Utilizing online Social NetworksUtilizing Online Social NetworksSocial networking is far from a new idea, but as technology advances so do the benefits of using this type of networking. A site called LinkedIn gives professionals an opportunity to network with others in similar fields, or those in other organizations a person may have an interest in. This type of social network allows people in the professional community to stay connected. There are also many other new technologies that are now available which allow a person to manage their professional and business contacts.
In the past, the easiest way to communicate with someone if not in person was to send a letter via the United States Postal Service or call someone on the telephone. When the internet was developed and people were given the ability to communicate online, effective communication became faster and easier. Web sites such as LinkedIn allow members to make connections with other people and organizations. The site keeps your list of contact details of each of the people in your social network. A member of LinkedIn can send an invitation to any one they choose to become a connection. Staying connected with your own professional connections and community using this social network allows a person to not only have their own direct connections but also the following: mutual contacts, job opportunities in a desired field, to be introduced to others you may want to come in contact with, find people, and find other business opportunities and connections.
LinkedIn and other social networking sites also allow employers and organizations to find potential candidates for open positions they are seeking to fill. Also, an actual job seeker has the ability to search and review the profiles of organizations they are interested in working with. They can find out when they are hiring, and see if they have a connection that is able to introduce them. A person can also “stay connected by following organizations and receiving notifications about open job opportunities” (LinkedIn Coporation, 2011).
LinkedIn can assist human service professionals with staying connected by, first and foremost, adding people you already know to your list of contacts. When joining LinkedIn, you can “import” friends from any email accounts you have, as well as adding contacts from other social networking sites. The ability is there to either build an online profile or create a more professional identity; when searching for a person, their professional identity will appear first. LinkedIn also assists when you are looking for a specific individual in a certain organization, or if you want to find out what position a person holds in the organization they are associated with. How to Use LinkedIn (2011) also mentions that LinkedIn can be used to stay connected by “approaching other professionals through emails”. Any ties a person has to the community will also help them in being able
to make contact information and add connections.
5.3 Adding your friends
LinkedIn can offer you connections and relationships as a result of how a person looks at you. This means that it can help with your work experience, career goals, and career outlook. For example, you might search for a woman in the tech industry, or start a business to help people with different technical skills. In social networking circles, LinkedIn users can be seen as friends. On LinkedIn, the best thing they can do when joining an organization is to show up at meetings, social networks, and chat groups where you can discuss topics you are interested in. This way they will go on to learn from each other and will have the knowledge to meet you later in life.
In a workplace, there are certain things that you can and should do whenever you’re looking to connect to other people. If you live in a major metropolitan area, like San Jose, for example, you may find yourself in much of the same city. LinkedIn provides a place to set up meetings, connect with other people, and learn more about your potential employer’s employees. In general, these are places where you will be most in touch with the people you are currently working with and find you will be more likely to collaborate more frequently to achieve your goals.
5.4 Linking up with other people
LinkedIn lets you:
Make an individual or local contact list
Check with other businesses
Identify a particular geographic area
You can learn more about your business goals before you join LinkedIn, and you will be the best of friends if you follow our recommendations.
5.5 Using LinkedIn to connect with individuals in the same way you would use an email address in your real life
LinkedIn can provide you with connections that are important to you. If you want to reach out to potential employers and meet other people who have similar interests to your interests, it is a safe bet that you will use LinkedIn just as much as you would. As an example from my previous article, when I met my former boss at a tech conference, she gave us photos of myself posing for some of her staff while she was at the conference. When we were with her other employees, I knew they were interested in us.
When I first met my current boss at a tech conference, there was a bit different on the topic of how he would look at us. He said he was not interested in looking at an office, so his current company needed to find something to work on for him to look at—so I knew I didn’t have much to work with. However, given that I got an invitation to meet with our current CEO directly at the conference. (It was actually a job exchange, not an internship. I had worked with another person directly at the conference before and it was the first time I worked with a former CEO there.) As I walked up to him, his face lit up. He was interested in how I had worked and he was quite surprised to hear what he had actually looked for.
This approach makes sense because every time I go on LinkedIn meetings, I check LinkedIn people that are a few stories away. This is a great way to get a list of LinkedIn’s top executives in your office (or the room). For example, if our current CEO is a longtime partner at the Fortune 500 companies, LinkedIn’s list of top 20 companies includes a great list of tech executives in every position. It