This document provides an overview of how to set up and use a LinkedIn profile and account. It covers creating a profile, connecting with contacts, using groups, posting updates, and getting the most out of the LinkedIn navigation bar and interface. The summary highlights the key aspects of setting up an account, developing a professional profile, connecting with contacts, and participating in groups.

1. An Introduction to
Mike Buhmann
Reference Librarian
Skokie Public Library

2. • Overview of the LinkedIn site
• Setting Up a LinkedIn Account
• Developing a good Profile
• Using the Navigation Bar
• Getting Connected to Friends & Colleagues
• Overview of Groups
• Posting Updates
What We will be Covering

3. • A social networking site for businesses,
professionals & job seekers
• Launched May 2003
• As of July 2013, 65.6 million unique U.S.
users and 178.2 million global users
• 2 new members added every second
• “LinkedIn has become the de facto tool for
professional networking” TechRepublic.” Web. May 9,
2011
What Is It ?

4. youtu.be/ZVlUwwgOfKw

5. • Register & Log In
• Create a “Profile” (similar to a resume
which provides a guide to who you are
professionally)
• Establish “Connections” (links to
coworkers, friends and acquaintances)
• Interact with connections to find
opportunities & enhance personal
branding
Get Started

6. Start the Login Process
ProcessCreate a profile
Getting Started

7. Verify Email & Start a Profile
Profile& Create a profile
Getting Started

8. Getting Started

9. Getting Started

10. Getting Started

11. Getting Started

12. Develop a Profile
A Profile is the foundation of LinkedIn, your calling
card which provides a snapshot of your
professional background and experience
• Review other profiles for ideas
• Keep it professional
• Include keywords that relate to your experience,
education, certifications, profession & industry
• Check for spelling & grammar errors

13. ProProfile

14. ProProfile

15. ProProfile

16. ProProfile

17. ProProfile

18. ProProfile

19. ProProfile
• News, Companies,
Organizations &
Schools you
choose to follow
• Shows your
interests

20. ProProfile

21. ProProfile

22. Develop a Profile
“Professional Headline”
Add a memorable &
relevant “Professional
Headline” & Summary
This is the first thing a
new contact will read
“Summary”
Get tips for improving
your profile

23. Skills
Helps in brainstorming
skills you may not
have thought you had
Find companies that
make use of your
particular skills
Your contacts can
recommend you for
these skills
Beef up your profile by adding skills & expertise

24. Connections
On LinkedIn, the people who are part of your network
are called your "connections.“
To connect to someone you need to “invite” that
person to join your network and they need to accept
or they need to invite you and you need to accept.
To invite someone to connect, one of the following
must be true
• You worked with that person
• You went to school with them
• You did business together
• You know their email
• You were introduced by one of your connections

25. Connections
youtu.be/pXy8hj3SvVY

26. Connections
Build your network by developing
connections
3 basic strategies:
1. Connect with only people you know
2. Connect with people you know plus strategic contacts
you would like to know
3. Connect with anyone and everyone (LION LinkedIn
Open Networker)

27. Connections
Find People to Connect with
• Start with Friends, Colleagues &
Classmates
• Use the “People You May Know” feature
on the Main page

28. Connections

29. Connections

30. Connections
• Import your email contacts
• Search for current & former colleagues based on the
companies in your profile
• Search for current & former classmates based on the schools
in your profile

31. Connections
Find Classmates

32. Connections
Managing Connections
• Review the people you are connected to, their companies, locations
& industries & recent conversations

33. Navigation
Navigation
Bar

34. Navigation
youtu.be/qE4gRccorCk

35. Navigation
Left Side
of Menu
Home
Brings you to
main/update page
Profile
Brings you to your profile
page. Allows you to
review & edit your profile
Network
Brings you to your connections

36. Navigation
Left Side
of Menu
Interests
Link to the Companies you follow, Groups
you have joined, News Feeds you follow,
or Schools you attended or follow
Jobs
Contains sponsored job
postings. Make sure your profile
is completed before searching
jobs

37. Navigation
Right Side
of Menu
Messages
Turns red when a message is waiting.
Send a message to one of your contacts.
Notifications
Informs you of latest updates of
news & contacts.

38. Navigation
Left Side of
Menu
Search Bar
Powerful search features.
Find individuals, companies, news
feeds and messages and more.
Drop Down Search Menu

39. Updates
The screen you see when you first log in to LinkedIn. Contains news
and updates from your connections

40. Updates
Scroll through and like,
share, or comment on
stories. This is shown
to your connections on
their update page.
This is a way to
unobtrusively stay
connected to people.
Share an update of
your own if you want to
show your contacts
your expertise and
interests.

41. Updates
To add content to
your update screen
select
Interest/Pulse from
top menu bar
Choose a
Channel/Topic that
interests you to get
news on that topic
sent to your update
feed.

42. Updates
Select All
Influencers to
get a list of
famous people
to follow and get
updates

43. Updates
Select All
Publishers to
get news feeds
from your
preferred news
source

44. Groups
Join a Group and participate in Discussions
• Groups allow you to interact with people you’re not
connected to & build relationships
• Find Groups that interest you and that you’re likely to
participate in
• Find groups that will enhance your brand & show them on
your Profile
• Check each group’s rules. Groups may have different
etiquette such as introducing yourself when first joining
• You should create value as well a receive value as part of
your membership. Helping others makes you stand out

45. Groups
Participate in
discussions to
become part of the
community
Follow a discussion
thread (get emails
when updated)
Develop
relationships and
connect with
members

46. Groups

47. Tips
• Don’t expect to see big results quickly;
stop back daily to improve your profile,
expand your network and develop your
professional reputation.
• LinkedIn is for connecting to your contacts
and to other professionals who share your
goals & interests. It is not the place to
amass thousands of followers or to
engage in heavy sales tactics.

48. Online Networking
• Put relevant keywords in your profile to
help potential employers find you
• Get recommendations; to an employer
these are references in advance
• Create a LinkedIn signature for your email
that links directly to your LinkedIn profile
• Share an update often, this will keep your
connections up-to-date with your activities
• Visit your Groups often and post questions
and comments and follow conversations
Tips

49. Thanks for Coming
Questions?
Mike Buhmann
Reference Librarian
Skokie Public Library

50. • Set up and store an online resume/profile to
share with employers & colleagues
• Find, connect and interact with personal &
professional contacts, many of whom you
couldn’t find through personal networking
• Receive Industry & Company News & Updates
What Can It Do For You

51. Exercises
1. Go to Linkedin.com and login to your account (Create
one if you currently don’t have one)
2. Review your profile
• Under Education add a school that you attended
• Go to Skills section and add a skill
3. Find some people to connect with: a previous
coworker, an alumni from a school you attended or
by the “People You May Know” feature
4. Select Interests/Pulse from the top menu bar
• Choose someone to follow under All Influencers
• Choose a channel to follow under All Channels
• Find a news source to follow under All Publishers
5. Go to Home/Update page and browse your updates.
Find a posting that interests you and Like or Share it

52. Online Networking
Why Do It?:
• Linking with just 10 people can provide you
connections to hundreds
• “Online networking is like traditional networking,
but somewhat less intimidating. If someone is on
LinkedIn, they're usually willing to network."
• Online networks help you find mentors and stay
up-to-date on industry trends
• Many recruiters & HR people are focusing on
social networking tools to find new candidates

53. The Hidden Job Market - Online Guides
Tapping the Hidden Job Market from job-hunt.org
www.job-hunt.org/hiddenjobmarket.shtml
Hidden Job Market – What is it from Jobstar.org
jobstar.org/hidden/hidden.php
Unlock the Hidden Job Market Blog
unlockthehiddenjobmarket.com

54. Connections
Consider becoming a LinkedIn Open
Networker (LION)
• More potential entrées for networking
But
• Homepage clogged with updates from
almost strangers
• Hard to recommend someone you barely
know

55. Online Networking
In a Recent Survey:
Nearly two-thirds of executives
interviewed believe professional
networking websites
-- like LinkedIn –
will prove useful in finding job
candidates in the next three years

56. Connections
Tips for Expanding Network
Put LinkedIn URL in your email & your resume,
Open up your privacy settings so everyone can see your profile

57. How to Tap the Hidden Job Market?
Create a Plan
1. Develop target markets
(industries, career fields)
2. Pursue specific titles & positions
(sales, customer service… )
3. Create geographic parameters
(local, willing to move…)
4. Understand your timeline
(need a job now, in 30 days…)
maryeleabethbradford.com

58. Tapping the Hidden Job Market?
1. Hone in on industries that are hiring
and that fit your background and
priorities
2. Get experience and background
needed for position you want
3. Create a list of potential employers
4. Find contacts within the target
employer

59. The Hidden Job Market
Most companies go through a least five steps to fill a
position before they post a position to a job board
1. Contact trusted colleagues for recommendations
2. Look through a current resume file for likely
candidates
3. Alert staff to refer someone they know
4. After a few weeks the job may be posted with an
association job board, passed to a recruiter or
placed on the company web site
5. Only after this will a job make it to a major job
search site like Monster or CareerBuilder
maryelizabethbradford.com

60. Jobs
Companies place job listings on LinkedIn for a fee
Search them on the Jobs page

61. Jobs
• Fill out your profile as completely as possible
before applying for jobs
• Search by company name or job title for posted
positions
• Each job posting links to the profile of the poster
of the position and shows how you’re linked to
that company
• Contains a link to apply for position on the
company website

62. Groups
Join a group and participate in discussions
• Alumni Groups
• Corporate
• Conference
• Networking
• Nonprofit
• Professional
• Geographic
If you’re
ambitious, start
your own group

63. Groups
Participate in
discussions to
become part of the
community
Follow a discussion
thread (get emails
when updated)
Follow a group
member
Develop
relationships and
connect with
members

64. Groups
Join groups that enhance your professional
image; think branding
Start conversations, comment and like topics
Helps raise your visibility and develops your
standing within the group
Check each group’s rules. Groups may have
different etiquette such as introducing yourself
when first joining
You should create value as well a receive
value as part of your membership,

65. Groups
Job Postings in groups are free to post and are not
found in the paid Jobs section
Most groups you need to join to view job listings
You will already have a connection regarding the
open position because you and the poster will both
be a member of the same group
Some Groups Have Job Postings

66. Companies
• Most major companies & organizations have
their own page on LinkedIn
• See how your connections are linked to a
company
• Find statistics on employees who work at the
company
• Follow companies to get updates on company
news & career postings
• Search for a company in People search to get
a list of people who currently work or have
worked at the company

67. Companies

68. Companies

69. Customizing
Click your photo to modify settings
Privacy & email update settings

70. Customizing
Customize privacy settings
Customize email notifications

71. Weekly Tasks
• Update your status
• Read through updates by connections and
comment on at least two
• Share a blog post, a tweet or some other
interesting content related to area of
expertise
• Read through updates for at least one group
and post your own update or comment on
another
• Review Inbox and respond to any messages or
invites
Gameplan

72. Monthly Tasks
• Review profile to make sure it’s up-to-date
• Write a recommendation and/or request one
• Search for new Groups to join
• Search for new Companies to follow
• Send connection requests to new people of
interest using “People You May Know”
feature
Gameplan

73. Follow Up / Check Help Center
Extra Help
Scroll to bottom of
page and select Help
Center

74. Follow Up / Check Help Center
Extra Help
Search for Answers
or Click More…

75. Follow Up / Check Help Center
Extra Help
Take a Webinar
Or View a video on
using LinkedIn
Check YouTube for
more tutorials

76. Follow Up / lynda.com
Extra Help
Lynda.com has
excellent video
tutorial on using
LinkedIn
Lynda.com is a
database available at
Skokie PL
databases.skokielibr
ary.info

77. Connections
There are several ways to send an invitation through
LinkedIn. If you found the contact during a colleague
or classmate search, or he or she is already one of
your e-mail contacts, then the process is simple. You
click a check box next to the name or names of the
people you want to invite and press a button that says
"send invitations." LinkedIn will send a generic
invitation unless you specify that you want to add a
personal note.

78. Connections
If you found the contact through a name search or
advanced search, LinkedIn has to verify that you
really know this person before it will allow you to send
the invitation. LinkedIn will ask how you know this
person: as a colleague, classmate, business partner,
friend, groups or association, other, or "I don't know
[name]." If you choose "friend" or "other," LinkedIn will
ask for the contact's e-mail address. If you choose "I
don't know [name]," LinkedIn will not allow you to
send the invitation. For the other categories, you'll be
asked to indicate through which job, school or
organization you know the contact.

79. Connections
The people who have accepted an invitation to join your
network are called your "direct connections." They're
described as being one degree away from you on the
greater LinkedIn network. You're free to contact those
people directly by clicking the "send e-mail" button on their
profile pages.
All of your direct connections' connections are two degrees
away from you, and their connections are three degrees
away. Technically, all LinkedIn members that are
connected to you up to three degrees away are part of
"your network." But you can use e-mail to contact only your
direct connections. To contact second and third degree
members requires special LinkedIn tools called
introductions, InMail or OpenMail.

80. YouTube.com / Search “LinkedIn”
Extra Help
Many video
guides on using
LinkedIn
Separate
LinkedIn
Channel