LinkedIn for neophytes
October 29, 2021 6:01 PM Subscribe
Up until now I have successfully avoided the need to use LinkedIn. Alas, the time has come. I know nothing about it. Please give me all the advice, or point me to it elsewhere.
Response by poster: Ah! Having an online professional presence for private clients, making myself more visible for possible headhunting, and possibly for job searching in the future.
posted by HotToddy at 7:39 PM on October 29, 2021
posted by HotToddy at 7:39 PM on October 29, 2021
It's mildly useful as an online rolodex of people you know professionally, and it's a place to put your resume online. Link to coworkers and people you know, especially in your field, to demonstrate that you exist in the outside world.
Also if you're looking for a job, it's nifty to go find your hiring manager/higher-ups to see if you have any contacts in common who could put in a good word for you.
That's pretty much it.
Do not feel compelled to post content unless your employer pays you to do so in order to boost overall social network engagement metrics. No-one is going to LinkedIn to get the latest industry news.
posted by desuetude at 9:36 PM on October 29, 2021 [1 favorite]
Also if you're looking for a job, it's nifty to go find your hiring manager/higher-ups to see if you have any contacts in common who could put in a good word for you.
That's pretty much it.
Do not feel compelled to post content unless your employer pays you to do so in order to boost overall social network engagement metrics. No-one is going to LinkedIn to get the latest industry news.
posted by desuetude at 9:36 PM on October 29, 2021 [1 favorite]
LinkedIn can be amazing. I use it as my one and only major social network, for the same reasons you listed. There’s a lot to it, and it’s definitely a long game, but here are some basics to get you started:
Fill out every section that you can.
Create a job title tag line (for under your name) that says more than your title. A good formula to follow us: I help [type of person] people to go from [how they’re stuck] to [the benefits of what you do].
The banner at the top is your single best piece of real estate. Use Canva or some such to create an image to the LI dimensions (I forget what they are) with a nice background and your tag line or some hashtag or hook that’s relevant to what you do. Keep it very simple.
Update your skills section, add all 20 but make sure your top three are what you want to be known for.
When your profile is in decent shape, pick a few people you know every week and ask them to write you a recommendation. Make it easy for them. Include the link to the LI article “how to write a killer recommendation in under 2 minutes” and offer to return the favour for them. Then visit their profile and endorse them for a few skills. They’ll get a prompt from LinkedIn to endorse you back.
Endorse other people for skills, too. They’ll get prompts to do the same.
Don’t turn on Content Creator until you have at least 500 connections. Send out 10-20 personal requests per week with messages until you get there. You can add people you don’t know but make sure they are in your target audience or have a decent reach (connections or followers). Once at 500 connections, LI will start pushing your content farther. Switch to Content Creator, fill out the new options too. Your Connect button will become a Follow button.
Always be searching for and following interesting people in your field who are active on LI.
Post 1-2 things per week, same time on the same day, every week. The algorithm wants consistency. You don’t need to do more than that, trust me.
Make sure what you post adds some sort of value. It should be interesting, informative or engaging in some way. Limit how often you include links, as LI wants original content and to keep people engaging with you on the platform, not bouncing all over or out of it. Always include 3-7 hashtags with every single thing you post or share. Don’t put hashtags in articles or comments.
The best posts with the widest reach are text only, adding value, with 3-5 hashtags, posted early in the day for your time zone. LI posts are amazing though because they stay active in feeds longer and have wider reach than any other platform. You’ll be getting activity on a good post for weeks after. Be patient though, again, it’s a long game to build up presence there.
Share one thing per week (the Share button on someone else’s post). The algorithm is touchy about resharing other peoples stuff too much. I use the Save feature to create a backlog of interesting things I might want to come back to or Share another time. Better to leave a comment on an interesting post than to share it. Comments you leave on other people’s posts will make them show up in your feed as if you posted it. Your comment is treated like valuable content. This can be very powerful!
It’s all about reciprocity and adding value! You’ll build up your understanding and your style how you want. You don’t have to do it the way I’ve done above, but it’s a solid starting place. Get in touch if you want specific help!
posted by iamkimiam at 12:05 AM on October 30, 2021 [15 favorites]
Fill out every section that you can.
Create a job title tag line (for under your name) that says more than your title. A good formula to follow us: I help [type of person] people to go from [how they’re stuck] to [the benefits of what you do].
The banner at the top is your single best piece of real estate. Use Canva or some such to create an image to the LI dimensions (I forget what they are) with a nice background and your tag line or some hashtag or hook that’s relevant to what you do. Keep it very simple.
Update your skills section, add all 20 but make sure your top three are what you want to be known for.
When your profile is in decent shape, pick a few people you know every week and ask them to write you a recommendation. Make it easy for them. Include the link to the LI article “how to write a killer recommendation in under 2 minutes” and offer to return the favour for them. Then visit their profile and endorse them for a few skills. They’ll get a prompt from LinkedIn to endorse you back.
Endorse other people for skills, too. They’ll get prompts to do the same.
Don’t turn on Content Creator until you have at least 500 connections. Send out 10-20 personal requests per week with messages until you get there. You can add people you don’t know but make sure they are in your target audience or have a decent reach (connections or followers). Once at 500 connections, LI will start pushing your content farther. Switch to Content Creator, fill out the new options too. Your Connect button will become a Follow button.
Always be searching for and following interesting people in your field who are active on LI.
Post 1-2 things per week, same time on the same day, every week. The algorithm wants consistency. You don’t need to do more than that, trust me.
Make sure what you post adds some sort of value. It should be interesting, informative or engaging in some way. Limit how often you include links, as LI wants original content and to keep people engaging with you on the platform, not bouncing all over or out of it. Always include 3-7 hashtags with every single thing you post or share. Don’t put hashtags in articles or comments.
The best posts with the widest reach are text only, adding value, with 3-5 hashtags, posted early in the day for your time zone. LI posts are amazing though because they stay active in feeds longer and have wider reach than any other platform. You’ll be getting activity on a good post for weeks after. Be patient though, again, it’s a long game to build up presence there.
Share one thing per week (the Share button on someone else’s post). The algorithm is touchy about resharing other peoples stuff too much. I use the Save feature to create a backlog of interesting things I might want to come back to or Share another time. Better to leave a comment on an interesting post than to share it. Comments you leave on other people’s posts will make them show up in your feed as if you posted it. Your comment is treated like valuable content. This can be very powerful!
It’s all about reciprocity and adding value! You’ll build up your understanding and your style how you want. You don’t have to do it the way I’ve done above, but it’s a solid starting place. Get in touch if you want specific help!
posted by iamkimiam at 12:05 AM on October 30, 2021 [15 favorites]
Oh and this is a biggie (and one I realised much too late): go through the settings, all of them, methodically, and make sure you’re receiving in-app notifications for things, so that you can respond and engage. As well as adjusting anything else you might want. In fact, I’m going to do this today myself, as I’m sure to want to make changes and updates!
posted by iamkimiam at 1:23 AM on October 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by iamkimiam at 1:23 AM on October 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
iamkimiam's advice is solid if you want to build some kind of following and become "well-known" on LinkedIn but it also sounds like a lot of work.
If you only want to use it as a place to hold your professional CV so that recruiters can find you, then don't worry about posting things or using Content Creator or "adding value". I've been on LinkedIn for 15 years and never done any of that, nor do I know anyone who does any of that. Despite only ever posting about 5 things, all to do with leaving or joining companies, I've got plenty of contacts and recruiters send me (unsolicited) job specs regularly. In fact, pushy LinkedIn recruiters are a source of amused grumbling in my industry, where LinkedIn use is common.
The key to LinkedIn is to actually go on to it occasionally, scroll through the feed, and "like" a few posts. Every now and then if one of your contacts posts a plea for help of some kind, share it with a simple message that says something like "Sarah at Acme Corp is looking for someone to be their new [role], know anyone who might be interested?". Occasionally comment on someone else's post, nothing fancy, something like "Congrats on the new job, [name of person you know]" will do fine. You'd be surprised what small acts of kindness, such as sharing someone's post, will be remembered by the person you did it for, especially if they're job hunting or otherwise in need of whatever help they can get.
Just build a gentle reputation as someone who is on their from time to time (loads of people never engage and may as well not be there) and is a non-pushy, friendly presence. +1 for endorsing other people and offering to swap recommendations, which does also mean, necessarily, asking to connect with people so you've got people to endorse and recommend, and vice versa.
Don't get sucked into debating with people who hold unpleasant or controversial views. It's not Facebook or Twitter. Keep your personal opinions to yourself unless you want to get a reputation for being outspoken (which some people do want, for reasons I can't fathom).
LinkedIn is a professional network, so act professionally. Be polite. Be courteous. Be friendly. Be helpful. Then forget about it as soon as you close the app.
posted by underclocked at 2:17 AM on October 30, 2021 [9 favorites]
If you only want to use it as a place to hold your professional CV so that recruiters can find you, then don't worry about posting things or using Content Creator or "adding value". I've been on LinkedIn for 15 years and never done any of that, nor do I know anyone who does any of that. Despite only ever posting about 5 things, all to do with leaving or joining companies, I've got plenty of contacts and recruiters send me (unsolicited) job specs regularly. In fact, pushy LinkedIn recruiters are a source of amused grumbling in my industry, where LinkedIn use is common.
The key to LinkedIn is to actually go on to it occasionally, scroll through the feed, and "like" a few posts. Every now and then if one of your contacts posts a plea for help of some kind, share it with a simple message that says something like "Sarah at Acme Corp is looking for someone to be their new [role], know anyone who might be interested?". Occasionally comment on someone else's post, nothing fancy, something like "Congrats on the new job, [name of person you know]" will do fine. You'd be surprised what small acts of kindness, such as sharing someone's post, will be remembered by the person you did it for, especially if they're job hunting or otherwise in need of whatever help they can get.
Just build a gentle reputation as someone who is on their from time to time (loads of people never engage and may as well not be there) and is a non-pushy, friendly presence. +1 for endorsing other people and offering to swap recommendations, which does also mean, necessarily, asking to connect with people so you've got people to endorse and recommend, and vice versa.
Don't get sucked into debating with people who hold unpleasant or controversial views. It's not Facebook or Twitter. Keep your personal opinions to yourself unless you want to get a reputation for being outspoken (which some people do want, for reasons I can't fathom).
LinkedIn is a professional network, so act professionally. Be polite. Be courteous. Be friendly. Be helpful. Then forget about it as soon as you close the app.
posted by underclocked at 2:17 AM on October 30, 2021 [9 favorites]
Fair point, underclocked! I misread the OP's follow-up and thought they wanted to build an ongoing presence. I'd suggest doing all the one-off things and not try to post consistently (but still follow the hashtag and other advice when you do post). You also don't need to turn on Content Creator. Oh, and I forgot to mention, you don't need LinkedIn pro, Sales Navigator or any of that other stuff. Even the free trial isn't worth it, unless you want full access to LinkedIn Learning for a month.
posted by iamkimiam at 2:55 AM on October 30, 2021
posted by iamkimiam at 2:55 AM on October 30, 2021
Depending on your field, it could be useful to have past clients endorse your skills.
posted by Kriesa at 7:42 AM on October 30, 2021
posted by Kriesa at 7:42 AM on October 30, 2021
Do make a comprehensive profile.
Do add people you know moderately well. (Some of this will be your effort, but as a late-to-LinkedIn person much will be invites to you from people finding out you've joined through various means LinkedIn has for doing that, and inviting you.)
Do not add people you don't know at all.
Do more than occasionally like other people's news and posts in the feed. It is free karma.
If you work for someone ... be a good sport with your company's management or PR/communication team in content creation but DO NOT CREATE CONTENT YOURSELF. LinkedIn content can take a life of its own and is an easy firing offense if that life is malign.
If you work for yourself ... create innocuous promotional content (new hires, new locations, new client wins or achievements if client approves the announcement in advance) but do not create opinion or thought leadership content unless you are a bona fide industry star. It can backfire on you very easily, and even when it doesn't, it really impresses no one.
posted by MattD at 12:18 PM on October 31, 2021 [1 favorite]
Do add people you know moderately well. (Some of this will be your effort, but as a late-to-LinkedIn person much will be invites to you from people finding out you've joined through various means LinkedIn has for doing that, and inviting you.)
Do not add people you don't know at all.
Do more than occasionally like other people's news and posts in the feed. It is free karma.
If you work for someone ... be a good sport with your company's management or PR/communication team in content creation but DO NOT CREATE CONTENT YOURSELF. LinkedIn content can take a life of its own and is an easy firing offense if that life is malign.
If you work for yourself ... create innocuous promotional content (new hires, new locations, new client wins or achievements if client approves the announcement in advance) but do not create opinion or thought leadership content unless you are a bona fide industry star. It can backfire on you very easily, and even when it doesn't, it really impresses no one.
posted by MattD at 12:18 PM on October 31, 2021 [1 favorite]
If you work for someone ... be a good sport with your company's management or PR/communication team in content creation but DO NOT CREATE CONTENT YOURSELF. LinkedIn content can take a life of its own and is an easy firing offense if that life is malign.
If you work for yourself ... create innocuous promotional content (new hires, new locations, new client wins or achievements if client approves the announcement in advance) but do not create opinion or thought leadership content unless you are a bona fide industry star. It can backfire on you very easily, and even when it doesn't, it really impresses no one.
The real problem here is that LinkedIn content of this kind takes two forms:
1) It's super anodyne and unopinionated. "COP26 is going to be important! / Looks like inflation is going up". Oh, thanks for telling me. In which case it's just going to be skipped.
2) It's too opinionated and will piss somebody off.
The exception is if you / your employer have taken a calculated position to be opinionated on something in a particular way or maybe your job is to publish opinionated analysis. I work in a field (advising investors on energy investments) where we have not taken an official view on many things (blue hydrogen, biomass fuels) that I have a very well informed professional view on and on which we do privately advise clients and for that reason I don't publish thought leadership on them.
posted by atrazine at 6:33 AM on November 1, 2021
If you work for yourself ... create innocuous promotional content (new hires, new locations, new client wins or achievements if client approves the announcement in advance) but do not create opinion or thought leadership content unless you are a bona fide industry star. It can backfire on you very easily, and even when it doesn't, it really impresses no one.
The real problem here is that LinkedIn content of this kind takes two forms:
1) It's super anodyne and unopinionated. "COP26 is going to be important! / Looks like inflation is going up". Oh, thanks for telling me. In which case it's just going to be skipped.
2) It's too opinionated and will piss somebody off.
The exception is if you / your employer have taken a calculated position to be opinionated on something in a particular way or maybe your job is to publish opinionated analysis. I work in a field (advising investors on energy investments) where we have not taken an official view on many things (blue hydrogen, biomass fuels) that I have a very well informed professional view on and on which we do privately advise clients and for that reason I don't publish thought leadership on them.
posted by atrazine at 6:33 AM on November 1, 2021
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Because, like, I've been on there for a decade or so, and my entire experience with it has been to a) ignore it and b) sometimes add people. If you'd like to achieve something with LinkedIn, probably better to be specific about what it is.
posted by sagc at 6:04 PM on October 29, 2021 [4 favorites]