LinkedIn Teaches You How To Connect For Clarity In Your Career
Linkedin has a great training area if you need help getting started with connecting for clarity in your career.
They have several videos with tips and strategies on using the platform. A sidebar on each video includes an overview outline, a Q&A, and a transcription of the video:
https://www.linkedin.com/learning/learning-linkedin-for-students/welcome
“A strong professional network can help to provide insight and advice, knowledge and the exchange of ideas, collaboration opportunities, access to resources, and often it will open the door to job opportunities.”
Here’s the video on networking tips to build a professional network.
https://www.linkedin.com/learning/learning-linkedin-for-students/create-a-professional-network
Tips to connect (use name, company, skill keyword) also limits of connecting and inMail:
https://www.linkedin.com/learning/learning-linkedin-for-students/connect-with-people-on-linkedin
Better search terms to use (location, not, or, and):
https://www.linkedin.com/learning/learning-linkedin-for-students/improve-your-linkedin-search
Alumni tool is pretty cool, helps drill down search terms with clicking through, also has start year end year:
https://www.linkedin.com/learning/learning-linkedin-for-students/the-alumni-tool
and this video talks about how to grab new search terms and insight from searching profiles:
Gold Nugget Key Points Transcript:
”Now I also recommend researching the profiles of other professionals in your field. This can be a great learning and eye opening experience. Find someone who’s been successful in your field, and holds a position that you would like to have at some point. Now, check out their profile. Take a look at their summary. Take a look at the path that they took to get there. Oftentimes we have a vision of our dream job, but don’t always realize that the path it takes to attain that specific job. Finding out the types of jobs that people have had which have led them to those positions can be very insightful.
see what types of things [they are] posting, and another thing that I think is very important is to look at the career path that [they] had to get here.
…oftentimes when people have a great job, they didn’t get that job out of college. They had other jobs that led them to that.
Now it’s also powerful to see in here the types of keywords that [they are] using because oftentimes this can be great insight into important keywords that you should use in your profile. ”
There are limits with direct messaging on the free version, a premium account unlocks that. Students can get a premium free trial for 12 months, giving you access to 3 InMails each month. More details can be found here:
https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/116339
You can get around the premium block by using other social media platforms to connect with who you find in your LinkedIn searching.
I wrote an article on other ways to connect using Recruitin.net which can search both LinkedIn and Twitter. The article also discusses mindset, which is where the overarching question comes from; having the mindset that you can do it and grooving the habit to do this type of connecting is important. Check it out here: brianpistone.com/careerclarity
