Amy J. Adams, Managing Member of AJA Marketing LLC describes how to effectively utilize LinkedIn by connecting and optimizing your online LinkedIn profile. Published in the Douglass Alumnae Fall Newsletter - Associate Alumnae of Douglass College, Fall 2014

1. forward long after the conference ended. I would
like to share some of the basics of LinkedIn and
how to create a profile and how to get involved as
a member of LinkedIn to begin connecting with
sister alumnae on the Douglass Alumnae LinkedIn
group and beyond.
Degrees of Separation
I know I am dating myself, but I am hoping you’ve
heard of the movie Footloose. Did you ever play
Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon? If so, you’d know
two things: 1. Kevin Bacon has acted in a TON of
movies, and 2. Almost everyone involved in
Hollywood can be linked to Kevin Bacon within six
easy steps. If you are a LinkedIn member with a
fully maximized profile, you may know what it
feels like to be as connected as Kevin Bacon. If
you’re not a member of LinkedIn, you are missing
out on an important tool in today’s networking
reality.
LinkedIn offers tremendous opportunities to
get involved and get connected. That is one of
the main reasons why the AADC created the
Douglass Alumnae group: to share announcements
and discussions. Individuals can promote
themselves, companies, causes, nonprofits, and
professional services to over 313,000,000
registered users (with over 100 million in the
United States alone) with the click of a button.
LinkedIn launched in 2003, and has withstood the
social media tide. According to LinkedIn,
professionals are signing up at a rate of more than
two members per second. With a brief investment
of your time, you can embark on a journey of
networking with a robust community of alumnae,
colleagues and more. Through the
sharing of status updates, connecting
with professionals, and following
organization that you do business with
(or would like to do business with), the
possibilities abound.
Create a Robust Profile
If you are new to LinkedIn, the first step is to
register and create a robust profile. Add a
professional headshot. People like to “put a face
to the name.” Include information pertinent to
work, volunteer experience and educational
background. Be sure to include Douglass on your
profile so sister alumnae can find you more easily.
Once you handle the basics, you can enhance
your profile by adding your skills, projects and
publications.
After you have completed your profile, it’s
time to start connecting with the professionals
you know on LinkedIn. You might be surprised to
learn how many of your contacts, clients, and
colleagues have a LinkedIn presence. Once you
have amassed your connections, you may have
the “Kevin Bacon” experience. You will see just
how small the world can be. You may even find
that your colleague just may be connected to your
former Douglass roommate! LinkedIn allows you
to uncover these relationships by indicating the
“degrees of separation” between you and another
member. The platform also remains one of the
most efficient ways to keep track of your contacts
as they change positions — the Rolodex of years
gone by could never accomplish such a feat!
10 DOUGLASS ASSOCIATE ALUMNAE NEWS • DouglassAlumnae on
As a communications and marketing
professional, I have had the pleasure of
attending various industry conferences. LinkedIn,
the social networking platform for the business
community, has provided me with an opportunity
to research conference speakers and to learn
more about my colleagues who would be in
attendance. Later, it enabled me to connect with
new colleagues and to carry the conversation
Amy Guiney Adams ’99 is Vice President of Communications on the Associate Alumnae of Douglass College Board of
Directors and a member of the Strategic Planning Committee Working Group on Branding. She is Executive Director of the
Association of Corporate Counsel Greater New York Chapter, and managing member of AJA Marketing, LLC.
By Amy Guiney Adams ’99
Interested in being a Sponsor or have questions about the Extern Program?
Extern Dates for the 2014–2015 AcademicYear
WINTER:
January 5-9, 2015 (one week)
or
January 5-16, 2015 (two weeks)
SPRING:
March 16-20, 2015
Please complete our online form at www.douglassalumnae.org/alumnae/extern-program
or contact extern@winants.rutgers.edu.
Update Status Frequently
Update your professional status on a regular basis
to keep your connections informed of your
professional endeavors. Updates may include a
post on an interesting article, a recent speaking
event, or about an industry conference. Spend
some time posting about relevant issues affecting
the business community or the clients you serve.
Connect with Members Everywhere
Once you have optimized your profile, connected
with colleagues and posted frequent status
updates, consider joining in one of the millions of
LinkedIn Groups has to offer. Research where your
clients, prospects (and competition) have a
presence. You can find the AADC group by
searching for “Douglass Alumnae” under Groups.
There are a great deal of discussions that occur
daily within groups. You can add to discussions by
bringing value and adding helpful input. Engaging in
these groups can provide great opportunities to
share your knowledge, showcase your skills, and
present yourself as a thought leader in your
respective field.
Take Advantage of Features
There are many additional features in LinkedIn that
can be utilized. You may wish to ask for
recommendations from colleagues or employers.
Much like the letters of reference utilized in years
past, recruiters do look at recommendations
posted by you and about you. Be mindful that if
someone does not write the recommendation you
were hoping for, you have the ultimate decision to
post it or keep it hidden. Another feature is
LinkedIn’s publishing platform. This platform is
similar to a blog, minus the commitment of having
to write as frequently.
LinkedIn offers a free opportunity to connect
with a diverse audience. Consider LinkedIn your
living, breathing resume or CV that must be
updated and maintained. Don’t just “set it and
forget it.” Keep your profile as current as your
competition, colleagues and potential clients.
The Associate Alumnae of Douglass College Extern Program gives
Douglass students an opportunity to experience a “week in the life”
of the profession of an alumna or friend of Douglass. Sponsors who
host a student or students in the workplace provide exposure to
career and post-graduate study options, and also afford students a
preview of the working world and networking possibilities.
Connecting on
LinkedInTM