Follow Companies
One of the coolest new features on LinkedIn (released April 29, 2010) is that you can now follow companies. For those familiar with the Facebook model where you can become a fan of a page or organization, it's quite similar but with a lot more benefits. By following a company like Apple, Microsoft or others, you can see status updates from that organization just like you would get from a person, including company news, new hires, departures and job listings. With LinkedIn's degrees of relevance, you might be surprised to know who in your network knows someone at that company or can put you in touch with the client or hiring manager for a position. Additionally, if you're a small business, you can actually see what people are following your company.
Search Your Competitors
This skill is certainly not specific to LinkedIn, as you should constantly be monitoring what your competitors are doing (not just companies, but individuals). If you work as a vice president of sales, do a quick search by title to see what other people with the same title have done with their LinkedIn profiles. You can see what is working for them, where they've been and more. That can in turn help you to make the most out of your profile, but more importantly maximize your value to your company.
Join Groups
Create them, join them and just get involved in them. Depending on your industry, there are plenty of groups that gather professionals in your field from similar positions and companies who you might not know. Users can click on the Groups tab at the top of the LinkedIn homepage to search groups formed around interests, industry or careers. As a group administrator, you can send out announcements to everyone in your subset or just read what others are up to.
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How To Network Effectively: Importance of Offline Networking
While online networks have certainly changed the industry and made it much easier to meet contacts and stay updated on their status and career news, nothing will ever touch the offline impact of face-to-face networking. The most obvious places you can network offline include "networking" events, conferences and more. And while many view conferences as an opportunity to learn information about new technologies and companies, it's also a great networking opportunity. And technology can help you both before and after the fact.
"When I go to a conference or networking event, I'm able to research the speakers and attendees online and see who I'm most interested in talking or listening to," says Darling. "In years past, you were stuck with a pamphlet and a three-line bio of folks, but now you can find out so much more. If it's someone I'm really interested in, I'll send them an email ahead of time with the header 'Look Forward to Meeting You at the Conference' and try to set up a time to talk."
Once you're actually at the event, the art of swapping business cards is just as important as it's always been. You can share your information with someone in just an instant, and many of the more creative individuals are including more than just basic information these days (LinkedIn URL's, personal websites, Twitter monikers, etc.). Some people even put their own photo on a business card, which is great in helping others remember who you were.
Again, technology and smartphones have made swapping information at an offline event easier than ever. With an innovative new app for the iPhone and Droid operating systems called Bump Technology, you can literally bump your phone with another person's and instantly your contact information is transferred (including info, pictures, calendar events, and even social network connections like LinkedIn). But once your information has been exchanged, it's vital you focus on engagement once you're home from the conference. Send a personal message to tell them how great it was to meet them, set up a time to meet again if they're in town, or join groups that they are a part of to engage in conversation.
Effective networking is all about the people you know and meeting new people through other people. Your network is only as strong as the way you manage it.
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