Should You Be Using LinkedIn?

When I first heard about and joined LinkedIn, I was a student taking a course on job skills (resume and cover letter writing, interviewing, social media, where to find jobs, etc). This course is how I landed all of my internships, and prepared me for getting a real job in the real world – which, by the way, is not as hard if you have the right tools.

In any case, I signed up for LinkedIn after a webinar in that class about social media and landing a job. The webinar outlined how many companies are relying on LinkedIn to see if you are well connected, and even using that platform as a referencing point, by reviewing your profile, recommendations, and even involvement in groups.

I was pretty much told that having a LinkedIn profile is a must, and that it’s a great way to get yourself out there and prove yourself.

So I made a profile. It’s been around three years since I made my profile and have certainly found it valuable in some instances.

Here are some reasons why you should be – nay, MUST be – using LinkedIn.

You Are a Business Major/Professional

If you have a degree in any business function, you must be on LinkedIn. It is very business oriented (you probably wont’ find a ton of nurses on LinkedIn) and is focused mostly on networking and “selling” yourself. Having a network, and building your personal brand are both important aspects of a successful career in business.

Companies will look at applicants on business oriented vacancies on LinkedIn more often than not, so hop on LinkedIn ASAP if you are a business major.

You Want to Utilize Your Network

There are so many times when I’ve fallen out of touch with a business contact, but then realized that staying in touch with them would have helped me immensely after the fact.

LinkedIn makes it easier for you to both keep in touch with your contacts, as well as reach out to them when you need something (and help them when they need something).

You’ll see your contact’s titles change and you can congratulate them to stay in touch. Or share a job opening at their company to make it easier for them to fill it.

I try to keep in touch with my contacts on LinkedIn, so if I ever need help on a project that they are a subject matter expert on, I can call on them to give me a hand.

You are Introverted And Don’t Like Networking Events

I don’t personally use my LinkedIn account to network with people that I don’t know and haven’t already met, but I do know one woman who does and she has grown her network to huge proportions all online. She doesn’t use it as a Facebook type platform, either, where she is connected with people she doesn’t know and then never talks to them. She connects with people, actually meets them and reaches out to them, and gets herself known from the comfort of a computer.

I do like that I can keep up with my network from afar, though. I am not one for networking events (though I’ll go if I have to) because they make me feel awkward.

You are Extroverted And Love Networking Events

This is even a great reason to be on LinkedIn. If you enjoy these events and frequent them, it’s a good way to remember who people are, where they work, and what they look like.

Think of LinkedIn as a virtual business card in this case. I went to one networking event, and just used my iPhone to add the people I was chatting with on LinkedIn so I could keep them as contacts.

You can learn so much more about a person on LinkedIn rather than just having their business card.

As I am sure you can tell, I’m a fan of LinkedIn for a variety of reasons. If you have an account but don’t use it, I’d recommend familiarizing yourself with the website.