Social Networking

LinkedIn is not the only on-line network, but for business and career connections it is the best. So, why am I still getting so much resistance?

In discussions that played out over several months, a prospective client for a LinkedIn profile told me in our last conversation that he was not yet convinced that this was a good venue for him (his prospects are CEOs of private companies in the $5-$20 million arena), but he would ask a few of his peers and if they recommended it, he would hire me to optimize his profile. He would call me the following week.

I never heard from him again.

So, for him, and for others with the same mindset, go to Amazon and buy a copy of “Let's Connect: Using LinkedIn to get ahead at work”, by Ajay Jain. An easy read and the perfect primer for people who deep-down know they need to be active in at least one social network but are unsure of how to go about it.

Improving your LinkedIn profile and your e-mail address

How often do you review a LinkedIn profile of a colleague or a potential business partner or new hire and you see that he/she has the following under “Websites”:

My Website
My Company
My Blog
My Portfolio

Often, right?

It would so much better project a professional image, if this section instead revealed:

The web site’s name or expertise (e.g. orchids for every occasion)
The company’s name (e.g. Sailing for Fun, Inc.)
The blog’s name (e.g. The Accidental Gardener)
The portfolio’s focus (e.g. business coaching around the world)

This is easy to accomplish (just change the name, retain the URL) and the profile owner comes across as being more professional than most. If this is a tweak you should make, do it; it will set you apart from the competition.

Sort of the same thing with e-mail addresses.

If your e-mail address is info@xyz.com, or your web site offers contact choices of info@, sales@, quotes@, etc., you may miss inquiries that could lead to sales. Business depends on personal relationships; people want to do business with people, not with characters. sam@xyz.com or suzie@xyz.com is bound to generate more interest than info@xyz.com.

Finding Your Next Job

It puzzles me, when I learn from women how poorly they are "connected" in Social Networks, especially the network for professionals, LinkedIn, that they do not seem to realize how important this is for their careers.

Example One:
Connie shunned Social Networks and had no use at all for LinkedIn while she was (very well!) employed by a prominent, international brand in transportation. Then, her employer merged with another company, her postion was eliminated and she was laid off. She then decided to create a LinkedIn profile, where all her listed positions were "past". Even though mergers and lay-offs are not an employee's fault, did Connie realize that recruiters might not favor someone who is not currently employed?

Example Two:
Kathleen has a very busy job with a hip global consumer goods company. When asked why she has no LinkedIn profile, her response was that her employer does not allow it and that she does not want to start one on her own time, because "I work 55 or more hours a week and when I get home I want to do other things". Her absence from LinkedIn makes her invisible to recruiters who may be searching for candidates to fill a position even better than the one she has now.

Example Three:
Doreen's situation is similar to Kathleen's, although, unlike her, she complains a lot about her workload and the menial tasks the CEO of this high-profile membership organization expects her and her direct-reports to perform for him (such as picking up his dry cleaning or having his car washed - can you believe it, in 2009?). She knows she should expand her skimpy LinkedIn profile and update it regularly, but she says she has no time during the day and is too tired in the evenings, while her week-ends are spent shopping or with friends. How will she find her next job, if she ever decides she is tired of her current employer, or he of her?

It is my hope that women in "Corporate America" will begin to think of themselves more as entrepreneurs, responsible for their own careers, and in doing so employ all the necessary tools at their disposal. Among these, a LinkedIn profile is at the top - effective and free!

The Value of LinkedIn

"Many professionals still don't understand how LinkedIn can be valuable on a daily or weekly basis." These are not my words. They are Reid Hoffman's. In an interview with Inc. magazine (May 2009 issue), LinkedIn's founder recounts his entrepreneurial career, ending with a tip on how to stay current as a professional - through the use of LinkedIn, of course.

I was not an early fan of this social network when I was first introduced to it about 5 years ago, but especially in the past 6 months or so, I have clearly seen its value and now I am a huge fan. If you're not already in LinkedIn and using all it has to offer, you are missing opportunities for your career or business.