LinkedIn For Dummies - Joel Elad

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If you want to go straight to the beach and retire, though, maybe this isn’t the book for you!

      This book covers all aspects of using the LinkedIn site: signing up and building your profile, growing your network of contacts, taking advantage of some of the sophisticated options, and everything in between. I include a lot of advice and discussion of networking concepts, but you also find a lot of step-by-step instructions to get things done. In this sixth edition, I revisit some of the newer facets of LinkedIn, including its extensive settings and privacy options, the mobile app, the news feed, and Companies sections, and I have updated all core processes, from creating your profile to looking for a job.

      You can read each chapter one after the other, or you can go straight to the chapter on the topic you’re interested in. After you start using LinkedIn, think of this book as a reference where you can find the knowledge nugget you need to know and then be on your merry way. Lots of details are cross-referenced, so if you need to look elsewhere in the book for more information, you can easily find it.

      I assume that you know how to use your computer, at least for the basic operations, such as checking email, typing a document, and surfing the great big World Wide Web. If you’re worried that you need a PhD in Computer Operations to handle LinkedIn, relax. If you can navigate your way around a website, you can use LinkedIn.

      You may be new to the idea of social networking, or the specific ins and outs of using a site such as LinkedIn, but don’t assume that signing up means you’ll get a job instantly with zero effort.

      This book assumes that you have a computer that can access the Internet; any PC or Mac is fine, as well as Linux or any other operating system with a web browser. All the main web browsers can access LinkedIn. In some parts of the book, I discuss specific applications such as Microsoft Outlook; if you have Outlook, I assume you know how to use it for the purposes of importing and exporting names from your address book.

      As you go through this book, you’ll see the following icons in the margins.

      

The Tip icon notifies you about something cool, handy, or nifty that I highly recommend. For example, “Here’s a quicker way to do the described task.”

      

Don’t forget! When you see this icon, you can be sure that it points out something you should remember, possibly even something I said earlier that I’m repeating because it’s very important. For example, “If you are going to do only one of my bullet point suggestions, do the last one because it’s the most powerful.”

      

Danger! Ah-oo-gah! Ah-oo-gah! When you see the Warning icon, pay careful attention to the text. This icon flags something that’s bad or that could cause trouble. For example, “Although you may be tempted to go into personal details in your profile, you should never post anything that could embarrass you in a future job interview.”

      In addition to what you’re reading right now, this book comes with a free access-anywhere cheat sheet that provides steps on building your LinkedIn network, tips for enhancing your LinkedIn profile, advice for getting the most out of LinkedIn, and tips for using LinkedIn to search for a job. To get the cheat sheet, simply go to www.dummies.com and search for LinkedIn For Dummies Cheat Sheet in the Search box.

      You can read this book cover to cover, or just jump in and start reading anywhere. Open the Table of Contents and choose a topic that interests or concerns you or that has piqued your curiosity. Everything is explained in the text, and important details are cross-referenced so that you don’t waste your time reading repeated information.

      Good luck with LinkedIn. Happy networking!

      Understanding LinkedIn Basics

      Explore all that LinkedIn has to offer.

      Sign up with LinkedIn and create an account.

      Build a LinkedIn profile that details your professional and educational experience.

      Looking into LinkedIn

      IN THIS CHAPTER

      

Getting to know your networking toolkit

      

Understanding the different degrees of network connections

      

Discovering LinkedIn features

      

Comparing the different accounts

      

Navigating the LinkedIn menu system

      When I hear the terms “social networking” and “business networking,” I always go back to one of my favorite phrases: “It’s not what you know; it’s who you know.” Now imagine a website where both concepts are true, where you can demonstrate what you know and see the power of who you know. That’s just one way to describe LinkedIn, one of the top websites today where you can do professional networking and so much more.

      Social networking has garnered a lot of attention over the years, and while newer sites such as Tik Tok, Instagram, and Snapchat are gaining in popularity, the two sites that most people think of first for social networking are Twitter and Facebook. Let me state right now, in the first chapter, that LinkedIn is not one of those sites. You can find some elements of similarity, but LinkedIn isn’t the place to tweet about what you had for lunch or show pictures of last Friday’s beach bonfire.

      LinkedIn is a place where relationships matter (the original LinkedIn slogan). It was developed primarily for professional networking. When you look at its mission statement, LinkedIn’s mission is simple: “Connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful.” This is not a website that requires a lot of constant work to be effective. It’s designed to work in the background and help you reach out to whomever you need while learning and growing yourself. The key is to set up your online identity, build your network, and steadily take advantage of the opportunities that most affect you or greatly interest you.

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