How to Use LinkedIn to Develop Your Professional Network

LinkedIn is a social network tool in some ways similar to Facebook, Twitter and all the others, but with a different focus. Instead of sharing pictures, staying in touch with family and friends, playing games and all the other activities available on Facebook, LinkedIn is made for the business professional. You can use it to share blog entries or other types of information, but that is not its main purpose. LinkedIn was designed to allow you to manage your business contacts.

Recruiters Use LinkedIn to find Candidates

When you begin using LinkedIn, therefore, you should take care that your profile is professional in appearance and content. Don't put anything in your LinkedIn profile that you wouldn't want included in your resumé, job application or an interview. Recruiters and hiring managers do use LinkedIn to screen candidates. I, personally, was offered a job and hired because someone unknown to me found my profile on LinkedIn and decided I might be a good fit for an open position.

What Should You Include in your LinkedIn Profile?

Your LinkedIn profile should read very much like a resumé. It should include your work history with a brief couple of sentences about your responsibilities and accomplishments at each position. It should also include your education. Professional certifications, industry relevant awards, and outside group memberships that show your character should also receive mention. These might include things like serving as a board member of a local charitable organization or volunteer work for a local soup kitchen. In general, anything you'd like a potential employer to know about can be included in your LinkedIn profile.

Who Should You Add to your LinkedIn Network?

Because LinkedIn is a professional networking tool, you should use it every time you make a new business contact. Add business clients, colleagues, suppliers, and anyone with whom you have business contact during the week. If you collect someone's business card, look them up on LinkedIn within the next couple of days and invite them to connect to your network while they still have you fresh in their mind. By developing your network this way, it will be filled with contacts that are relevant to your industry or profession rather than random acquaintances. Of course, you can still add family and friends outside of your profession as well. Each contact, however, should be meaningful. LinkedIn networks should be about developing quality contacts rather than quantity.

How to get LinkedIn Recommendations

Another important aspect of your LinkedIn profile is the recommendations field. Using this function, you can display professional references from colleagues. Having others in your field talk about your qualifications is a way to build your credibility and enhance your reputation to those who may be looking through your profile. Some people bluntly ask others they work with for a recommendation, this is perfectly acceptable, but if the requested recommendation doesn't appear, let it go. Others make a point to recommend business contacts with whom they work when they finish a project or have worked together successfully. Many of these people will return the favor and provide recommendations for you as well. Recommendations should include specifics. Every recommendation should character traits that led to a successful outcome and concrete accomplishments made by the person being recommended. Keep them as professional as the rest of your LinkedIn profile. Saying "Bill is a lot of fun to work with and is a real hoot at holiday office parties," is not helpful and is likely to earn you something other than gratitude from Bill.

What Should not be on your LinkedIn Profile

LinkedIn is a powerful professional networking tool. If your goal is to build your professional reputation, manage your business contacts, make yourself available for new positions, or to recruit new employees, then LinkedIn can help. If your social networking goal is to share pictures, make dinner plans, meet people, or play games, then LinkedIn is not for you; try Facebook instead. Remember, also, while LinkedIn offers you the opportunity to link to your personal blog, Facebook profile and other online resources, you should only use this tool to link to information about yourself that you want to show to a potential employer or business partner. Your political rant blog or New Year's Eve party pictures should not in any way be accessible via your LinkedIn profile.