Why read the book? This book is written for a broad audience—from the LinkedIn novice to the advanced user—and includes instruction on using the tool and detailed strategies for creating your profile, building your own professional network, and engaging with groups. You can download a full copy of the book for free and access tools, videos, webinars, and self-assessment tools.
LinkedIn is a very powerful tool for building and maintaining your professional network. I’ve blogged about LinkedIn often. Check out Getting Started on LinkedIn for College Students and LinkedIn Maps to Visualize Your Network.
I currently have 500+ people in my LinkedIn network. I did not add these people randomly, but instead chose to add them to my network. For the LinkedIn requests I receive, I use my own LinkedIn protocol to determine with whom I will connect. My guidelines are not complicated, are infinitely flexible and work for me very well.
For everyone on LinkedIn considering a “Connect” request, the most important question is: Read more
Facebook in the office? This is a very complex issue. And the answers will very by your role, position, company and industry. One thing is very clear, however, and that is . . .
Facebooking as a professional is different than Facebooking as a student.
A recent survey conducted by Fierce, Inc. that included more than 800 executives and employees in multiple industries found:
There is never a better time to get started using LinkedIn than while you are still in college. Unlike Facebook, which you’ve probably used primarily for your social life, LinkedIn should be reserved for your professional life. And even though you are a couple of years away from your first professional job, now is the time to start building your LinkedIn profile and network. LinkedIn is a very powerful business tool and a “must have” for all professionals. For more insight on the use of LinkedIn among recruiters, check out this article, “20 Reasons Why LinkedIn Will Be the #1 Recruiting Portal of the Future.” Read more
LinkedIn Maps is a tool for visualizing your professional network. It takes only a few minutes and reveals clusters, gaps and connectors in your network. Here is mine:
Jan Vermeiren and Bert Verdonck have written the second edition of “How to REALLY use LinkedIn” and are making it available for free. Vermeiren’s first edition is one of my top recommendations on the subject of LinkedIn.
The 2nd Edition has been completely revised and there are 53 extra pages which include:
Finally there is the new free “Video & Tools Library” with video tips, assessments, tools and webinar recordings. The book can be downloaded for free from http://www.how-to-really-use-linkedin.com (the library can also be found on that website).
Today, Career-ology published two free resource available.
The first tool, Overview-LinkedIn, provides an overview of the key features and functions of LinkedIn, tips on getting started and a list of additional resources for training. LinkedIn is most popular professional social media site with more than 100 million members. Are you on LinkedIn? If not, you should be.
The second tool, Interview & Meeting Prep, can be used to prepare for an interview, a business meeting or networking situation with colleagues, customers or clients using popular social media tools and websites. The information you collect will help you to establish a meaningful connection with the people you meet. By learning more about the person with whom you are meeting, you can increase the likelihood of finding points of common interest.
To download these free tools (.pdf) from Career-ology, click on the Resources page.
This 8-page article from the NY Times is a comprehensive look at all of the issues related to online privacy. There some critical information for job seekers. For those who want the short version, read the excerpt below:
“According to a recent survey by Microsoft, 75 percent of U.S. recruiters and human-resource professionals report that their companies require them to do online research about candidates, and many use a range of sites when scrutinizing applicants — including search engines, social-networking sites, photo- and video-sharing sites, personal websites and blogs, Twitter and online-gaming sites. Seventy percent of U.S. recruiters report that they have rejected candidates because of information found online, like photos and discussion-board conversations and membership in controversial groups.”
Jeff Chapski has coached and mentored hundreds of college students and recent graduates as they started their first jobs and launched their careers. Recalling the important skills and lessons he learned early in his own career, Jeff started writing a blog at Career-ology.com to help new professionals succeed at work. Read more...