Why LinkedIn Matters In Your Career Journey

Scroll, scroll and scroll some more... wishing, wondering if THE RIGHT next opportunity, article, person will just strike you- NOPE- that isn't going to do it!

LinkedIn is a professional networking tool that will work for you while you are sleeping IF you:

1. Set up your profile correctly

2. You make it a point to engage on the platform on a regular basis

Now don't get me wrong- no matter how you feel about social media, I get it. I was a very late joiner to Facebook and Instagram and I'm still not the best user of those platforms.

But, LinkedIn is different. It is a professional platform, or at least that is the intent of my use, for:

• Career development

• Training

• Making professional connections

• Following and staying in the know for certain companies/organizations

• Engaging with prospects

• Building a network consistently and authentically

• Learning

• And on and on I could go

Did you know:

• LinkedIn is older than Facebook; it was started in 2003

• There are more than 830M members... across 200+ countries, so a larger network than Facebook. For more information, see this article.

• It is used by 97% of recruiters and HR folks to fill open positions AND if you have an all star profile, your chances increase by 71% of getting that initial interview.

• 75-80% of decision makers are on LinkedIn- actively!

So, what does this mean for you?

• Whether you are in job search mode or not, you are definitely missing out on this key part of your career development if you don't ENGAGE regularly on LinkedIn.

• No matter if own a large business, work in a non-profit, are a professional, individual contributor or VP/CFO and are reading this, if you do not have a robust personal profile, you are missing out- on information, connections, potential new business and sharing what's great about your organization AND optimizing your own personal development.

KNoW 'em before you need 'em.

Years ago, this was a slogan on a billboard for a health system in my area and it has always stuck with me.

I think this absolutely applies to building and maintaining a network.

Life is about connections. Work is about connections. Career development is about relationships- real, authentic relationships. No one wants to receive ingenuine outreach on LinkedIn or otherwise ONLY when they need something or when you are in a desperate job search..

LinkedIn is like anything else. You have to make it a priority or it won't happen.

To get started, use this checklist to enhance your profile:

1. Don't hide. Your job is to be found- as either a candidate or expert in your field. Stop putting up roadblocks to making yourself reachable/available.

2. Say cheese! Make sure you have a professional photo taken and uploaded in the last 12 months. Your profile is 7-9x more likely to be viewed if you have a profile pic.

3. Schedule time to engage. Make it a priority weekly to comment or engage on posts, follow organizations or read an article. Scrolling doesn't count.

4. Recommendations. Give your own or someone else's profile a boost. Ask for or provide a recommendation.

One more tip: download the LinkedIn app for ease of use. However, be aware- some functions differ between the app and the desktop version.

Looking for more tips? Feel free to schedule a personal career strategy session with me here now.