session about LinkedIn to my social media class and decided it would be great to share tips from the LinkedIn community as well. I created and shared a post asking for tips for using LinkedIn as someone just starting out. I also tagged a few people in the post and shared the post directly via direct message to a few people. The response was amazing! I received so many great tips and pieces of advice, that I decided to share them in a blog post. Below are all of those tips, and following the tips, I have included a quick summary of the best tips I have learned in the last 18 months.
Ish Verduzco, Global Social Media Lead, LinkedIn Talent Solutions
1) Be consistent over time
2) Add value to your audience (learnings, insight, or something that will delight/humor them)
3) Experiment with different content formats. Text (long and short form) vs video vs phot vs infographic vs blog
Though they're simple, I think most people often forget them and get overly excited to share things on social that may not hit #2.
Brian Wallace, Founder, NowSourcing
1 - Don't count on school to save your behind when it comes to LinkedIn and networking in general! Most schools don't understand how to navigate LinkedIn effectively.
2 - Network with your class and early internships - life is long and you'll probably work with each other at some point!
3 - Keep abreast of the latest LinkedIn movements and technology - such as being a campus editor, using tech such as Find Near Me, etc.
Prashant Bagga, Product Manager at Microsoft & LinkedIn Campus Editor
#1 Be your true self.
#2 and share your goals, tell people what are you going for. If people don't know what you need help with, guess what, they cannot help you.
Niki Ramirez, Principal Consultant, HR Answers
Reach out to anyone that you feel will inspire you to continue to grow!! Don't be afraid of "who they are" 🙂
In response to my comment saying people should send a personalized message to connect with anyone: always a relevant personalized message, Niki said:
Even if it is just that you admire their work, the company they have built, the school they went to... etc 😁.
Jordan Paris, Podcast Host, Entrepreneur, WordPress Developer
Treat everyone like they can get you a cover story on Forbes Magazine, dig the well before you're thirsty, be as transparent as glass.
Vicki O’ Neill, Marketing & Sales Advisor, KenKay Marketing
Create a network of people who work at organizations you are inspired by or want to work at (and know why) or people/entrepreneurs who are creating a life based on their terms. Connect with organizations you volunteer at or support. Most importantly know your goals and don't be afraid to share them.
Maggie Rimnac, Marketing Communications Specialist, Assurance
Be active! Having a profile is only a piece of the puzzle. Make small goals for yourself to spend XX amount of time per week posting & engaging with others.
Stacey Pollock, Director of Customer Solutions & Strategy Marketing, Candela Medical
1) Agree with Be Active - even if it's to like or share - it keeps eyes on you.
2) Posting a controversial article is not going to help you, be smart and think about the posts you make - you never know who will see it.
3) Don't connect with me just because you found me through a friend, build a relationship and LinkedIn will follow - it's like dating, don't be a creeper.
Adam Sinkus, Process Improvement Specialist, TheHomeMag
Support those around you without the expectation of something in return.
Don’t lead off our new connection with a sales pitch.
Be targeted about your network growth strategy.
Build a brand for yourself and use it everywhere.
Dani Hubner, Social Media Associate Manager, Pampered Chef
I’d say when you start connecting, a personal invite goes a long way. Don’t be a stranger - or - don’t be a random request; stand out!
Monique Kelley Gigliotti, Senior Vice President, Weber Shandwick
Tip #1: Follow folks who you may feel nervous at first to connect with. Know what they are about and what value YOU may be able to give them. Engage with their posts and then connect with them after you have established an online relationship with them.
Tip #2: Follow the companies that are of interest to you: clients at the agency where you intern perhaps and their competitors. It's a great way to learn the key priorities of the company and how they communicate
Tip #3: Engage with people from your alma mater and don't be afraid to ask them for coffee or a quick phone call. We old folks like to give back to the next generation - leverage that and pay it forward!
Gaurav Patel, Business Development – Financial Services, Sonora & Associates, LLC
Must start with a great profile. Focus on building quality content around their area of career growth. Building connections may be purely organic. Students have great hunger and curiosity. Hacks are something which comes naturally to them... so getting up with a basic foundation is a great starter.
Eli Swedlow, Business Development Manager, Wimmer Solutions
#1 Have a photo of yourself. It's not a deal breaker if a candidate does not have a photo, but it is definitely something that people pay attention too.
#2 Use your summary to sell yourself - and especially if you are a student or just starting out, use it to give something for people to latch onto and have a connection with you (i.e, what are your hobbies/interests/passions).
#3 Networking and participation are a 2-way road. If they aren't engaged with people on the platform, why should they expect that others will engage with them?
Amanda Goodall, Resume Writer & Career Strategist, The Job Chick
⭐️ You know more than you think!! ⭐️
Kevin Kempf, Senior Advisory Consultant, Action Plan Advisors
Consistently engage in the comment section.
Nico de Bruyn, Chief Growth Hacker, Systems Imagination, Inc., and Co-Founder & CMO, PakPak
Don’t be scared to be your true self!!
Kyle Shipp, Digital Marketing Manager, Moon Valley Nurseries
Reach out to leaders and managers in your field they have been doing this a lot longer than you and can help you understand what worked and what didn't or why it failed. Never stop learning.
Wow. There were a lot of great tips for doing well on LinkedIn! However, do not take action on any of the above items until you make sure you have a strong profile! Here are some
practical things you can to do to improve (or set up) your profile.
Have a complete profile. This includes:
· Profile and cover pictures!
· Headline
· Summary
· List volunteer experience, special project, internships
· Contact Info: include a blog, website, Twitter, etc.
Also, be sure to ask for recommendations from supervisors, coaches, teachers, professors, etc. LinkedIn also allows you to have a unique URL with your name, so be sure to claim that.
Finally, I will leave you with a few tips on what not to do on LinkedIn:
· Spelling, usage, and grammatical errors
· Use the default connection request
· Criticism of any person, organization, entity or group (on your profile or in your activity)
· Inappropriate, racy or risqué photos, images or videos
· Political or religious rants
You are now ready to kill it on LinkedIn! Still, need a little help? Reach out to me and I'd be happy to help you set up or improve your LinkedIn presence.