LinkedIn: Social Networking For Professionals

In addition to recommendations, LinkedIn groups are especially useful, allowing you to follow topics that interest you and to expand your professional connections. For example, for a freelance writer, it may be useful to find groups related to freelancing. Through a search, you find the "Freelance professionals" group which is dedicated to freelancers from all walks of life.

To learn more about groups, select the "Groups" option from the top-left navigation. (You'll see a drop-down list of options when you move your cursor over it; ignore them for now.) From here you can access your groups, read discussions that you're following, search the groups directory, or create a group. If you decide to join a group, you'll likely find that there is an application process involved. Since LinkedIn targets professionals, most people that create groups establish criteria as to who can join. Don't worry; applying is easy, and you are almost always accepted if you take the time to describe why you want to join.

A search using the word "freelance" under the category "Network Group" yielded 434 results, with the two most popular being Consultants Network and Designers Talk. (Results are sorted from most members to least members.)

Valuable networking opportunities exist for participants of groups. By joining groups, you gain access to resources and information that may help you reach your business goals. Yet groups can sometimes be mismanaged, allowing people who only intend to shamelessly promote themselves and their services to join. Interesting conversation topics may get hijacked, ruining the experience for the rest of the group. A well-managed group will either discourage this sort of activity or have a subforum for self-promotion.

If you find that groups aren't sufficient in expanding your network and increasing you potential to find the perfect job, LinkedIn offers an advanced job search. You can search by keyword, country, and postal code or perform an advanced job search, all accessible from the "Jobs" link in the top-left navigation. In addition to finding jobs posted directly to LinkedIn, you're also able to browse jobs with the built-in Simply Hired search engine.

An interesting feature of the Simply Hired search results is the option to find who you may know inside and outside your network. For example, during your search for writing jobs you may encounter a job opportunity at publishing company Houghton Mifflin. To the right, you'll see a button like the one shown here asking "Who do I know at Houghton Mifflin?" Clicking this button will show all relevant connections that are one, two, three, or more degrees away from you. You're then able to communicate to existing connections or build new ones to get you closer to the job you want.

A June 2009 survey conducted by Jump Start Social Media found that 75 percent of hiring managers researching the credentials of job applicants use LinkedIn to perform reference checks. Rosina Racioppi, president of WOMEN Unlimited, Inc., told Jump Start, "Utilizing social media tools enables hiring managers to assess whether a candidate is an appropriate fit for their organization."

As social media becomes more prevalent in our lives, remember that online information isn't always private. With friends, employers, and even government agencies looking at profiles on LinkedIn and Facebook, you give up some of our privacy by using these sites. It's important to not only to be aware how you represent yourself, but also how you can protect yourself.

Fortunately, LinkedIn is comparatively secure. In July 2009, researchers at Cambridge University ranked LinkedIn and Bebo as having some of the best privacy settings among social networking sites. LinkedIn demonstrates its commitment to privacy by making public its privacy practices and having independent organization TRUSTe review those practices for compliance.

As a LinkedIn member, you can control who views your content by selecting the "Settings" link in the top-right navigation and accessing your privacy settings. By selecting "Profile Views", you can detail what information is shown on your public profile. Selecting "Profile and Status Updates" allows you to control who is notified of changes to your profile. Additionally, you can hide your connections from other users by selecting "Connections Browse" from the privacy settings menu.

As you modify your privacy settings, keep in mind the purpose of your profile. With many social networking sites, more publicity yields less privacy. If you set your privacy settings too high on LinkedIn, you may lose out on job opportunities and chances to make connections. Set them too low, and you may end up with hundreds of invitations from complete strangers.

Let's use the "Connections Browse" option as an example. If you're a sales professional, you might want to control who sees your network of sales connections, particularly from competitors who may search out your profile. But if you're a small business owner, it may be more advantageous to show your connections, allowing others to see how related you are to your community. So for one person the security setting may be beneficial; to another it may be a disadvantage.

As a business tool, LinkedIn has many advantages. The social networking site provides users the opportunity to tap into a rich source of casual and professional connections. Groups can be joined and started, allowing for like-minded individuals to share their personal experiences. The ability to add a detailed résumé as well as give and receive recommendations allows users to market themselves to a broad audience. The site allows you to take old-fashioned networking techniques to a new level.

Yet, there are also disadvantages. For example, many members utilize the site to self-promote, primarily spamming user groups with messages about some new product or service they offer. This self-promotion can be annoying and even disruptive. Another disadvantage for some people is that the free "personal" account limits their ability to make a business connection with someone they don't know, devaluing the personal account to the point of not being worth using.

And of course, there are users who will do anything to increase the size of their network for their own motives. Strangers may send friend requests, asking to join your network. If you allow them to join, they may later ask you to pass on introductions to other people in your network, wasting your time and efforts. In this case, it's always advisable to be wary when adding strangers. But there may be times when it makes sense to add someone you don't know well, allowing you to branch out to a different field or region of the world.

As you ponder the advantages and disadvantages of LinkedIn, remember that humans are social creatures with an innate desire to connect. LinkedIn focuses on professional relationships, making the creation and maintenance of business contacts easier. By clearly defining your goals and taking reasonable precautions to mitigate risks, you'll likely have a very rewarding experience.

Last update: March 5, 2010