Career Boost: LinkedIn for professional networking

Google loves LinkedIn

Do a search for a random name. Chances are, there will be a link to a LinkedIn profile right on the first page, either of the same person or someone with a similar name. It’s not difficult to see Google has a lot of love for LinkedIn. You won’t have a better way of being visible to prospective employers than being on the first page of Google, now, will you?

With more than 70 million members and growing at the rate of about one member per second, LinkedIn is hugely popular amongst people looking to build a professional network. For employees, it provides a great medium to showcase their credentials in an easy-to-view manner. For employers, it provides comprehensive data on prospective employees.

LinkedIn profile or a personal website?

Numerous people go the full distance and build a complete website for themselves. But what benefits does it serve over having a LinkedIn profile? The answer is – none. To start with, you will have a difficult time ranking on the first page of Google if you have a common name. This is only going to become more difficult as more people start to upload their profiles online. Then there are the costs associated with setting up a website. Unless your profession is that of web designing (in which case you should set up a website) you will have to hire a designer to make a site for you. This is needless expense. You will be able to add nothing more than what you can already add on LinkedIn. References, job history, work experience, there is space for everything on LinkedIn.

Why you shouldn’t link it with Twitter

At first glance, it seems like a great idea to link one of the biggest social networking sites, Twitter, with one of the biggest professional networking sites, LinkedIn. In retrospect, however, it isn’t.

“Its [sic] extremely annoying. I have blocked all of the people in my network who connected Twitter to LinkedIn” – Hillel P on linkedin.com

The above user sums it up pretty well. There is no need to have your Twitter updates on LinkedIn. If people are interested in your social life, they will visit Twitter themselves to see your tweets. LinkedIn is meant to be used for professional purposes, and it is best kept that way. There is nothing wrong, however, with having your LinkedIn updates on Twitter.

What the world says

“LinkedIn is an exceptional tool for building a network of trusted professionals. I find the people to be receptive and interactive.” – Jesse on blippr.com

It is evident that everyone with a corporate job loves LinkedIn. It has emerged as the best platform to build a professional network and smartly market oneself. If you don’t have a profile yet, it might be time to get LinkedIn.