10
Chapter 1 Online Presence
Activity
The Activity section is for you to update
potential employers and your network regarding
your professional pursuits. The updates are
unlike Facebook or other social sites where it is
acceptable to express emotions or your view on
the day’s activities. Use LinkedIn status updates
to promote yourself in your professional life.
Some examples of appropriate LinkedIn status
updates include your activity on the site, such as
becoming a member of a group or sharing a link
to a news article relevant to your industry.
Background and Experience
You will add your education, skills,
specialties, contact information, certain work
samples, and links to your blog, e-portfolio,
or website. Add your academic courses, work
experience, and professional activities, such as
if you are building a new website. Avoid using
vague words such as “smart” or “energetic” for
your LinkedIn descriptors. Use only concrete
words that will help market your talents.
Remember, your writing style matters. Your
work must be free of errors. Pay special attention
to grammar, spelling, and punctuation. If
potential employers or recruiters view a profi le
riddled with errors, they will move on to the
next candidate.
Detail your work experience, even if the
experience was a volunteer position. Provide
information about the types of work that help the
employer see you as a preferred job candidate.
Create a notable series of statements that keep
people reading about you.
Next, add specialties. The Specialties area
of LinkedIn lists skills and job categories. Your
connections will be able to endorse, or verify, that
you have the skills listed. Many LinkedIn members
who write blogs link to the blog in their profi le.
Those who view the profi le are able to link to the
blog directly from LinkedIn.
Connections
The purpose of creating a profi le is to
share who you are as a professional. The best
way to accomplish this is to make connections.
Connections are people in an individual’s network
who are added only by invitation. People who
are your connections agree to share their network
with you.
The way to make a connection is to send an
invitation. You can search for a person you know
on LinkedIn. Once you see his or her profi le,
click the
Connect
button to send an invitation. On
the full website, a window will open containing
standard text inviting the person to connect. This
is your chance to read the invitation and make
changes to it before sending.
People who are your connections can view
your entire profi le without limits. People who are
not your connections have a limited view of your
profi le. Therefore, it is advantageous to gain as
many connections as possible. However, LinkedIn
discourages spamming or sending invitations
to total strangers. Members have the option to
report unwarranted invitations to connect.
Connections are categorized as fi rst, second,
or third degree.
•
A fi rst-degree connection is a direct
connection, mutually agreed upon by you
and another member. You are able to view
the entire profi le of someone who is your
fi rst-degree connection, and he or she can
see your entire profi le.
•
A second-degree connection means you are
not directly connected to the other member,
but you have a fi rst-degree connection in
common. You have a limited view of the
profi les of your second-degree connections.
You can connect with these users by clicking
the
Connect
button.
•
A third-degree connection is someone who
is connected to one of your second-degree
connections. You have a limited view of the
profi les of your third-degree connections.
No connection means that LinkedIn did not
detect any association from your profi le, work
experience, or education that you have in common
with the other member.
Another way to communicate with other
members is via messages from your LinkedIn
inbox. Your LinkedIn inbox is your LinkedIn
e-mail that will permit private communications
with any member, even those with whom you
are not connected. As you become familiar with