To: Write or Flight, ENGL 301 Writing Team
From: Justin Tang, ENGL 301 Write or Flight Member
Date: March 6, 2023
Subject: Ten Best Practices for Using LinkedIn for Networking
LinkedIn has become synonymous with professional networking worldwide. Having a mastery over LinkedIn is essential for developing your career and expanding your professional network. Below I have summarized the top ten best practices when using LinkedIn.
- Completing and refining your profile will make it easier to for anyone looking at it to have a quick snapshot of who you are; this includes a a professional headshot as a profile picture (Balkhi, 2022; Jensen, 2017).
- Turning your summary into your story provides you an opportunity to really show who you are as a person besides the list of skills and jobs you have before (Deehan, 2023).
- Researching prior to reaching out to someone will help in maintaining conversation and formulating questions about their experiences and journey to their role; that you are interested in.
- Reaching out to have a chat with someone is one of the best ways to to expand your personal network. Ask the person engaging questions that are relevant to their area of expertise.
- Customizing your connection request with a personalized note will increase the likelihood of an accepted request. This includes an introduction and how you found them.
- Including an email address to be easier to reach and increase the likelihood of being contacted by a recruiter (Jensen, 2017).
- Connecting with alumni from your university can highlight potential networking opportunities (Suder)
- Networking after business hours might lead to more interaction exposure, as statistics show that only 8.33 percent of users use LinkedIn during working hours (Suder).
- Joining LinkedIn groups can connect you to like-minded people to connect with (Balkhi, 2022).
- Participating in LinkedIn Groups will help develop expertise on the topic of discussion and help become more visible recruiters and experts(Balkhi, 2022; Suder).
In conclusion, ensure that you have a complete personalized profile, don’t be scared to reach out to individuals that are in a field you are interested in, and find ways to engage with different groups of people such as interests of alumni. Please contact me at jtang102@student.ubc.ca if you have any questions or are interested in having a conversation.
Works Cited
Balkhi, Syed. “TIPS for Successful Networking on Linkedin.” Business.com, OptinMonster, WPBeginner, WPForms, MonsterInsights, and List25, 29 June 2022, https://www.business.com/articles/linkedin-networking-tips/
Jensen, David G. “The Keys to a Powerful LinkedIn Profile.” Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science), 2017. https://www.science.org/content/article/keys-powerful-linkedin-profile
Deehan, Jane. “20 Steps to a Better Linkedin Profile in 2022.” LinkedIn, 1 Jan. 2023, https://www.linkedin.com/business/sales/blog/profile-best-practices/17-steps-to-a-better-linkedin-profile-in-2017
Suder, Ronda. “How to Use Linkedin Effectively during Your Job Search.” TopResume, 13 Dec. 2021, https://ca.topresume.com/career-advice/14-ways-to-leverage-your-linkedin-profile-during-your-job-search
Leave a Reply