LinkedIn is a platform that allows you to broadcast your availability and your knowledge, and is a venue to market yourself as an expert. LinkedIn is not a job search platform or board. It is a serious business networking tool, which can be used for career management among other things.
Here are three ways to elevate your LinkedIn activity for executive career success:
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Be nosy
I choose to connect with and follow people I admire for their fortitude and knowledge. I am a very nosy person by nature (once a detective, always a detective), and so after viewing someone’s profile I take it one step further to review their recent activity to look for ways to open or expand a conversation.
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Be responsive
Have you gotten comments on the posts you’ve shared or written? Be sure to reply. I find that when I advance the online conversation this way it can heighten both my own online presence, and hopefully the other person’s as well.
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Be open
Do you ever peek at who has seen your profile? Let others peek at you as well! If you are in career transition, or actively managing your career as I encourage, your profile settings should remain open to achieve maximum visibility.
Don’t miss out when executive recruiters, HR professionals, and other career influencers go online seeking talent. If your profile settings are open, then when you view someone else’s profile they will see a notification with your name and LinkedIn headline. That could spur them to look at your profile as well, which could spark a lead or other prospect.
Note that if you are on a covert job search, you can temporarily adjust your privacy settings, visit the profile, and then re-open your privacy setting before logging out of LinkedIn.
Elevating your LinkedIn activity will bring significant rewards, and I have seen that people who actively like, share and comment advance their career far more than dormant users.
Remember that LinkedIn is your window to the world, and millions may be watching you. Be careful about what you post and how you comment. Be active, be intriguing, be compelling, be polite, and be professional in your LinkedIn presence.
