Making EFFECTIVE use of LinkedIn for Professional Networking

®

Copyright Nov 2009

Presented by

Bryan C Webb, P. Eng.

bwebb50@cogeco.ca

www.linkedin.com/in/bryanwebb

http://twitter.com/BryanCWebb

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What is Social Media & Why is it Important?

Social Media is the name of the bucket that contains all of the catalysts that enable people to collaborate and communicate online…

Social Media is the logical extension of networking…

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Through your network you can:

� Find potential clients, service providers, subject experts and

partners who come recommended

� Be found for business opportunities and great jobs

� Discover inside connections that can help you land jobs &

close deals

� Find and pre-screen high-quality candidates

It takes time & effort to build/maintain relationships…

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LinkedIn can be used to support your professional objectives

You can too!

� Grew network to 900+ in 4 years (~8.3M):� connected with long-time colleagues

� is actively networking with new colleagues.

� Obtained 20 recommendations:� recommended 11 people.

� Recognized for 725+ Best Answers & ~1,950 Good Answers.

� Energized job search by contacting people through LinkedIn:� made contact with hiring managers.

� contacts included HR, experts in other areas.

� Helped to establish the HAPPEN & Niagara-Hamilton Job

Exchange LinkedIn Groups.

� Helped me land my previous job!

Bryan C Webb, P. Eng.

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1) Promote you & your company

2) Help maintain & manage business relationships

3) Allows you to find and be found

4) Better understand potential & new contacts

5) Learn and/or contribute via Q&A

6) Expand connections via Groups & Answers

7) Stay on leading edge of communications (Web 2.0)

8) Solidify reputation via Recommendations

9) Uncover new business opportunities

Why Use LinkedIn:

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TOP 10 Ways to Use LinkedIn (Thanks to Kathy Batz):

10 Increase your visibility

9 Improve your connect-ability

8 Improve your Google PageRank

7 Enhance your search engine results

6 Perform blind, reverse & company reference checks

5 Increase the relevancy of your job search

4 Make your interview go smoother

3 Gauge the health of a company or industry

2 Ask for advice

1 Track startups

Communicate your Personal BrandMessage

This is Who I Am and …this is How I Can Help

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Use LinkedIn to communicate your Personal Brand Message

� Your personal brand is one of the key reasons clients choose to do business with you and an employer hires you

� Create a Powerful Profile:

� Start with a compelling elevator pitch / summary.

� Include every job, school, course, etc.

� Leverage contract assignments.

� Highlight accomplishments; not responsibilities.

� Add relevant search terms to your profile for recruiters,

clients, colleagues and hiring managers.

� Solidify your “Reputation” using LinkedIn:

� LinkedIn’s concept of a personal reputation system

is similar to eBay’s ‘trusted seller’ program.

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� Link to your personal or company websites and blogs

� Complete your profile with key information:

� Add all relevant keywords to your profile.

� Change the default web page address to

your name.

From:www.linkedin.com/pub/0/956/a84

To:www.linkedin.com/in/bryanwebb

Make your online profile visible and memorable

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Develop YOUR networkthrough LinkedIn Groups

� Expand your reach:

� Connect inside your groups

without knowing emails

� Improve your visibility:

� Be seen by others

� Get cool icons (badges)

� As of Nov/09, there are

440,000+ groups...

� As of Nov/09 there are

52,000,000+ members…

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Solidify your reputation by requesting and giving Recommendations

� Identify from who you want recommendations:

� Take charge, request a recommendation

� Ask for recommendation only from people with whom you have worked; e.g. from your past bosses

� Let people know which areas you want them to highlight

� Don’t post recommendations right away:

� Review and ask for changes (ie: typos)

� Post only when you have a ‘critical mass’ of 3 or more

� Give Recommendations:

� Be willing and, in some cases, offer to reciprocate

� Consider a LinkedIn Recommendation as you would any letter of recommendation

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Build visibility & reputation: share and request knowledge through LinkedIn Answers

� Ask Questions:

� Ask Good Questions – be clear!

� Add clarifications.

� Send questions to your contacts

directly and privately.

� Answer Questions:

� Read Questions to learn.

� Share your expertise – be noticed.

� Clarify your Answer.

� Send a personal response.

� Start a conversation.

� Get to know people.

Build your Network

“It’s not what you know…or who you know, but

who knows you!”

Establish a Networking strategy that makes sense and is comfortable

� Why are you joining LinkedIn?

� Find a Style that works:� “Personal” connections.

� “Common interest” connections.

� “Opportunistic” connections.

� “Facilitative” connections.

� Build your Connections:� Target people who know you and your work.

� Bosses | Co-workers | Suppliers | Partners | Users | Classmates

� Special Case - Linking with Recruiters:

• Active / Passive job search?

• Help colleagues & friends?

• Expand your Network?

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Invitations are key to building your network: Upload your contacts

� Leverage Automated Tools:

� Bring your contacts into LinkedIn using the Outlook and/or webmail tools.

� Use the Find Contacts or download the free Outlook Toolbar.

� LinkedIn will tell you whom you already know on the system.

� Start inviting those contacts to join your network.

� Contact (email) information may not be required to connect.

� Always Customize Invitation messages:

� “Follow up to our conversation yesterday at HAPPEN”.

� Create a compelling opportunity.

� Respond Appropriately:

� Archive | Reply | Accept | Reject (pick reason)

Personalize your Communications settings to work for you

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Use LinkedIn to find the contacts YOU need…

Everything you need is at the top of the page:

� Advanced Search is worth the effort:

� Specify geographic limitations.

� Include Company, Industry, Interests, etc.

� Limit results to Current companies and/or titles only.

� Sort results by:

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Find the info on LinkedIn YOU need…

� Regularly review LI corporate links at the bottom of the page:

� New! Check out the Learning Center to learn at your own pace: e-learning modules and free classes…

http://learn.linkedin.com/training/

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Make the most of your online profile and network: Use LinkedIn’s free tools

Browser Toolbar:Quickly search LinkedIn anytimeSupports IE, Firefox and Mac (Tiger)

� Search LinkedIn at any time from your browser.

� Use Bookmarks to remember key people.

� Jobsinsider shows connections at any hiring company when using Monster,

HotJobs, CareerBuilder, Craigslist, Vault and Dice (not Workopolis, yet).

OUTLOOK Toolbar:Quickly build and maintain your network:

� Use the Dashboard to manage your Outlook contacts.

� Grab email signatures to create Outlook contacts.

Email Signature:Supports Outlook, Outlook Express and Thunderbird.

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Promote Yourself…

HAPPEN Group Logo on LinkedIn Profile:� Connect and communicate with all HAPPEN Group members.

� To add the logo to your Profile:

� Click on HAPPEN logo on Will HAPPEN Profile to request to join.

LinkedIn Logo on HAPPEN Profile:� Let people know you are LinkedIn!

� Can be found at “Promote your Profile” on your Profile page.

� Add this kind of text to HAPPEN Profile under Skills:� <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/bryanwebb" ><img

src="http://www.linkedin.com/img/webpromo/btn_viewmy_160x25.gif" width="160" height="25"

border="0"></a>

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Learn from LinkedIn’s Profile Views

� What this tells me:� If my profile being viewed by

Recruiters.

� If my profile being viewed by

companies I have never

contacted.

� If I’m being considered for local, regional or global positions.

� If my invitations & messages

being looked at or considered.

� If any of my connections are

reviewing my profile.

Note: The free LinkedIn subscription

limits you to see only 5 “names”.

Learn more about specific Companies…� Profile generated from

Capital IQ and links to

Business Week

� Company employees in my

network

� Recent Hires (announced in profiles)

� Recent Promotions (announced in

profiles)

� Popular Profiles (found in press,

blogs or frequent searches)

� Related Companies� Typical / Popular Career paths� Most connections of employees

� Key Business Statistics

� Open Jobs

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New Applications that take LinkedIn to new levels…

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� Amazon Reading List: a reading list

� Blog Link: create and link your blog to LI

� Box.net: share your important data and files

� Company Buzz: get timely info about the company

� Google Presentations: create/upload short presentation

� Huddle Workspaces: free private & secure collaboration

� My Travel by TripIt: track where your LI connections are going

� Slideshare: upload your presentations

� WordPress: create your own blog

LinkedIn’s new “News” section

� Company news is now available on your homepage:

� Based on your profile info.

� Encourages discussion.

� Good:� Stay up to date.

� Configurable in the future.

� Bad:� Not always relevant as yet.

� Cannot yet be removed or

relocated.

Read It & Know!

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Some Additional Features…

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Connected News

LinkedIn has partnered with Business Week to

show off its new APIs

that connect you to

news stories.

m.linkedin.com

LinkedIn’s new Mobile service(in beta) is available in English,

German, French, Spanish,

Japanese and Chinese.

Broadcast Activities

Status messages can be set daily to

provide additional communication options.

Premium Business LinkedIn features…

Business Accounts

Great if you are a:

� recruiter

� HR manager

� sales professional

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� entrepreneur

� researcher…

Making the Most of your Online Networking Investment

Take it to the Limit

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Let your LinkedIn network open doors to a vast realm of new opportunities

� See where other people with similar experiencework, or what their skills are:� Search by Job Title, skill, designation, school, etc.

� Read LinkedIn Answers for relevant discussions:� Who is answering?

� Where do they work?

� What are they saying?

� Check out folks in your Groups:� Where do people work, what jobs do they have?

� Who’s viewing your profile?

Find Opportunities

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LinkedIn can engage a huge virtual community to find your next opportunity

� Tell people you are looking:

� Current position “Actively Seeking XYZ”.

� Select interested in “Career Opportunities”.

� Ask for a referral:

� We all know someone who is hiring.

� Ask for help.

� Build a network of referrals:

� Search for people who can help find the next opportunity.

� Find key people in your 2nd and 3rd level and get introduced.

Create and deploy a Search Team

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LinkedIn can connect you with people inside your target companies

� Hunt down hiring managers:

� Target the likely suspects and get connected

with the hiring manager.

� Talk to company insiders:

� Talk to people in the same department.

� Get the “real deal” on the culture and the job.

� Connect with potential colleagues:

� See who you might be working with.

� What can you learn?

� Connect with HR:

� Follow-up online submissions with live people

who want to know about you. Get on the inside track

Use Linkedin to get the Interview and close the offer

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� Work with GateKeepers:

� Communicate success through experiences and relationships.

� Personalize your candidacy.

� Pre-Qualify with online recommendations:� Send a PDF of your Linkedin Profile.

� Support your efforts:

� Common connections.

� Who has / had this role or position.

� Relevant experience.

� Great co-worker, employee, leader.

Get Access and WOW them

Use LinkedIn to find and land your Ideal Job

� Use the “Search Jobs” function within LinkedIn:� Exclusive job postings.

� Jobs listed on the tab "The Web" (5+ Million jobs listed).

� Use LinkedIn’s tool:� Find connections in companies posting on Monster,

HotJobs, CareerBuilder, Craigslist, etc. (not Workopolis yet…).

� Search job descriptions, skills or tools.

� Follow-up on your submissions:� HR.

� Find the hiring manager.

� Connect with potential staff.

� Chat with other company insiders.

Find it & Get it

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LinkedIn also empowers passive employment and opportunity searches

� LinkedIn has over 150,000+ recruiters online who are looking for talent.

� Establish and communicate your Personal Brand:

� Get recommendations or referrals.

� Answer Questions.

� Grow your network:

� Connect to, and be seen by, more people.

� Be open to career opportunities, ventures.

� Receive unadvertised opportunities.

Stand out, Get ahead!

Final Thoughts

Nurture your network while you don’t need it

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� Take time to build & know your network:� Maintain it even when you don’t need it

�Spend time on your Profile:� Make your Profile sparkle

� Compel others to want to meet and do business with you

� Communicate your Personal Brand Message

�Online networking doesn’t eliminate other professional activity:� Meet people face-to-face in your region/industry

� Publish white papers or write a blog

� Participate in online discussions, blogs or groups

Start Today!

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Technical Product Marketing Professional

� A seasoned technological product marketing and sales

professional, Bryan brings a global marketing and sales

perspective to assist the growth of technology companies.

� Bryan is highly skilled at creating & implementing strategic

marketing plans while delivering effective corporate messages

online, in print and in presentations.

� Bryan is actively seeking a permanent marketing or senior

sales position and currently offers his services on a consulting

basis…

I make it easy to buy complex technical solutions!

Bryan C Webb, P. Eng. –> bwebb50@cogeco.ca

About the Presenter