Get LinkedUP on LinkedIN!

After graduating, I was told by my Dad to get on LinkedIn. I had no idea what it was at first and why is my father asking ME to get on a social networking site? Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?! Well I've been out of college for over a year now and I'm very happy I joined LinkedIn.

Ann Handley wrote an article for Entrepreneur.com titled "A Guide to Generating Leads on LinkedIn," which I've found to be very helpful. According to this chart in her article, LinkedIn is hugely popular and preferred over some of the other social networking websites.

How people use LinkedIn is also examined in this article. "Market-research firm Lab42 finds that top-level executives and entry-level workers use LinkedIn differently: Younger members use the site mostly to post résumés and network for jobs, while more experienced professionals use it to demonstrate thought leadership and expertise, promote their businesses, conduct market research and--perhaps most important--win new business." I primarily use the website to job search and connect with people to build my network, but in the future I can definitely see myself using it for other reasons.

I've also found joining groups on LinkedIn to be worthwhile. When you join a group, people in that group can also post jobs relevant to the group topic, such as Public Relations jobs in "Young PR pros." Members can also start discussions and ask for or give advice. Groups are an easy and effective way to connect with people who share the same profession or interests as you.

LinkedIn can be a great resource for job searching or for businesses to post jobs and connect with other companies, but it certainly takes some time to figure out this social networking site and be sure to not turn your LinkedIn page into a Facebook page. Your connections on LinkedIn don't care about how you feel about the Cardinals winning the World Series!