The benefits of using LinkedIn
It has been said before that to create room for work, we must limit
the time that we spend with friends and relatives. Modern technology has
however obliterated such myths and suggestions about balancing our
private and public life. Thanks to social networking, our imagination
has expanded beyond limits. It is no longer wishful thinking that we can
bring our workmates and business associates closer without alienating
our friends and relatives.
Today
everyone we would like to associate with is just a click away. We can
mix work and pleasure without the risk of looking irresponsible to some
or uncaring to others. The emergence and rapid growth of a business
and career portal that links professionals across all sectors is a
milestone in the conduct of business. People can now meet and socialize
with their workmates, colleagues and business associates, and still
lead normal private lives.
With a subscriber base of over 50 million people worldwide, LinkedIn.com
is now the most popular social networking site for professionals. It
is the largest pool of human resources and live business solutions
ever. Through linkedIn.com, members can apply for jobs, strike business
deals and learn from like minded people. The possibilities are
unlimited. All that one has to do to become a member is to sign up;
fill in your personal details, which should include your work history
and experience, then submit your profile. Thereon you can get as many
contacts as you want by requesting those who are already connected to
be your friends. You can even upload your curriculum vitae so that when
your connections require your services, they will know where to find
you.
According
to popular research, people feel comfortable doing business with
people they already know. Perhaps this explains why we are willing to
spend time and money on familiarization gathering, such as lunch
meetings with our business associates, before we can commit to a deal.
Similarly, we know that our chances of getting a job or shifting to a
new one are enhanced if we already know people who are working at
places we would like to be employed. In this regard, LinkedIn.com is a
godsend.
Employers
all over the world are now able to utilize LinkedIn to notify job
applicants about vacancies in their organizations. In fact analysts
agree that among all the known forms of advertising for jobs, LinkedIn
is the most cost efficient. When it comes to target marketing LinkedIn
as an advertising medium, stands out from the crowd. The website has a
feature on its menu called ‘Advertising’. Through this, businesses can
place advertisements, and beam them directly to potential clients.
The
advertising feature is just one among a host of wonderful features on
its menu. For instance, under the ‘Research surveys’ feature,
connections can find valuable information that has been collated
through research and field studies. Such information is highly
beneficial to managers who rely on statistical data to draft strategic
plans or to even make decisions. The information is also free of
charge. Akin to this is the fact that current affairs are relayed on
the website in the form of news.
Connections
on linkedIn.com; can meet, socialize and learn from each other. It
offers them a platform where they can pool their knowledge and
brainstorm on issues that pose common challenges. Businesspeople and
aspiring businesspeople can ask questions and get professional answers
from their contacts. The site can therefore be viewed as a virtual
consultancy firm. The knowledge amassed from such consultative forums
is priceless.
The
most recent addition on linkedIn.com is an option to link to
Twitter.com (a social networking site where people communicate via short
message services). Twitter is very popular with people who want to
keep in touch frequently and at shorter intervals. These options will
therefore open doors to a wider variety of possibilities in business
related networking. Those who hold accounts with both websites can send
posts to their LinkedIn account from twitter.com.
Professionals
have everything to benefit from linkedIn.com. It is also advisable
that one should get contacts from their field of expertise in order to
build beneficial relationships. However, there is a down side to all
forms of social networking; spamming is commonplace. Therefore one
should guard against connections that bombard them with Spam. Choose
wisely and always seek to be of help to others. If you have something
to offer you will be very popular on linkedIn.com.
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