What is LinkedIn? Reviews of the professional social network LinkedIn. What is LinkedIn Linkedin professional

It is difficult to find a person who is not registered in any social network. Of course, today this is one of the most important components of constant communication with friends, acquaintances, and fellow interests. However, for the most part, all this concerns social life, but what about professional life? After all, it is no less important to be aware of what is happening in your professional field, communicate with colleagues, exchange knowledge and experience, and build up. For some, it will be a real discovery that there is a network created specifically for these purposes. It's called LinkedIn. In Russia, few people know about it yet, and those who know do not quite understand how it can be useful. Therefore, in this article we will fill this gap and tell LinkedIn how to use it and why.

Why is LinkedIn needed?

Tell me what you are doing to find your old friend or former classmate? Obviously, log into your account on one of the social networks - Odnoklassniki, VKontakte or Facebook. What do you think recruiters in America (and many in Europe) do in order to find good professional for a vacancy that opens in the company? No, they don’t go to job sites, they go straight to LinkedIn. Why? Because they know that there they can find the one they need, having received information about him detailed information and recommendations guaranteeing the candidate’s professionalism. Do you want the job to look for you, and not you for it? Then you need a professional network on LinkedIn - don't waste time and sign up soon!

LinkedIn Code of Conduct

How does this resource work? Its point is to make professional connections, gain experience and share knowledge with colleagues and, of course, find a job. But it's not that simple. Let's go in order.

Creating and filling out a profile

The first thing you do is register and fill out your online profile. This is similar to a resume, but more detailed and useful. Try to fill it as completely as possible (not 20-30%, but 100%). What information should I provide? A good place to start would be to provide the following information:

1. Full name and the name of your specialization/profession.

4. something like cover letter. List your aspirations and goals here. Write what you like about your profession and what development plans you have.

5. Contacts. Moreover, the more there are, the better. This and mobile connection, and emails, and Skype.

6. Awards, certificates, tests, etc. If you have any of this, don't forget to write about it.

All this information must be filled out carefully and thoughtfully, because what is a LinkedIn profile? This is your professional face, which means you need to treat it accordingly.

Professional activity: first steps

Your work does not end with filling out your resume profile, but only the beginning. Now you need to get your first contacts. Add your friends, colleagues. One day, one of them may help you meet the right person. Join professional interest groups, the maximum number is 50 (it is better to use the entire permitted maximum). What to do in groups? Gain new knowledge, follow developments and news in your field of activity, acquire new useful contacts.

By the way, about skills. Go to the pages of your colleagues and confirm their skills, they will answer you in the same way. This will make them more significant, because other people have confirmed them.

Networking and networking

Now you need to actively increase your contacts and make yourself known. What is LinkedIn? This is the place to find a professional. Recruiters post interesting vacancies here and also search for candidates on their own by viewing groups and evaluating participants. This is why it is very important to be active - do not neglect to participate in discussions, give advice and answer questions on forums (of course, if you know the answer for sure). This will make you noticeable. Believe me, soon you will start receiving job offers that you won’t have time to turn down (or maybe you’ll find your dream job this way).

In addition, add to your contacts executives and managers of companies that interest you, recruiters and specialists working in your professional field. The more connections you have, the faster they will grow, the more chances you will have to find interesting offers and develop your career.

Contacts: careful selection

However, be selective in your contacts - add people who connect you with professional and business interests, colleagues and simply useful individuals. But you shouldn’t add a neighbor on the landing, for example, or an acquaintance from a vacation in Turkey. This can sometimes work against you. If you already have someone you don’t like on your list of professional connections, it will be useful for you to know how to delete a contact on LinkedIn. This is easy to do: in the “Network” menu, select “Address Book”, in the “Contacts” tab, find the “Delete contacts” link, select the people you want to delete, then click on the corresponding button. Those users who have been removed from your contact list will receive notifications about this.

LinkedIn is an important step on your professional path

Even if on this moment you are not looking for a job, update your information regularly professional experience, acquired skills, maintain contacts. One day, when you want to change your job, it won’t be difficult to do so.

This resource is not yet very popular in Russia. Not many people know what LinkedIn is. Reviews about this professional network vary, and all because people do not understand its importance and benefits for their professional development. However, there is no doubt that there is a benefit. Just think - today there are more than 200 million registered users, about half of them in America. The network is popular in Europe and even in India. Therefore, if you plan to build a career abroad in the future, you must register on LinkedIn - and the sooner the better.

Deleting an account on LinkedIn: instructions

Although this professional social network is very useful, there may be reasons why you want to delete your account. Well, this is everyone’s business and right. If you have made this decision, then read on to learn how to remove yourself from LinkedIn. Here are the step-by-step instructions:

1. Go to your profile and click on the button with your name located in the upper right corner.

2. It will open in which you need to select the “Settings” item. Under the "Account" tab, you will see the "Delete account" option.

3. Go to it and select the reason why you want to leave the network.

4. Confirm your account information by clicking "Account Verification".

5. On the next page, perform the final action - click “Delete account”. It will be closed for 72 hours.

This is how easy it is to delete your profile on a professional network, let alone open and fill it out. If you already have a large network of contacts and you have been active user, a member of groups, then think carefully before saying goodbye to LinkedIn. Feedback from many professionals and recruiters says that this resource, sooner or later, can be very useful for everyone. Therefore, if you have not yet experienced the usefulness of the network, you should not give up its capabilities. Surely a case will come up when she will help you move up the career ladder or make useful contacts.

Based on everything we've covered, what is LinkedIn in a nutshell? This is VKontakte, but not for friendly, but for professional communication and growth.

LinkedIn is a social network for finding and establishing business contacts, launched in 2003 by Reid Hoffman. The site currently has more than 380 million registered members representing 150 business sectors. The resource is available in 24 languages, including Russian.

LinkedIn is an unusual social network. This is not Facebook or VKontakte. There are no cats, funny videos, “life” statuses or debates in the comments. This is a purely business space where you can post a vacancy, establish useful contacts with partners and clients, and just chat about your interests - business interests.

Using a LinkedIn profile, you can make something beautiful or create. We’ve already talked about how to boost your LinkedIn resume. Today we will talk about how to create a profile that allows you to present yourself as a super professional and earn respect in business circles.

Why fill out your profile?

According to statistics, only 51% of LinkedIn members have a 100% complete profile. And in vain. After all, the less information, the lower the effectiveness of the profile.

Profile efficiency is an indicator showing whether there is enough information about you and your professional qualities to establish new business contacts. The corresponding icon is located on the right side of the profile and is measured as a percentage: from initial to “star” level.

The search algorithm on LinkedIn is such that profiles with the highest performance scores are displayed first. Therefore, it is recommended to fill out your page as accurately and thoroughly as possible. Otherwise, recruiters and potential partners simply won’t notice you.

For maximum efficiency, you need to install a photo (more on the intricacies of its selection below) and indicate:

• field of activity and place of residence;
• current position (with description);
• two previous places of work;
• information about education;
• skills (minimum three);
• interest groups (at least a couple).

You also need to establish at least 50 connections with LinkedIn members. Read below to learn how to properly form your network and receive recommendations.

Basic settings

Do you want to stand out among millions of users? Please pay due attention to completing your profile.

Name

LinkedIn is a business network; nicknames and humorous nicknames like “sales star” or “development ninja” are not appropriate there. Please indicate your real name, surname and patronymic.

Professional header

This is the most important element on your page. Its maximum length is 120 characters. Be brief but creative. The title should make it clear who you are and what you do.

The professional title, as well as the job description, should be optimized for search engines. But don't stuff these fields keywords, like a duck with apples: two or three relevant keywords are enough.

Use standard job titles and professions: not “copywriting guru,” but “copywriter.” However, it is acceptable to include any academic degrees you have in the title. For example, not a psychologist, but a candidate of psychological sciences. This not only speaks volumes about who you are, but also indicates how successful you are in your field.

Be sure to indicate your field of activity to be more visible in searches.

Link to profile

It should be simple and short so that people can easily find you. Your URL is in the light gray box below your name and title.

Click on the "Change your public profile settings" button and update your LinkedIn address to a readable format. It must contain from 5 to 30 characters.

Correct: linkedin.com/in/jameseaton.

There is no shame in placing a beautiful LinkedIn address on your business card.

Contact details

Be sure to fill out your contact information: number mobile phone, email, Twitter and so on.

General information

In this block, briefly (maximum 2,000 characters) describe career achievements you are proud of and your business ambitions.

Education

This block is most important for those who do not yet have work experience. Some HR specialists are interested in graduates of certain universities.

Members' profiles with educational institutions are viewed seven times more often. Be sure to indicate the name of the university (up to 100 characters), years of study and add a description (maximum - 1,000 characters), that is, provide several details. For example, “graduated with honors”, “defended a dissertation on the topic...”, “published in a scientific journal...”.

experience

68% of participants use LinkedIn to connect with former business partners. Be specific in your descriptions of past and current projects.

Be sure to include your position (up to 100 characters), company name, and period of employment. Don’t neglect the “Region” and “Description” fields either. Why miss the opportunity to highlight your mobility and the profit you brought to this or that company?

When describing a position, you should avoid pompous words and superlatives. Fewer adjectives, more verbs. Instead of writing “I am an excellent salesperson,” list your sales awards and performance in numbers.

Media content will also add loyalty points to your profile. Add links to presentations, videos, podcasts, blog posts, quotes, and more. This will allow recruiters to understand who you are and what you are worth. In addition, the longer users look at your profile, the higher the chance that you will collaborate.

Projects

Regularly update information about projects you have worked on. This is a great way to demonstrate your competencies.

Essentially, this is your portfolio. 66% of companies hire employees based on their past projects. Don't forget to put links (if any) to the projects you participated in. Users viewing your profile should have the opportunity to get to know them in more detail.

Skills and their evidence

Profiles of members with skills are viewed four times more often. State what you can do and ask friends in your contact list to confirm those skills.

Tracked Content

Follow topics that interest you to stay up-to-date on what's happening in your industry, and join industry groups and communities.

In groups you can ask questions and give advice, communicate with industry colleagues or people from your alma mater. The group can be open, that is, anyone can join it, or closed - you need to submit an application and receive approval from the administrator.

A group should not be confused with a company page. Many corporations, especially international ones, have their own pages on LinkedIn. But, unlike pages on other social networks, this is not done to promote a brand. On the company’s page you can see a list of its employees (maybe some of them are your friends?) and learn about its news. By monitoring company page updates, you will be aware of open vacancies.

Profile blocks can be moved. Highlight what you are proud of and what might be of interest to potential employers.

Profile Pictures

“You're greeted by your clothes” - this saying is completely true when it comes to your profile pictures. To make it pleasing to the eye and load quickly even for users with slow Internet, use high-quality images of the correct size.

Background image profile must be 1400 × 425 pixels in JPG, PNG or GIF format. The size should not exceed 4 MB.

Profile photo(avatar) must be 400 × 400 pixels, minimum 200 × 200 pixels, format - JPG, PNG or GIF. The maximum size is 10 MB.

If you are a Business Page Administrator, review acceptable and recommended image and logo settings. Everything is described.

Special attention You should pay attention to choosing a profile photo. Browse through the avatars of other users in your industry and put a photo that they and your customers will like.

Network of contacts

Without networking, it is extremely difficult to achieve success. For a LinkedIn profile to be effective, you need to add at least 50 contacts to your network. In general, it is recommended to have at least three hundred, but not more than three thousand friends. Otherwise, it will be difficult to manage communications.

So how do you replenish your network? First, import contacts from your address book Email. At the same time, send invitations to those who can really be useful to you in business.

In LinkedIn, you can not only import, but also export contacts: menu “Network” → button “Export contacts” in the lower right corner of the page. This function allows you to create backup copy contacts to protect your business connections.

Secondly, use search to expand your network of contacts. Moreover, it is an expanded version: this way you can find people who are part of not only the first, but also the second or third circle of acquaintances.

When the first contacts appear in your network, the system itself will offer you new friends. On home page in the upper right corner there will be a block “People you may know”. These recommendations appear based on your profile data. Most likely, these will be your classmates and colleagues.

How else can you expand your network?

• Meet through friends of friends. A second-level contact is a friend of your friend. If you need to start communicating with such a person, go to their profile page and see if you have mutual friends. If so, send a request for an introduction or click on the “Ask to meet” button.
• Take advantage of groups. You can send private messages to members of the group you are in, even if you are not in direct contact.
• If a member's profile is open, you can send him a message - InMail. Perhaps you will start a dialogue, and then friendship.
• Check who has viewed your profile. If these people are interesting to you, try to establish contact with them.
• Monitor your news feed. It also helps you develop your network and interact with potential partners.
• Link your Twitter and LinkedIn accounts. Then you can post your updates on LinkedIn to Twitter.
• Do you want to attract the attention of someone? Mention her in your posts using the @ symbol.

Offline employment in nine out of ten cases occurs through patronage. Employers ask their partners to recommend a smart employee, and the latter, in turn, ask their partners to put in a good word for them.

The role of recommendations on LinkedIn is also very high. They should not be confused with skill confirmations (Endorsements). The latter simply state the facts: “Yes, he can do it.” Any person from your contact list can confirm this or that competency in just two clicks.

A recommendation is a detailed review of your past and present colleagues, partners and clients about you and your work. The more recommendations, the higher the level of confidence in the data specified in the profile. Recommendations are displayed in the appropriate section of your profile (menu “Privacy and Settings” → “Manage Recommendations”) and are only available to registered LinkedIn users.

• Five to ten recommendations in your profile are enough to interest recruiters.
• Ask for recommendations from the most reputable people in your network.
• Try to get at least two reviews of your work in the company that you consider most meaningful.
• When recommending someone, include how you know the person and provide specific examples that demonstrate their professional strengths.

Show mutual respect. If someone validates your skill or gives you a good recommendation, don't forget to thank them for it.

How to protect your profile

To take full advantage of LinkedIn, your profile must be public, that is, visible to potential clients and partners.

Public Profile is created automatically when registering on LinkedIn and published in the user directory. Google and other search engines periodically check the LinkedIn directory so that public profiles can be found online.

However you can set individual settings privacy. For example, hide the display of websites, current position and other parameters in the profile from unregistered users.

You can also adjust your profile to suit your purposes in the “Privacy and Settings” menu. For example, if you're looking for a new job and don't want your current boss or colleagues to know about it, exclude them from the list of those who can see your activity feed.

There you can also specify who will see the list of your contacts, information about your rank, your photo, and so on.

To protect your account from hacking, you must:

• come up with a complex password (at least 8 characters, capital and lower case plus numbers and other characters; the password should not include dictionary words and your name, or be used on other resources);
• enable two-step login confirmation: “Privacy and Settings” → “Account” → “Manage Security Settings”.

6 Secrets to Using Your LinkedIn Profile Effectively

1. Create posts on LinkedIn. This is a great opportunity to demonstrate your professional knowledge and present yourself as a leader in your field.
2. The best time to post on LinkedIn is Tuesday and Thursday, between 7 and 9 a.m. local time.
3. Enter self-censorship. Don't say anything on LinkedIn that you wouldn't say out loud on .
4. LinkedIn can be integrated with . Then your business cards, resume and notes will be in one place.
5. Users who regularly update their LinkedIn profiles receive more collaboration offers.
6. Install a LinkedIn button on your blog or website so that your followers and readers can share your posts on their LinkedIn profile.

Let's look at an example of why LinkedIn is needed.

Maxim - developer software. His one-year contract to work in the Czech Republic is ending and he is looking for an interesting vacancy abroad, preferably in the USA. On the advice of his colleagues, Maxim registered on the social network LinkedIn - this is where American companies often look for employees. I filled out my profile and found contacts of former colleagues and classmates. Having free time, actively participated in groups and discussions, gave advice and shared experiences. Within two months, I received three offers from employers to take part in a competition for a vacancy. I found a temporary remote job on a project with good pay. Continues to browse other options offered online. The portal allows you to save on the services of recruiting agencies and directly contact employers.

LinkedIn - what is it?

This social network is intended for professional communication, not for entertainment. This is what distinguishes it from other social networks, such as Facebook, Odnoklassniki, VKontakte. Here you can establish business connections with colleagues and find vacancies. It is convenient for HR managers to find specialists to attract, and for users to keep abreast of news related to professional issues. Business pages of companies, with articles and news, thematic communication, joint resolution of complex issues - all these are options for using this portal.

How LinkedIn works

To access the service you need the Internet and a computer. You can also enter with mobile devices– for convenience, special applications have been developed for Android or iOS. They are downloaded for free from App Store or Google Play.

Registration

To start using, you need to go to the site and register - create an account.

It is worth considering that this is professional communication and opportunity.

Therefore, it is advisable to indicate full information, which may be of interest to employers. And the automated search for interesting vacancies and social circles offered by the service works based on this data. There is also such a thing as “profile efficiency”. It is measured in percentages from 1 to 100. The higher they are, the sooner the profile will be shown in search results.

To get the maximum, you need to fill out all the fields provided:

• photo;
• place of residence;
• education;
• current and two previous job positions;
• skills and qualifications;
• interests;
• Total information;
• contacts.

There is a “View More” option, which opens additional lines to fill out. The profile is a resume - it contains all the required information.

Contacts

Please note that during the registration process you are asked to indicate your email address and the password for it. You can skip this step. But if you specify this data, the social network will count all personal contacts from your email and send them an invitation to register. This can happen either immediately or after a while. Moreover, the mailing will be periodically repeated to those recipients who are not registered on the network. Such mailings may be considered spam and may cause complaints.

However, on the other hand, this is one of the secrets on how to effectively use LinkedIn to network and increase your authority. If you specify your work email when creating a profile, this will allow you to communicate with partners or invite them to it. If the specified mail contains only personal contacts, or access was opened inadvertently, then everything can be corrected. Mail changes in the section Account and settings. You can cancel sending invitations if you go to already sent messages and select the “revoke” option for each of the contacts.

How to search for contacts on LinkedIn that are important for profile status? On this network, you will not be able to invite as a friend a person whose profile was seen or found based on some criteria. You will need to know his email. This is a kind of protection against the intrusiveness of unfamiliar participants.

Groups

Create groups, join them, communicate with participants - this opportunity is also provided on LinkedIn. Groups can be either open or closed (participation only with the permission of the administrator). In them you can consult with people on various issues, help others using your experience, and learn something new and useful. In this way, you can both get help from more experienced colleagues and draw attention to your knowledge and interest potential employers.

If you would like to find a job in the USA, consider the geography of the group. The desired country must be specified in the filter.

Search for vacancies

This is precisely why many people register on this network – looking for a good job or part-time job. The service itself will select and offer available vacancies, according to the data specified in the profile. Just go to the “Vacancies” section located at the top of the page. If you didn't find anything interesting, you can ask own search according to certain criteria. To make sure you don't miss out on new exciting options, set up email alerts.

If you are interested in an employer, you can go to his page, read about the company, and look at the list of employees. Some of them may be familiar, which will allow you to learn more about the potential place and team.

Be careful when searching new job, if the current employer is also registered on the portal. Changes in profile status, activity and tracking of other companies and vacancies will be visible to everyone. The option can be disabled in the “Privacy and Settings” section.

Recommendations work well to attract the attention of employers. These are the reviews and characteristics that colleagues and acquaintances give. You can start receiving them yourself - by writing a recommendation to someone you worked with. In return, you can get feedback about yourself.

The same is true with the skills that are indicated during registration. The more they are confirmed by other people, the more attractive the profile is to the recruiter.

To get your own approvals and confirmations, start rating others.

If you want to expand your opportunities, get in touch with people who have 500 or more connections in this network. Such participants are called LIONs (LinkedIn Open Networkers). Their acquaintances are a whole world of business connections and unique opportunities.

You can get attention by:

• publishing useful and interesting information at least once every few days;
• adding your skills, showing growth;
• actively participating in group discussions to be included in the list of the five most active for the week;
• liking and sharing others' posts;
• by organizing your group.

Paid account

The network offers expanded functionality when purchasing a paid account on the portal.

Its capabilities:

• you can see who viewed the profile;
• advanced search filters;
• saving participant profiles in folders;
• adding notes and additional contact information to saved profiles;
• more detailed information about other users.

The cost of premium access is several tens of dollars or euros per month (from 24.95 USD). For ordinary person this amount may be high and the features offered may not be that important. But companies, recruiters, and hiring agents will appreciate them fully. It will be more convenient and easier to find the right candidate among dozens of others.

LinkedIn for Business

The social network is used not only individuals. Enterprises can also register in it and create their own page. In some ways, this is reminiscent of Facebook business pages. But the goal is not finding clients and advertising the brand. Here you can find information about the company: employees, news, vacancies and requirements for candidates. Refreshing the page too frequently may result in blocking or deletion from the portal.

1. It is unrealistic to spend time on entertainment - no personal photos and information, advertising or spam.
2. The filter system allows you to find candidates with the necessary parameters. You can view them, select them as favorites, see activities and recommendations from other participants.
3. The likelihood that the information provided in the account is true is much higher than in a regular resume or other social networks. This is explained simply - the system tries to match contacts by specified location work and study. And the facts are confirmed by real people. It is difficult for professionals to deceive this service.

By knowing how to use LinkedIn, you increase your chances of finding interesting job opportunities, partners, and colleagues to network with. This social network, unlike others, will not take away time for extraneous activities: viewing photos, advertising, cats and other time-consuming content.

On the Internet there are several dozen large international general-purpose social networks, hundreds of regional ones, and perhaps thousands that are almost unknown to anyone. But besides them, there are also specialized ones, one of which is LinkedIn. In this article, I will tell you what LinkedIn.com is and why it is needed.

What kind of network is LinkedIn?

LinkedIn is a social network that positions itself as a place where you can easily find and maintain business contacts. Simply put, this is a site where specialists from different fields add each other as “friends”, communicate one-on-one and in groups.

As of 2016, the interface of the LinkedIn.com website has been translated into 23 languages, including Russian. Relatively recent data shows that over 400 million user accounts are registered on the LinkedIn service, however, how many of them are active is not reported.

In the summer of 2016, the LinkedIn project changed its owner. Microsoft has agreed with the former management of the company to transfer the site under the management of the software giant. The transaction amount was 26 billion, 200 million dollars. This is one of Microsoft's largest acquisitions in the entire history of the corporation. I hope you understand that this is LinkedIn, now let’s look at using the social network.

Who uses the social network LinkedIn

The service represents 150 business sectors in 200 countries. However, the majority of users (almost 50%) are people living and working in the United States. Thus, we can assume that almost every professional American has an account in this service.

The percentage of users from Europe (including Russia) is 25% or about 100 million people. India is in third place with just over 2% or 10 million users.

Features of the social network LinkedIn

What does LinkedIn mean for online business? The functionality of the social network was created to serve users interested in finding and/or maintaining work contacts and communicating on professional topics. LinkedIn provides a simple interface for inviting (importing contacts, so to speak) people from other services, such as your email contact book, social media friends lists, etc. It is also interesting that many Runet users do not yet know what kind of site LinkedIn.com is.

LinkedIn users can complete profiles. It is possible to indicate in them: contact information, information about education and places of work, skills, etc. This is necessary so that other users of the service can find the person and, for example, hunt him (invite him to a job interview).

The site has the ability to publish materials (as in a Facebook or Twitter feed/microblog), exchange messages, communicate in interest groups, etc.

Who needs LinkedIn and why?

The social network LinkedIn is a service for those who are used to separating work and personal life. It can be used to have a convenient means of communication with employees, colleagues and/or business partners, without embarrassing them with your posts that are not related to work (as would be the case if work contacts were present in the Facebook or VKontakte friend feed ).

In addition, it is known that LinkedIn.com is a site that can help you find interesting and well-paid jobs or new business partners.