Using LinkedIn for Networking - Elle Birrell King
(2 min reading time)
Elle is a Level 3 Digital Marketing apprentice at Cremarc.
Networking pandemic style!
Covid has killed off professional networking: right? Wrong! Certainly, the days where you could meet others at an industry conference or networking event are long gone, at least for the time being. However, although there are fewer opportunities to network in person, I would argue that networking is at an all-time high. This is mainly because we have been forced to use online platforms such as LinkedIn to forge new business relationships and identify new opportunities.
The recent Multiverse event Inspiring Women's Event with Stef Sword-Williams stressed the importance of networking and reaching out to those you think would never reply. After this event, I was inspired by Stef to connect and send a message to her on LinkedIn. Expecting her to simply dismiss my request, to my surprise, she accepted! Since then, I have been able to forge many different connections on LinkedIn which before I may have deemed impossible. So, here are all my top tips and advantages on forming connections and networking on LinkedIn:
- Develop your profile: According to LinkedIn, your profile is your 'professional landing page', which displays who you are, what skills you have and what you are interested in. Therefore, this will help LinkedIn users understand your professional personality and whether they would like to connect with you. Hence, it is essential to invest time in building and maintaining your profile by adding relevant and up-to-date education, work experience and volunteering details. Furthermore, completing 100% of your profile will enable LinkedIn to match those with similar interests to you.
- Help others build connections: A crucial factor of any professional networking relationship is mutual benefit. Networking isn't solely about what others can give you, it's also about what you can give others. Sharing your contacts, knowledge and expertise with others can help you expand and diversify your network and become more noticeable within your industry. This in turn, will improve your verbal and written communication skills as well as reinforce your knowledge and expertise.
- It's not about quantity it's about quality: The quality of your LinkedIn network is much more important than the number of connections you have. It is far better to have a small network of people you know and value than a large group of tenuous connections who have no idea who you are! In addition, a small network will allow you to spend more time maintaining and nurturing your professional relationships.
If you have any questions or need advice about networking on LinkedIn, please don't hesitate to get in touch or maybe even connect with me on LinkedIn. I would be happy to have a chat!