To: Team 4 Term, Student Writing Team ENGL 301
From: Yury Zhuk, Student ENGL 301 (yuryivz@hotmail.com)
Date: Oct 22, 2019
Subject: Best Practices Professional Networking LinkedIn

Memorandum

Hello Team,

I have gathered some research about the best practices for professional networking on LinkedIn, and enclosed is a brief summary.

1. It is important to have a professional email address. A simple email that contains your first and last name is effective.
   Network-building is a long-term commitment. Making connections, participating in discussions and understanding a particular field of work will benefit at the time of job applications
2. The profile should be optimized for search discovery and ranking. By including common job-specific keywords in the skills section for example, it will be easier to find a profile
3. The heading section is a valuable tool. The heading section can be used not only as a title, but also to help build a personal brand and reflect personality.
4. Follow up with connections a few times before asking for favours. Asking for a favour on the first interaction may seem impolite
5. A good photo is important. The photo is one of the first eye-catching thing a person visiting a profile sees; ideally this should be a professional head shot.
6. Maintain a complete profile. Filling in more sections of the LinkedIn profile will both help a visitor get a complete picture, as well as help the profile show up higher in the search results
7. The LinkedIn profile URL can be customized. The URL leading to a LinkedIn account can be customized to be shorter and easier to type.
8. Subscribing to pages and people on LinkedIn can aid making connections and finding new opportunities.
9. LinkedIn premium can aid in the job search. LinkedIn premium has a 1 month free trial that allows direct messaging outside connections, which may help a person connect with people at companies of interest.

LinkedIn can be a great platform to make connections and a tool in advancing a person’s career. These tips will help optimize your profile and get the best results.

References
Chignell, Barry. “LinkedIn Best Practices For Networking Success.” Social Hire, social-hire.com/blog/candidate/linkedin-best-practices-for-networking-success.

Korhan, Jeff. “10 LinkedIn Tips for Building Your Business.” Social Media Marketing | Social Media Examiner, 30 May 2012, www.socialmediaexaminer.com/linkedin-tips-business-building/.

“Networking.” Networking | UVA Career Center, University of Virginia, career.virginia.edu/networking.