I have been a member of LinkedIn since its inception in 2003. (Special thanks to JoshK for inviting me as part of the beta.) As I have amassed contacts and recommendations, newbies have asked me how to get started. Recently, I advised one of our interns to get more involved on LinkedIn as part of a career search. Here is my guide on building up your network.
Step 1: Make sure your profile is complete. Include all relevant jobs and education. Think of your profile as your online resume. Your LinkedIn profile is often the first thing that will come up when someone Googles you, so it is one of the few chances you have to control the information available about you on the web.
Step 2: Now it is time to grow your network. The easiest way is to find your colleagues and classmates that are already on LinkedIn. As you start connecting with your past/current classmates and colleagues, don’t be surprised of other people start seeing you and asking you to connect.
- Click “Contacts” on the left side navigation bar.
- Click “Add Connections” on the top right of the page.
- Click on the “Colleagues” and “Classmates” tabs to find people you already know.
- Invite your desired connections to connect.
Step 3: Now that you have built out your profile and added your current/past colleagues and classmates, you should have a growing network. The next step is to see which members of your current contact lists are already on LinkedIn.
- Click “Contacts” on the left side navigation bar.
- Click “Add Connections” on the top right of the page.
- Click “Check Webmail Contacts” on the right side – look for current connections.
- If you use Outlook or another stand alone e-mail program, click on “Don’t Use Webmail” to learn how to export and upload your contacts.
Step 4: Now that you have hopefully added a number of classmates, colleagues, contacts and friends to your network, LinkedIn will start suggesting people you might know. Check out the “People you may know” box on the top right hand side of the page and see if LinkedIn found some people you missed!
**Remember – these are just ways to find connections. You shouldn’t necessarily connect with anyone you find, just like in the offline world. Only connect with people you feel comfortable with. The value of finding connections already on LinkedIn is that their networks become your networks, which creates instant value for you.
I had corporate headshots taken a few weeks ago. (Check out Tess Steinkolk’s website – she does an awesome job!). Before Tess began to shoot, we started discussing the impact of technology on photography. Everything is digital these days, and a photographer’s aptitude with Photoshop is just as important as the ability to compose the shot. I told Tess about two new technologies which can change a lot for the casual photographer.
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