I’ve got a LinkedIn account, now what?Making a basic account work for you

Jane Wong, Consultant Social Media Planner

A friend invited you to join, and you didBut then you weren’t sure what to do with itOf the 4million Australians on LinkedIn this is commonSo it’s time to get cracking

A basic LinkedIn account is freeLinkedIn has revolutionised how the world connects professionallyFor some it’s a way to post their credentials without actively being seen to be job hunting

LinkedIn has over 200million members globallyUse it to raise your professional profile locally and internationallyGenerate career and business opportunities by being involvedLearn, share and broaden your horizons

Anonymous accounts are pointlessIt’s like hiding at the back of the crowd, no one will see your potential

Treating it as an online job noticeboard won’t get you noticed

But participating regularly and making community contributions will

Your profile is the new ‘first impression’It’s normal to be googled before meeting someone professionally for the first time So your LinkedIn profile may be what they see first

Create a great personaThe best profiles are rich with relevant informationThey’re like a candid conversation about yourself They’re not just a list of prior employers

Have an avatarUnless you work with Disney don’t make it a cartoonA photo of you, head and shoulders only, keep the background simpleA personal brandmark will maintain continuity between social accounts

Consider yourself as a productMake your strengths stand outState your career goalsUse tools like Behance’s Creative Portfolio Display app

Use SEO to help you get discoveredIf you were looking for someone like yourself, what search terms would you include? Use them in your profileMake you public profile available to everyone for search purposes

It’s not necessarily your resumeYou can upload a formal resume separately for contacts to downloadSo think of what would make your profile stand out from the crowd

Build your networkImport your email contacts and look at LinkedIn’s suggestions of others you may knowFind the people you were educated with and who share alumnisLook at company pages for former colleagues and suppliersConnect with the people you meet at events

The people with the most friends don’t always winTrue value will come from adding people to your network that you’ve met or have an online relationship withA reference from someone you respect is recommended but choose wisely, less is actually more – gravitas rather than peer popularity

Wallflowers don’t get invited to danceBeing social is the key to being discoveredActive participation will draw others to you

Matchmaking can help you and your contactsIntroduce people within your network to others who may benefit from the professional connection

Everyone has an opinionContribute by commenting on your network’s updatesJoin groups where you can contribute to discussionsParticipate in polls and share business knowledge So answer questionsAnd ask questions

Consider yourself as a brandLinkedIn is a personal PR tool – use it in a dignified wayDon’t over share personal details, think before postingAct like Barack Obama not tabloid celebrities

Build your own villageYou can create your own professional groupsAsk people to join and keep the conversation livelyOpen your group so that it can appear in search results

A little bit of application goes a long wayYou can stay top of mind within your network with regular updatesAdd up to 6 LinkedIn profile apps to share what’s happening in your career

Rub shouldersInvite others to join you at events that you’re attending via LinkedInWhen you meet new people, use LinkedIn as a secure point of contact for them to follow up with you afterwards

Overlap your social platformsUse Facebook Search to find existing LinkedIn profiles that may be usefulLink your professional blogs and websitesLink your professional - but not personal - Twitter account to your updates streamDownload a Twitter list of your LinkedIn network

You’ll catch more flies with honey than vinegarLies, spamming and hijacking threads are not acceptableAvoid banalities, expletives and controversial posts that may reflect negatively on your career, clients or employerBe polite, thank others for their positive reinforcement or contribution

You got mailRegularly check your inbox for updates and invitationsIt is acceptable to exchange inmail before accepting an invitationYou do not have to accept every invitation that you receive

Who’s looking at you?On the home page follow the link to see who’s viewed your profileAdjust your setting to allow others to see if you’ve visited their profilesYou may find a new career lead

It doesn’t hurt to look aroundCheck out the jobs advertisedYou may find interesting leads for yourself and others, so share themIntroduce yourself to others who may share professional synergy

Lazy webYou can effectively seek out potential job candidates on LinkedInBut avoid asking non connections to find you those people

A central line of contactSave a few trees and make LinkedIn your digital business cardAdd your email address and phone number to your profile for your contactsWith LinkedIn mobile apps you can instantly connect networks via bluetooth plus store all connection details in your smartphone contacts

Get discovered beyond the LinkedIn websiteFor ease of discovery your Linkedin public profile URL can be made into a vanity URLFor example mine is www.linkedin.com/in/wongnumber If you leave a comment at a news site or a professional blog, enter your LinkedIn public profile URL in the ‘your website’ sectionAdd your URL to your professional Twitter profileShare your profile URL to any of your other social networks Make it part of your ‘about me’ if you have a blog relevant to your professionAdd it to an about.me splash page or similarAdd it to your email signature

Learn to be socialSchedule some regular time to visit LinkedIn and to participateRead LinkedIn’s Today section which aggregates the most shared news updatesCheck out who’s new, there may always be someone you knowUse desktop or web apps such as Hootsuite to concurrently view your network’supdates from LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook or many other social networks

Sitting on your hands achieves nothingEnjoy LinkedIn for bringing you opportunity, friendship and knowledgeIt is the new way to assist you with your career and businessYou needn’t be aggressive to reap the rewards, just active

Created by Jane Wong, Social Media Planner

An Advertising and Marketing specialist for over 20years, this guide is the result of Jane’s personal experience of using a basic Linkedin account. And the ROI of LinkedIn for her? She has made excellent contacts and derives 70% of her commissioned work from approaches made by LinkedIn members.

© The Wong Number, May 2011. Updated March 2013.http://www.linkedin.com/in/wongnumber