Before you start using LinkedIn extensively it would be best to have read the following two books:
- Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi, ISBN: 0385512058
- The SPEED of Trust by Stephen M.R. Covey, ISBN: 074329730X
You should read these books because LinkedIn is just a tool for networking. Meaning LinkedIn will not help you to learn the best way to network. However, once you understand the basics of how to network, using LinkedIn will be a very powerful tool.
Q: What is LinkedIn?
A: LinkedIn is an over 5 year old free online social professional networking web site consisting of more then 23 million professionals (JUne 2008) with 1.2 million new users per month resulting in 350% YOY (year over year) growth. It is the largest profesional network and 4th for all social networking sites (1=MySpace, 2=Facebook, 3=Classmates).
Q: Why would I want to use LinkedIn?
A: You use LinkedIn to establish an online presence to enable you to network with other professionals. The following are the main features of LinkedIn:
· Find and connect electronically with colleagues, classmates, clients, and business partners.
· Find job openings via your network.
· Establish inside connections on a company or industry of interest to you via your network
· Ask your network a question.
· If you are a hiring manager you can post job listings.
· Request introductions through people you personally know in your network.
Q: Is there value in using LinkedIn if I’m already using Microsoft Outlook, ACT or some other software for contact management?
A: Yes. Contact management software is useful in managing your network. However LinkedIn provides you the capability to reach beyond your known network (also known as 1st degree connections). With LinkedIn you can reach not only friends of friends (2nd degree) but also friends of your friends of friends (3rd degree). For example if you have 70 1st degree connections you may have over 4700 2nd degree and over 477,600 3rd degree connections! In this example that means you can reach nearly half a million people making it more likely for you to find a connection of interest for your search.
Q: How much does LinkedIn cost?
A: You can use LinkedIn for free. You can upgrade your free account for a higher class of service that permits more concurrent introductions as well as the ability to contact users directly through InMail. However the free service should be sufficient for the majority of users of LinkedIn.
Q: Do I need to download and install any software?
A: Since LinkedIn is a service provided by a web server there is no need to neither download nor install any software. However there are extensions such as the LinkedIn Microsoft Outlook toolbar as well as the ETP web browser toolbar which may make LinkedIn a little easier to use however is not required to use LinkedIn.
Q: Do I need a specific type of computer to use LinkedIn?
A: No all that is required to use LinkedIn is a computer with internet access and a web browser such as Internet Explorer or Firefox. Thus it does not matter if your computer is running Microsoft Windows, MacOS or Linux.
Q: Are there any books regarding LinkedIn?
A: Yes. The following is a list of known books about LinkedIn:
Q: Is there any documentation for LinkedIn?
A: Yes there is a more extensive list of FAQs on the LinkedIn site at http://www.linkedin.com/static?key=customer_service
Q: Are there any other web sources of information about LinkedIn (e.g., Yahoo groups, Blogs, RSS feeds or Podcasts relating to LinkedIn)?
A: Yes below is a list of sources of information about LinkedIn on the internet:
Q: How do I setup an account?
A: Perform the following steps to establish a free account on LinkedIn:
Q: What is "My Profile"?
A: A profile is associated with each user on LinkedIn. Your profile is your professional identity on LinkedIn. It is what people in your LinkedIn network will learn and know about you. So of course you will want to put your best foot forward. You should consider your profile as an online resume that you are making public to the LinkedIn network.
Q: What should I put in "My Profile"?
A: First off, of course, honesty is the best policy! As you grow your network you will hopefully be establishing network connections with current and past colleagues. At some point you are going to ask your network for introductions, assistance or recommendations. Besides providing accurate information, you will want to consider privacy issues. You should certainly avoid any personal information such as residential address, home phone number, tax or financial data. In the next question more details and advice are given regarding what type of information to include and how to add it to your LinkedIn profile.
Q: How do I setup “My Profile”?
A: If you are not logged into your account please do that first. Then perform the following steps to create a profile that should help people from your past find you on LinkedIn.
Q: What does 1st, 2nd and 3rd degree mean?
A: The degree terminology is often confusing to new users of LinkedIn. Also note that sometimes the word level is used interchangeably with degree.
Q: Why do I have an InBox? Is LinkedIn an email service?
A: LinkedIn is not an email service in that you do not get an E-mail address that people can send email to you. You will need to have a valid existing E-mail address in order to establish a LinkedIn account. However there is some E-mail functionality that exists as part of the LinkedIn service. When you send an “Invitation” the system sends an email to that person. Also if they accept the invitation you will get a copy at your E-mail address. If they reply to the invitation you’ll get that message both in your LinkedIn Inbox as well as your E-mail address.
Q: Can I use multiple E-mail addresses on my account?
A: Yes and you should add all your valid E-mail addresses to your account. Only your primary address will be visible to your 1st degree connections. However adding additional E-mail addresses may help other people to become LinkedIn with you if they search LinkedIn with your other E-mail addresses. To enter additional addresses perform the following steps:
1. Click "Account & Settings" at the top of any LinkedIn page.
2. On the right under Personal Information click on the "Email addresses" link.
3. Enter the email address in the yellow text box left of the button labeled "Add email address"
4. Click the button labeled "Add email address"
You will get a confirmation E-mail message to that address that you will need to confirm to ensure it is not invalid or incorrect.
Q: What information should I not put on LinkedIn?
A: You need to consider your personal privacy issues regarding any information you make available on LinkedIn. You should certainly avoid any personal information such as residential address, home phone number, tax or financial data. However, your own personal circumstances may dictate what information you should and should not place on your LinkedIn account and profile. Serious consideration of this matter is important!
Q: What if I forget my password?
A: When you first login, you will be prompted for your primary Email address and password. If you have forgotten your password, click the “Forgot password?” link. You will then need to enter your email address in the text box and click the “Submit Address” button. LinkedIn will then send you an Email message explaining how to reset your password.
Q: Is it safe to use LinkedIn from a public computer?
A: Using LinkedIn from a public computer such as a Library should be safe. However it would be best to assure that you completely log out of the LinkedIn site, close your browser and finally restart the computer if possible and appropriate. That way nobody else should be able to access your LinkedIn account.
Q: Should I always log out of LinkedIn?
A: Typically best practices for computer security warn against leaving any accounts logged in when you are not present at the computer. However you can be the judge of what level of risk you are willing to accept. You might want to consider using the same personal computer usage policy that you use with regard to your online banking, eBay and other such web sites.
Q: Should I share my account?
A: Absolutely NOT! This is your personal professional identity. Besides, each account is designed for an individual. Using LinkedIn is a way of promoting the CEO of Me, Inc. brand. In circumstances where a family member may be sharing the same Email address, then each person needs to obtain his or her own Email address to be associated with their own LinkedIn account.
Q: How do I determine who to add to my LinkedIn network?
A: Remember that LinkedIn is just a tool for professional networking. It makes no sense to develop a network of cold contacts on LinkedIn. You need to build a warm trusted network. So you’ll want to do several things to consider who you should add to your network as 1st degree contacts. The following is an illustrative list of people you might know who you can trust to be supportive in your endeavors:
Q: Who should I add to my network first?
A: Like any new endeavor you’ll want to be cautious and careful when you start up. You are starting to build your professional online presence as well as promoting the CEO of Me, Inc. Thus it makes most sense to connect to people who are your most trusted individuals and who have some experience with LinkedIn. Those people would be most understanding if you make errors regarding how you use LinkedIn with them, more likely to give you constructive feedback and also the most willing to offer their time to assist you in getting started.
Q: How many people should be in my network?
A: It would be ideal if you could grow your 1st degree connections on LinkedIn to 200 individuals. However keep in mind that you are building a network of warm connections. One way to know if a person is a good candidate for a 1st degree connection is to ask yourself if they would accept your phone call and know who you are. In addition you should have a mutual understanding that networking is a two way street.
Q: Should I limit it to people in my industry?
A: No, diversity in networking (as in life) is a good thing! There is no way to know how a friend of a friend’s friend is going to be able to help you in the future. However, remember that your first degree connections should be strong positive relationships.
Q: Should I invite my current boss and co-workers to my network?
A: The best answer to this question is “it depends” on your personal circumstances. If you do connect with current co-workers it would be best to test the waters with those that are closest to you and gauge their response. However, it would probably be even safer to discuss your interest in extending an invitation to them before you do such. The safest thing yet might be to say “Hey, a friend told me about a web site for professional networking called “LinkedIn” -- Have you heard of that and what do you think about it?” I think this last option helps to foster a “trusted” relationship rather then throwing an Email over the fence to see what happens!
Q: Should I invite family and friends to my network?
A: Certainly. However this is assuming that making the relationship public will not damage your professional image. Good judgment and common sense should prevail in your decision of who your 1st degree connections should be.
Q: How do I determine if somebody I know already uses LinkedIn?
A: Click “People” near the top left part of the page and then enter their name in the name search text box and click the search button. You’ll get a page of possible candidates that may be the person you are looking for. You will probably want to take their geographic location and past positions into account to determine if this is the person you are seeking to connect with. You can click each of those links to view the public profile of that person.
Q: How do I invite an existing user to my LinkedIn network?
A: If you’ve performed a search as in the previous question and you are viewing the person’s public profile you will see an icon on the right hand side for adding that person to your network. Click that and then you will see an invitation page. You’ll need to select how you know that person. If you were colleagues or classmates you’ll have to indicate at what location or school. However a drop down menu is supplied to select from. If this person is a friend or “other” then you will need to supply their valid E-mail address. You should personalize the text in the text box (note that you are limited to 256 characters so be brief) but try to jog their memory about a positive shared past event. Then click the “Send Invitation” button.
Q: How do I invite somebody that isn't a user on LinkedIn to my network?
A: Click the orange “Expand Your Network” button in the upper right hand corner. Then enter their first name, last name and Email address. Click on the “Edit/preview invitation text” button and personalize the invitation as mentioned in the previous question. Finally click the “Send Invitation(s)” button.
Q: What should I say when I invite somebody to my LinkedIn network?
A: You are limited to 256 characters so be brief but try to jog their memory about a positive shared past event.
Q: What should I do when somebody accepts my invitation?
A: The first thing is to visit their profile page then click their connections tab if it is available. Review their list of connections to see if there is anybody that you know from the past that you may want to establish a 1st degree connection. You sometimes find people that you have forgotten about that would know you and will connect with you to expand each other’s networks. Some people accepting the invitation will do so quietly and that is fine. They may be too busy to get into a chat. However think of the best way and time to reconnect with them. Of course if you do get an email from them then it is a good idea to exchange a few brief emails since that may help each of you to expand your network through discussion of the “good old days”. Finally don’t be surprised if you strike gold and the other person suggests you meet face to face to catch up and reconnect!
Q: Why is connecting via LinkedIn more successful then just using E-mail?
A: Many professionals these days are very busy. Not everybody would make time to reply to an email from a past friend or colleague from many years ago. After all they are busy with current friends, family and colleagues. What do you have to offer them now? This is also known as WIIFM (What’s In It For Me). By receiving your LinkedIn invite the person knows that you want to network with them and not just reconnect for chit chat that they don’t feel they can make time for.
Q: Why do some people not accept my invitation?
A: Who knows? There probably are millions of reasons. Most common may be that they just aren’t into networking, switched emails since registering, feel uncomfortable reconnecting due to some past event, or worse, they just don’t care about you! If they are an active LinkedIn user I may resend the invitation after a month of no response. However for people that are not on LinkedIn I don’t bother to resend. In either case of course it’s not a good idea to nag somebody into being in your network!
Q: What is a “group” on LinkedIn and how do I join one?
A: There are many professional and alumni groups on LinkedIn. It is just another way of establishing a network connection and provides some additional context to your online identity on LinkedIn. When you join a group you can find members of the group via a search as well as you can be found by other members performing a search within the group. However, be aware that group members are not connected. Thus group members are visible to each other and can communicate directly with each other, but you cannot see their connections as you can with a 1st degree connection.
Q: I'm a member of the ETP Network is there a LinkedIn group I can join?
A: Yes! To join the LinkedIn group of ETP Network members click on the following URL: http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/36238/2913477BC51A
Note that this permits you to search for ETP Network members that have joined this LinkedIn group. However, it does not establish a first degree connection with them. If you wish to connect with an ETP member you'll need to send them an invite.Q: How do I find LinkedIn groups to join?
A: One way to find groups is to review the profiles of your first degree connections. By doing this you may find some common intersts to discuss. Unfortunately LinkedIn has a short list of groups however the following are the best directories of LinkedIn groups I've found: http://mylinkgroups.com/ and http://www.linkedingroupsdirectory.com/
Q: What should I do when somebody I know invites me to their network?
A: Accept of course unless there is some compelling reason not to. Since this person has reached out to you it’s a good idea to send an email and share what’s going on now, share your common past and share what each other is looking for in the future. Don’t overdo it; keep it brief since as I said many times before “people are busy”.
Q: What should I do when somebody I don’t know invites me to their network?
A: Before accepting their invite it would be good to exchange Email. Maybe you do know them but just have forgotten and they could provide some context to jog your memory. If you don’t know them maybe they are a professional that can help you in the future or of course maybe you have some other common interest such as an avocation. In any event have a dialogue first then decide.
Q: I was once connected to somebody but was removed how do I reconnect?
A: When you are removed from somebody’s network you will not get notification. If you wish to reconnect with that person you’ll need to use an E-mail address other then the one that was removed to be able to reestablish a connection with that person.
Q: What is this thing I’ve heard about being an “Open Networker”?
A: There are many web sites and Yahoo groups dedicated to what are called LinkedIn “Open Networkers”. They are individuals that have tens of thousands of 1st degree connections. They often include their Email address on their profile because they want everybody and anybody to be LinkedIn with them. The theory is that if you connect with them you can extend your network reach to almost any LinkedIn member. However remember you are building a warm trusted network. How warm and trusted do you think an individual with that many connections will be to you? It’s unlikely that connecting with an Open Network would do any real harm but there’s no real value to collecting 1st degree connections just for the sake of having as many 1st degree connections as possible.
Q: I’ve heard that it’s good to connect to “Power Networkers” which are LinkedIn users with tens of thousands of connections. Should I do this?
A: If by Power Networker you mean a recruiter or career coach I think that can be advantageous. But if the Power Networker is an Open Network as described in the previous question there may be little to no real value in connecting.
Q: How and should I change my profile while I'm in transition?
A: I have noticed that when professionals are in tranistions there is typically a mixture of the 4 following situations:
1 - Some just don't update their profile which of course gives the impression they are still at their former employer. Even if such is a over sight, an inconsistancy between your LinkedIn profile and a more accurate employment application could cause difficulties. Be aware that recruiters do research candidates on LinkedIn, Facebook and Google. Any appearance of being dishonest or not investing the time to keep your profile up to date could potentially disqualify you as a candidate.
2 - The person will list thier own company. It's great to show that you are still active in the business world but on the other hand you may need to answer why you are seeking a position and why you're endeavor would be short term or not in conflict with your new potenial postion. Of course this situation is valid when you have multiple sources of income prior to your transition. However, again some employers may want your sole and undivided attention and devotion. Thus you'll need to be prepared to answer how you avoid conflicts of interest in this situation.
3 - If you perform any verifiable volunteer work while you are in transition you should list that on your profile as it will show inititive to use your time wisely rather then sit home watching day time television. Also consider what transferable skills can be listed such as financial responsibility, organizing logistics, process improvements, contingency planning, etc. If your volunteering was an ongoing (weekly) significant amount of time I would list it as a position, otherwise you may want to list it in the "Additional Information" under "Groups and Associations". In addition any awards you receive for your service to the community should be listed in the "Additional Information" under the "Honors and Awards" section of your profile.
4 - The termination date for the past employer is indicated showing a gap in employment which will need to be explained.
Q: Can I search for jobs on LinkedIn?
A: Yes you can by clicking “Jobs” near the top left part of the page then enter an appropriate title for the keywords text box, select your country and postal code and click the “Search” button. You will then get a listing of jobs matching that criterion.
Q: How do I request an introduction?
A: From the person’s public profile page click on the “Get introduced through a connection” link which is on the right hand side of the page. You may be prompted for the person to connect through. Select the best candidate to relay the introduction for you then click the “Continue” button. Complete all text boxes including a brief note for the person that will be introducing you.
Q: I found an opportunity of interest on Indeed. How to I find warm/trusted network connections relating to that position?
A: Review the answer to the question immediately below.
Q: How do I find somebody at a company that I'm interested in?
A: Click “People” near the top left part of the page then enter the Company name in the appropriate text box and click the “Search” button.
Q: How do I find a recruiter at a company that I’m interested in?
A: Click “People" link near the top left part of the page then for the textbox adjacent to the Title label enter Recruiter and then enter the Company name in the appropriate text box and click the “Search” button.
Q: How do I determine if some one in my network knows anybody at company XYZ or in the ABC industry?
A: There is no need to determine this. You find a recruiter via the process specified in the previous question. You then can request an introduction via your network. Again consider which of the possible connections is most likely to forward and be successful in facilitating that introduction. This is especially true if you are reaching out to a 3rd degree connection!
Q: How can I find information about a corporation on LinkedIn?
A: LinkedIn contains "corporate pages". Unfortunately LinkedIn does not yet have a direct way of getting to nor searching for a corporate page. However, the way to reach a LinkedIn corporate page is as follows:
Q: Why would I want to pay for additional services on LinkedIn?
A: Believe it or not part of it may be status. You’ll have an “In” Icon associated with your account showing your badge of honor for being a premium customer of LinkedIn. If you are in transition or not a professional recruiter becoming a premium user may not be cost effective for you. However there are some real advantages such as you can have more then 5 concurrent introductions pending. Also you have access to “InMail” which is explained in the next question.
Q: What is InMail and when or why would I use it?
A: InMail is a feature for premium (paid) accounts of LinkedIn users. This service permits you to send a private message directly to 2nd and 3rd degree connections in your network. It also permits your 2nd and 3rd degree connections to send you Email directly as well.
Q: How would I backup my network of contacts on LinkedIn for safe keeping?
A: Like most professional web sites LinkedIn should have their own IT strategy for backing up data on their site. However, it would be a good practice to export our contacts and store it on some offline medium such as burning a CD or USB drive. You can perform the following stepsto export your list of connections:
Q: How do I ask my network a question?
A: Click “Answers” near the top left part of the page, then in the text box under “Ask a Question” enter your question. Remember people in your network will see your question so assure it is appropriate and that you’ve done some research to try to answer the question yourself before asking your network.
DISCLAIMER: Reasonable efforts have been made to assure this information is accurate and appropriate. However, it is your responsibility to determine what is proper for your own personal circumstances.
I thank Chip
Hartman
and Rod
Thomas E. Kenny
is an
experienced IT professional who designs and implements software for a
major telecommunications
corporation.
Thomas is currently completing a Master's degree in
Mathematics from