Maximizing LinkedIn Expand Your Network & Enhance Your Personal Brand Hi, I’m awesome

The Basics LinkedIn is a business networking site Always behave as you would with clients or other professional contacts Uses 3 degrees of separation Your “Network” is anyone within those 3 degrees 1 st degree contacts are your “Connections” When sharing info, follow your company’s social media policy

Understanding Settings Turn on/off updates – good to do when you are making a lot of changes Control who can see your activity updates Whether others can see you have viewed their profile Hide your list of contacts from others Can hide “Also Viewed” Control if/how often you get s from LinkedIn – important once you join lots of groups

Getting Started At a minimum, your profile should contain: Your photo A headline up to 110 characters Your location Summary statement Your contact information Current job and short description

Photo and Headline Tips LinkedIn’s Guidelines for Photos: – Must be a photo of you, not a logo, illustration, or product photo – Must “assist other members in recognizing you” Additional Guidelines: – Just you! No pets, kids, or other people – Professional photo, if possible – Dress as you would for work or to meet with clients – Crop in tightly on your face – Smile! You want to look approachable – Well lit, with a background that is not distracting – High resolution – not pixelated or out of focus Headlines: – Defaults to your most recent job title – You can edit it to contain more information such as key words and skills, up to 110 characters – This shows when you are listed in search results, so is one of the most important parts of your profile

More Profile Elements Previous positions with short descriptions “People Also Viewed” (this can be removed from your profile)

Skills and Endorsements Add skills and expertise by searching Not sure what to add? Look at profiles of others in your industry with similar jobs Endorsements increase your likelihood of coming up in search results Only endorse people if you are familiar with their work You can reorder skills Endorsements are not as strong as recommendations You can request recommendations!

Volunteer Experience

Education, Interests, Organizations Interests can help you find common ground and break the ice with new contacts Organizations show your involvement in your industry

How to Maximize your Presence on LinkedIn Complete your profile – LinkedIn will show a % complete for your profile Customize your LinkedIn URL to be your full name ADD CONTACTS! The more people within your “3 degrees” the easier you will be to find Join groups and participate in their discussions Share relevant industry news, articles, etc. Comment on items that others have shared Display work samples in the Professional Gallery

Groups & companies Can search for groups LinkedIn will also suggest groups for you Members of groups you are in will also show in your “people you may know” Increases your visibility on LinkedIn and you can message and request connections with people who share your groups DUCK Biz Group - Seattle / Bellevue University of Oregon Alumi

“People you May Know” Great way to find additional contacts As you add more connections, it will change who is suggested, so worth revisiting as your contact list grows Another great example of why your photo and headline are so important

Sending Invitations Always edit the standard invitation (Note: when using the Linked In mobile app, it does not let you customize the invite!) Explain how you know them and why you want to connect If you send too many invitations where people mark “I don’t know this person” LinkedIn will restrict your ability to send invitations /linkedin-invitation-tips/

Joining the Conversation Anyone can publish on LinkedIn! If you like to write, or have a blog already, post your writing Join group discussions Share jobs, articles, events, and other information Your goal is to be useful to your contacts Comment on and show appreciation for information that others have shared Remember, this isn’t Facebook – focus should be on professional content!

Cool Tools Other Important Tools: Advanced Search Categorize Contacts Reminders to follow up with Contacts Gallery of Work Samples Add private notes on your Contacts

Resources Templates That'll Make Writing the Perfect LinkedIn Summary a Breeze breeze HOW TO: Build Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn 7 Tips for Writing A Great LinkedIn Invitation 10 Little Known LinkedIn Features That Can Make a Big Difference How to ask for an introduction to a second degree contact: Your Essential LinkedIn Guide The Biggest Mistakes You Can Make When Choosing a LinkedIn Photo 11 Tips for Choosing Your LinkedIn Photo 8 Ways to Grow Your LinkedIn Connections

Questions?