I don’t know about you, but the last time I logged into LinkedIn, I saw a math problem, a picture of a girl in a bathing suit, and had a couple of generic template recruiting messages in my inbox. Far from the professional network connections I was hoping to make. The majority of my connections are there for legitimate business opportunities and although the more “social” type of posts may be annoying, if you completely turn away from LinkedIn you will miss out.
In order to make the most of your LinkedIn experience, here are some tips that can help:
Remove Spammy Connections
You know those couple of contacts that share and like every meme, genius math problem, or inappropriate picture? Unfollow them. This is the simplest way to clean up your network. If they do not take business networking seriously, it will not help you to stay connected with the things that matter.
Join Targeted Groups
Finding groups that are relevant to your job is the best way to interact with the right people. If a group does not do a good job of regulating spam or fostering productive discourse, you can always leave.
Add Your Email Address to Your Profile
I often miss a great InMail because it landed in my junk email folder or was lost in a pile of recruiting messages. Let people know what the best way to contact you would be by adding the “Advice for Contacting” block to your profile. Those that take the time to read your profile will see your email address, phone number or preferred contact method.
Recognize Those That Try
Not all recruiters and sales people copy and paste or blast a list with the same generic template. It is pretty easy to recognize when someone took a minute to read your profile and craft a relevant message. These are the people worth connecting with, even if you aren’t in the market right now.
Share
Share good content, technical articles, exciting career updates, problems you need help solving, and industry news. If everyone you are connected to is sharing better content, it will drown out the spam.
Publish
LinkedIn’s publisher tool is a great way to build your personal brand by sharing knowledge in your field. Not only does it make your profile look more professional, but your connections will all be notified when you publish a new article or blog post.
Those are my tips for getting the most out of your LinkedIn experience. Do you have any other tips? Tweet us @TheDavisCos.
