What is LinkedIn? Reviews about the professional social network LinkedIn.

It is difficult to find a person who is not registered in any social network. Clearly, today this is one of the most important components of constant communication with friends, acquaintances, comrades in interests. However, for the most part all this concerns social life, but what about professional? After all, it is equally important to be aware of what is happening in your professional sphere, to communicate with colleagues, to exchange knowledge and experience, to build up business ties. For someone it will be a real discovery that there is a network created specifically for these purposes. It's called LinkedIn. In Russia, so far few people know about it, well, and he who knows does not quite understand what it can be useful. Therefore, in this article we will fill this gap and tell you what LinkedIn is, how to use it and why.

Why do I need LinkedIn?

Tell me, what do you do to find your old friend or former classmate? Obviously, go to your account in one of the social networks - in "Classmates", "VKontakte" or "Facebook." And what do you think, what do recruiters in America do (and many already in Europe) in order to find a good professional for the vacancy in the company? No, they do not go to job sites, but go straight to LinkedIn. Why? Because they know - there they will be able to find the one they need, having received detailed information and recommendations about it, which guarantee the professionalism of the candidate. Do you want the work itself to look for you, and not you? Then you need a professional network LinkedIn - do not waste time and register soon!

LinkedIn behavior rules

How does this resource work? Its meaning is to establish professional ties, gain experience and share knowledge with colleagues and, of course, find work. But not everything is so simple. Let's start in order.

Create and complete a profile

The first thing you do is register and fill out your profile in the network. This is analogue of the resume, but more detailed and useful. Try to fill it up as completely as possible (not by 20-30%, but by 100%). What information should I provide? For starters, it would be nice to make the following information:

1. Full name and name of your specialization / profession.

2. Education, work experience , skills, courses. Write only about what is connected with your professional work: if you are a web designer, you should not mention the courses of cutting and sewing or the ability to sit on a string.

3. Recommendations. This is a very important point that will help you to prove your professionalism (ask colleagues or leaders with whom you worked to write letters of recommendation to you ).

4. The background. This is something like a cover letter. Describe here your aspirations and goals. Write what you like about your profession, and what development plans you have.

5. Contacts. And the more they are, the better. This is a mobile connection, and mails, and Skype.

6. Awards, certificates, tests and stuff. If you have any of this, do not forget to write about it.

All this information should be filled carefully and deliberately, because what is a LinkedIn-profile? This is your professional face, which means you need to treat it accordingly.

Professional activity: first steps

In completing the resume profile, your work does not end, it just begins. Now you need to get the first contacts. Add your friends, colleagues. One day one of them can help you get to know the right person. Join groups of professional interests, the maximum number is 50 (it is better to use the entire allowed maximum). What to do in groups? Get new knowledge, follow developments and news in your field of activity, acquire new useful contacts.

By the way, about the skills. You go to the pages of your colleagues and put confirmation of their skills, they will answer you the same. This will make them more significant, because they were confirmed by other people.

Professional networking and communication

Now you need to actively build up your contacts and make yourself known. What is LinkedIn? This is the place where you can find a professional. Recruiters place interesting vacancies here, as well as independently look for candidates, looking through groups and evaluating participants. That's why it's very important to be active - not to neglect participation in discussions, give advice and answer questions on forums (of course, if you know exactly the answer). This will make you noticeable. Believe me, soon you will receive proposals on work, from which you will not be able to brush aside (or, perhaps, find the business of your dream in this way).

In addition, add to your contacts managers and managers of companies that you are interested in, recruiters and professionals working in your professional field. The more connections you have, the faster they will grow, the more chances to find interesting offers, to develop your career.

Contacts: careful selection

However, be selective in contacts - add people who connect you with professional and business interests, colleagues and just useful personalities. But my neighbor on the landing, for example, or a friend familiar with the rest in Turkey, should not be added. It sometimes can not play in your favor. If you already have someone disagreeable in the list of trade unions, it will be useful for you to know how to delete a contact in LinkedIn. It's easy: from the "Network" menu select "Address Book", in the "Contacts" tab, find the "Delete Contacts" link, select the people you want to delete, and then click on the corresponding button. Those users who have been excluded from your contact list will receive notifications about this.

LinkedIn is an important step in your professional career

Even if at the moment you are not looking for a job, regularly update information about your professional experience, acquired skills, maintain contacts. One day, when you want to change jobs, it will not be difficult.

In Russia, this resource is not very popular yet. Few know what LinkedIn is. Reviews about this professional network are different, but all because people do not understand its importance and benefits for their professional development. However, there is no doubt that there is a benefit. You just think - to date, it has registered more than 200 million users, of which about half - in America. The network is popular both in Europe and even in India. Therefore, if you plan to build a career abroad in the future, you must register with LinkedIn - and the earlier, the better.

Deleting an account on LinkedIn: Instruction

Despite the fact that this professional social network is very useful, there may be reasons why you want to delete your account. Well, this is the cause and the right of everyone. If you made this decision, then read how to remove from LinkedIn. Here is the step-by-step instruction:

1. Go to your profile and click on the button with your name located in the upper right corner.

2. A drop-down list opens , in which you select the "Settings" item. Under the "Account" tab you will see the item "Delete account".

3. Go to it and select the reason for which you want to be removed from the network.

4. Confirm your account information by clicking "Account Verification".

5. On the next page, make the final action - click "Delete account". It will be closed within 72 hours.

That's so easy to delete your profile in a professional network, not something to open and fill. If you already have a large network of contacts, and you were an active user, a member of groups, then think well before saying goodbye to LinkedIn. The feedback of many professionals and recruiters says that this resource, sooner or later, can be very useful for everyone. Therefore, if you have not yet felt the usefulness of the network, do not abandon its capabilities. Certainly there will be a case when it will help you to advance through the ranks of ladies or to make useful acquaintances.

Based on all that we have told, what is LinkedIn in a nutshell? This "VKontakte", only not for a friendly, but for professional communication and growth.