LinkedIn: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Author • Oche Maria Faustina

____________________________________

LinkedIn: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

LinkedIn is like Facebook, and other social networking site. What makes LinkedIn different is that it requires a bit of professionalism. The platform, which launched into space on May 5, 2003, is primarily for professional networking, career growth, and development. It is a platform that connects job seekers with employers or recruiters with employees; you could call it an affiliate platform, but it does not charge you to connect to the rest of the world. All you need is your data subscription or Wi-Fi, just like other social media platforms.

Reid Hoffman founded LinkedIn while Ryan Roslanky is its CEO. If you have done the math, you will realize for how long it has been around. For those who have not, the platform has been around for 18 years, 18 whole years! As of February 2021, it had seven hundred and forty million users, counting as more people continue to discover and register every day. As earlier said, LinkedIn is just like every other social media platform; the only but here is that it comes with professionalism or, better put, a bit of professionalism.

What is LinkedIn professionalism about? 

The fact is that not everyone on LinkedIn are professionals. There are students, interns and people who do not even know much about the world. People who are trying to find their feet and bearing. This bit of professionalism is what sets many people off. It discourages them because they feel or believe they are not professionals and do not have what it takes to navigate the LinkedIn space. Some even give up before they start, and some do not go too far because they could not get reactions. Not everyone is a lawyer, a doctor, a nurse, or whatever noble profession is out there; every occupation is noble as long as it is legal. Not everyone in that space is a professional, so there is no need to get scared.

What does it take to grow on LinkedIn? 

One thing that remains constant about the platform that almost everyone agrees works is CONSISTENCY. If you do want to grow on LinkedIn, you have got to be consistent; show up every day, and this way, you can beat it. Not just showing up every day with nothing to offer people instead, of showing up with raw and undiluted value. Give people the worth for their time. Let people have the hunger to see posts and content from you. Let there be meaning in what you put out there. People must be able to connect with your posts. Before putting out anything in public, it is essential to ask yourself its purpose and the message you are trying to pass. Do not just put out things without direction.

What do people post on this platform? 

This is where the target audience comes in. What kind of value do you have to offer? What is your area of interest or specialization? Before a product is put into the market, analysis and studies are done to determine who the customers of the product will be. Having the wrong audience will have severe consequences even if you have the right product or message because it is not their area of interest. Make sure to know the kind of message you want to put out there. Be specific rather than going for everyone and anyone. Knowing your target audience will help you grow better and faster.

More than what you know or have heard happens or is posted on LinkedIn. People do beyond posting jobs and all that. People share content regarding various issues; from employment to growth to healing to writing just to enlighten others and a whole lot of other topics. People post on the platform just like any other social media space. A writer has great chances of making it on this platform because writers are always needed and never go out of fashion. People and companies will always be in need of somebody to write for them. What a writer on LinkedIn needs to do is show up with meaningful and valuable content for people each day, and with time there is a very high chance someone somewhere is watching. Everyone can be on LinkedIn just like Facebook, Instagram and the rest; it Is not meant for a selected group of people. If you have something, the world needs to see them show up.

Why do people give up on LinkedIn?

Registering on LinkedIn does not guarantee or give you everything instantly; it takes time, and in most cases, you have to work for it. Many people go on the platform with the hope and belief that they will get jobs immediately, but they do not have what it takes or what is genuinely required at the end of the day. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be employed, but it is also essential to do the right things. It will be helpful when people do away with the mindset of instant employment going on the platform. Getting on LinkedIn does not guarantee an instant employment role, internship or whatever position it is you are looking for. This is why most people give up on LinkedIn. Once they cannot get jobs in the first few months of being on it, they withdraw and say nothing happens there. It can take months, but it eventually comes, but you also have to prepare your mind and know it might never come.

How to grow and glow on LinkedIn

To grow, you must learn to engage the post and contents of other people. Not just engaging but contributing meaningfully; leaving behind comments that would make a person believe or think you have sense. Connect with people of like minds. If you are a mass communication student, you should be connecting and networking with people in the media space, people into Public Relations, Human resources, Broadcast or any other area of mass communication, depending on what you are majoring in. It does not mean you cannot connect with others but let those people be the bulk of your connection. Be intentional about the connections you accept and those you send out. Do not just accept all and sundry. It is not pride, and I know you want to grow, but intentionality must always be there.

Do not hesitate to send a DM to someone who accepts your request; meaningful DM, please, not hesitate to message people who send you connection requests. Just be flexible and grow. But do not take nonsense and do not wait too long to use the block button. By Nonsense, I mean harassment because many people are not normal and can act anyhow with you.

What is LinkedIn Optimization? 

You must have been hearing of the term LinkedIn Optimization and maybe seeing lots of graphics asking you to pay for classes. What it simply means is enhancing your profile to attract more visits and appear in searches. It involves your display picture, your about, your featured work, experiences you have gathered over the years, recommendations from people, amongst other things. It is not much of a big deal, though, and you can learn it with time. I never paid anyone to optimize my profile for me. I learned it over time.

Be Original

Having said all these, my advice to anyone on LinkedIn would be to stay ORIGINAL. Do not copy the work of others and paste. Put your thoughts down in your way. You do not need to be perfect or pretend to be. People love originality and not perfection. Do not claim to have skills you do not have, and do not add experiences you do not have on your profile. Anyone can ask you about them and want to employ, and then you do not have anything to say, and they realize you lied. All I am saying is to be ORIGINAL and HONEST. And also, ask for help on whatever you do not understand, even from younger people. It does not cost you anything. There is so much to gain from this platform, and I will continue to talk about it every time, anywhere and at every given opportunity.

BE WILLING AND OPEN TO LEARNING. I WISH YOU WELL ON YOUR Linkedln JOURNEY; NOTHING BUT THE BEST. 

LinkedIn: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Readersketch | Ed. Olapade Matthew

© 2022 Bakhita - Oche Maria Faustina. All Rights Reserved