The Power Of Your LinkedIn Network – Tips for Increasing Your LinkedIn Presence

Written by Tricia Louise.

At Careers Over Coffee North on Friday, May 1^st, we discussed how to use LinkedIn for job-hunting success. LinkedIn experts Kelsey Haden of Betts Recruiting and Mari Payne from SailPoint joined us.  Kelsey provided tips on using LinkedIn from a recruiter’s perspective and Mari shared the details of her LinkedIn success and showed us how to do the same. Kelsey and Mari put together an excellent “Top 10 list” of tips to increase your LinkedIn presence:

1. Use a professional photo! It doesn’t have to be taken by a professional photographer, any photo with a solid backdrop will do.
2. Connect!! Once you reach 500+ connections, you will have a robust network of 2^nd and 3^rd degree connections to pull from when looking for new opportunities. Import Gmail contacts!
3. Your LinkedIn profile should match your resume. Employers want to see that your private resume matches your public one. Further, make your profile succinct by bullet pointing your accomplishments at each of your previous and current positions.
4. Ask for Recommendations! When you provide a great service, ask your clients to write you a recommendation on your behalf. You can go to “Accounts & Settings” and then “Privacy & Settings” and “Manage your Recommendations” to “Ask for a Recommendation” from a client.
5. Follow relevant influencers and companies in your industry. Further, continue to update this as new people and companies come across your radar. This will ensure that you have up to date news in your news feed and allow you to identify new opportunities.
6. Create a keyword-rich profile relevant to your work experience. Review profiles of professionals with similar roles and identify keywords related to your industry. You may also review job descriptions similar to yours for ideas on keywords.
7. Check who has viewed your profile. Connect with recruiters and people you know who have viewed your profile. Go one step further and initiate conversations with new connections by sending LinkedIn messages.
8. Ask your network for introductions to 2^nd level connections. This is a way to expand your current network and to get your resume in front of key contacts and recruiters.
9. Engage with your network to stay top of mind. For example, share content, like, and comment
10. Nurture and deepen relationships by planning in-person meetings. Initiate invitations to coffee, lunch, and other networking opportunities with your network throughout the year.

Other advice discussed with the group:

• It’s OK to send a connection request to people you don’t know – just make sure to include a personalized message including why you want to connect. Then make the effort to get to know them and build a relationship.

• Use your own judgment when accepting connection requests from people you don’t know. If it makes you uncomfortable, you don’t have to accept. Maybe send a short message asking him or her about his or her goals for connecting before you decide to accept.

• Always send a personalized message when sending a LinkedIn invitation to connect. ESPECIALLY when trying to connect to someone you haven’t met before.

Overall, we had a great conversation with two very knowledgeable LinkedIn experts and a good group of WCA members! We are grateful to Kelsey & Mari for sharing their expertise. Also, we appreciate the WCA ladies who braved the 8 am traffic to share their LinkedIn input and ask the important questions. Thank you to all!

Join us for our next CoC North on Friday, June 12 for a TBD topic. Careers Over Coffee North meets at Mimi’s Café (10515 N. Mopac Expy NB #O on the south end of The Shops at Arbor Walk).