Get LinkedIn or Get Left Out?

The old cliché is that success is not based on what you know, but rather, who you know. Understanding your online identity is critical to creating success, and LinkedIn is currently one of the more powerful tools that can help you. The challenge is how to learn the most effective ways to use LinkedIn without wasting time navigating the help functions, the online forums or Googling the gurus.

In typical day-to-day, face-to-face networking, when people are asked about their usage of LinkedIn, it seems that most people share the same experience. They sign up for LinkedIn, gather some contacts, and search out people they may know from schools, prior  employers, or from professional associations. Once they've tapped that out, they are lost as to what to do next or how to realize any benefit from being on LinkedIn.

As successful professionals, your time is valuable and what you choose to focus on must provide you with an effective result. Therefore, as you begin reading this book, let's start off with some quick and immediate tips to help you dramatically improve your understanding of the LinkedIn experience and build your base of useful contacts.

Focus on Relationship Building

The cornerstone for your success starts with ensuring your understanding of what successful networking really means. It is not the sleazy concept of dropping off a business card and then racing to someone else to repeat the process over and over again. That type of person merely wants you to hear about them. They could care less about spending time to get to know you. Pretty shallow, right? Why would you do business with someone who doesn't care about you? If that is your idea of networking, don't even bother with LinkedIn.

Networking is about building relationships and getting to know the other person and how you might be able to contribute to their success. Successful networkers build their own credibility through their actions, which in turn builds a comfort level with the other party. This increased level of comfort leads to a stronger relationship. So, would you rather  have business dealings with someone who is shallow or someone you've developed a relationship with? Relationship building should be the focus of your perspective and participation in LinkedIn.

Commit Time Weekly to Participate

This sounds like the most basic concept, but it is very important to adhere to it. Unfortunately many people join and collect contacts but invest no time or energy networking, so they gain nothing from the site. This is a clear example of reaping what you have sowed. Remember LinkedIn is just a tool to connect and open doors, but it still takes work on your part. Set aside at least an hour or so each week to invest in building your network.

Seek and Give Recommendations

One of the hardest things some people find is to adequately "brag" about their accomplishments. Whether you want to acknowledge it or not, you have probably compiled an impressive list of career successes. Having someone else "promote" your accomplishments is a very powerful tool. It builds your reputation and strengthens relationships as well as increases the value of your network to everyone connected to it. LinkedIn offers Recommendations, which is a function that allows someone else to describe you and promote you to the world. Request recommendations from people who know you well and will best describe your strengths, achievements, etc. On the flip side, make sure you spread the recognition of people you know and recommend them. Remember, relationship building is a two-way street.

© 2012 Chris Muccio, David Burns, Peggy Murrah.