What's so great about LinkedIn? Links to tutorials showing how to join & use LinkedIn Article on the protocols (dos & don'ts of using LinkedIn)

1. USING LINKEDIN.COM AS A JOB-SEARCH/CAREER TOOL
1. What’s so special about LinkedIn?
2. Getting set up on LinkedIn.
3. LinkedIn etiquette: an article on the 5 do’s & don’ts
1. What’s so special about LinkedIn?
These days, with business organizations being inundated with applications,
it’s no longer what you know but who you know that helps get you
employed: having an “in” helps you stand out from the crowd & increases
your opportunity for getting interviews.
Also, many job opportunities are not even published. So, having a network
of contacts that can let you know about unpublished opportunities and/or
get you interviews for positions you’re interested in is vital.
LinkedIn is a tool that will help you grow a business- oriented contacts
network that can prove to be invaluable since it not only tracks who you
know but also who they know, etc., on down the line. It allows registered
users to
• do job searches and what contacts you may have at the hiring
organization
• do contact searches at companies you might be interested in working for
• find and join groups with similar interests, dramatically expanding your
list of indirect contacts, pertinent information on employment
opportunities that may not be posted elsewhere, events and news
• Post/get inside information about companies (“Company Buzz”)
• Plus many other features
Membership is free (although there are upgrade membership options for a
cost) & it is fairly easy to use. It allows users to change details at any time
and you, the user, get to choose (Edit Public Profile Settings) what, if any,
information is visible to others.
For it to work for you it is recommended that you create at least a shell of a
profile:
• Enter your name
• Put in what you are looking for & what you have to offer to potential
employers
• Put in where you’ve worked, since that will identify other LinkedIn
employed at those same organizations

2. • If you enter what schools you have attended, it could also provide
networking opportunities with others on LinkedIn who’ve included that
info on their LinkedIn profiles.
You can ‘flesh out’ your profile as you become more comfortable with how
LinkedIn works and its value to your job search & overall career.
2. Getting set up on LinkedIn
For free quick & easy tutorials on joining & using linked in go to
• http://online.uis.edu/oakley/fa07/tutorials/LinkedIn/
and/or
• http://learn.linkedin.com
3. Article: The LinkedIn Etiquette: Five Dos and Don'ts, by C.G. Lynch,
CIO - 12.03.2008
“Building a strong profile on LinkedIn, the social network for professionals, has taken
on greater importance as the economy slips deeper into a recession. What information
you decide to include, or exclude, could affect future job opportunities as well as your
overall identity on the public internet.
Although LinkedIn doesn't pose the same reputation perils presented by Facebook -
such as being tagged in photo albums or being victimized by random comments left on
your profile - the pitfalls of a poorly constructed LinkedIn profile, or employing bad
LinkedIn etiquette, can alienate your contacts (known as quot;connectionsquot;). It can also
turn away potential employers interested in hiring you.”
For the full article, go to
http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/12/03/linkedin-
etiquette-five-dos-and-donts?page=0%2C0
* If you want to hide the fact that you belong to any particular group, you
can do so by clicking on ‘Edit My Profile’ on the left side of your screen,
scrolling to the bottom of the resulting screen, click on ‘Change visibility’
below the group you wish to hide which will take to a page called
‘Settings’, in the first section (Visibility Settings) un-check the box to the
right of ‘Group Logo’, scroll to the bottom of the page & click on the blue
‘Save changes’ button.