Over the years LinkedIn has grown to be an essential tool for any and all professionals whether they are in jobs or in between jobs. It has become a vehicle for one to build and engage a professional network as well as a must for those looking for a new job. I have a great appreciation for the depth and richness of the tool as a way to increase a person’s online presence, connect with other professionals, research companies as well to identify actual job opportunities. It’s functionality is ever-growing and often under utilized by most who often just skim the surface of it.
Whether you are a in-depth power user, or a dabbler on LinkedIn everyone will unanimously agreed that LinkedIn can be tremendously time consuming. So much so I decided to offer some tips on how to avoid getting lost on LinkedIn.
- Understand the full functionality of the tool so that you can navigate it effectively.
- Have a specific objective in mind before even logging in.
- Set a specific amount of time aside to be on LinkedIn per day or per week and stick to that amount of time – no more.
- Remember that LinkedIn isn’t a silver bullet answer to anything – it is simply a tool.
- Recognize that people vary in how often they access their LinkedIn accounts – don’t assume everyone is on it all day long especially when waiting for a reply to an inmail.
Lastly, LinkedIn should only be a part of a bigger strategy whether it is for network engagement or job search. Too much screen time in front of LinkedIn not only can be exhausting, it can become unproductive.
