6 tips to make the most of your LinkedIn account

Employing these smart tips will help you use the professional networking site to your advantage.

Isn't LinkedIn just about business networking?

This may be the general perception attached to LinkedIn, but there are way more interesting aspects and opportunities dwelling in it that some of us can take advantage of.

Besides being a great search tool, it helps you enhance your professional front.

Having the right LinkedIn profile equips one with booming career enhancement pushes, so let's get linked to the LinkedIn treasures.

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Several times one finds tiny blocks of free time amidst IVs or business trips and one wants to make maximum use of it by meeting people relevant to their business, or people one may have met only online.

LinkedIn places the selection process in your hand. So, do the following:

• Do an advanced search
• Choose the industries, enter keywords that will identify the people you'd like to meet, then select the 'Located in or near' option.
• Choose the country you're visiting and the zip code.
• Change sort order to 'degrees away from you' instead of 'keyword relevance'. This gives better luck setting up meetings with first and second-degree contacts.
• Send an introduction request to the ones you find appealing, saying that you're going to be in town on a particular date and would like to meet them.
  

The novel buzz among employers is to pick candidates from the e-platform.

Viacom18 Careers' page gives a good idea of this.

Having adopted LinkedIn Corporate Solutions, several companies have paid huge bucks for subscriptions, access to over 8.5 million professionals, enhanced searches for candidates and job listing packages.

While they post employee hunting feeds, you need to be equipped with apt job hunting skills and display your best. Here's what you can do:

• Use LinkedIn to scream "Gimme that job!" Hardik Bhatia, who recently bagged an esteemed position in a production house via LinkedIn, advises to, "focus on specific companies as it creates a target for you rather than a loafer trolling on Naukri.com."
• Search using the company name to find current and ex-employees, their background, education, experience. This gives you an idea of your chances to get recruited.
• Job hunting has turned into a 'contact' sport. You need connections from the company you want a job in. Current employees could recommend you for a job. Employers are keen on employee referrals as they come from internal trustworthy sources.
• Feel confident to invite, add or write to current or ex-employees of your preferred company. At most, what could happen? No response!
• Enter the 'hidden job market' -- internal connections can help job seekers discover open positions before they're advertised.
• Expand the network of people you are already connected to. They need to know you are on the job prowl.
• Before writing to any company, make your LinkedIn profile gain calories. A meaty profile is the first impression you set in front of the company.
• Use the Q & A feature on LinkedIn to concretely and clearly display all the experience you have.
• If you're HIGHLY active and promotional, LinkedIn may also hire you to promote them!

Illustration: Dominic Xavier

You can integrate Twitter tweets in LinkedIn.

This is done through an application called Tweets. It's not rocket science to install it, but you need to pay attention to the settings.

There are a zillion users with a zillion updates on LinkedIn per day. These updates typically come from Twitter and are unhealthy for your brand.

The setting you want to use is to only share tweets on LinkedIn when you use the hashtag #in inside Twitter.

This allows you to selectively share on LinkedIn as opposed to bombing your network with conversational unLinkedIn stuff.

Illustration: Dominic Xavier

Behind every success story lies major efforts. LinkedIn turns a guide at this point. Finance is the elixir for every start-up entrepreneur.

Vijay Lakhani, founder of Pro-Care Computer Technology, says "Based on the meatiness of the entrepreneur's profile, he can acquire ongoing support for his finance just by a few clicks."

This entrepreneur would also need HR and operations departments and could hire agencies to help if he doesn't have the resources in-house.

You can subscribe to all these agencies under one roof in LinkedIn with services and criteria clearly defined.

Illustration: Dominic Xavier

Promoting a brand needs advertising and that needs bucks.

Few ways to do it for free are status updates, posting in groups that match your target audience.

Use the events section to spread the buzz.

Another novel way is to use a SlideShare or Google presentation where you put your presentation, integrate it with your LinkedIn profile and share with your connections. This can go viral!

Illustration: Dominic Xavier

• Incorporate appropriate insights into your profile, not just merely what you have done. Don't reveal confidential details.
• Include keywords throughout to make searches easy for employers.
• Fret it out to grab recommendations and important connections.
• Join groups related to your interests/desired jobs.
• Make a large chunk of your profile public so the non-LinkedInites can view it without needing to create an account.
• Answer questions. It's free.
• Use your LinkedIn URL in your e-mail signatures.
• Post updates that make you look like a professional. No professional wants to know about your loo visits or dates.
• Upgrade your account if you feel the need. You can choose the business, business plus or executive options, or stick to the basic account and still manage to get linked to the best.

Illustration: Dominic Xavier