If you’re on LinkedIn then you already understand the value it can provide to your career, but the chances are you are not using it to it’s full potential.
What if you knew exactly how to uncover hidden opportunities on LinkedIn? What if you could use it to not only expand your network, but become someone known as a leader in your industry?
The possibilities are endless and you can get started today by following these tips:
1. Leverage the power of LinkedIn Groups
Many people will join several LinkedIn groups, but fail to engage with these groups. This doesn’t have to be a time drain, this can be done with 5-10 minutes a week.
Groups provide a great way to learn from experts in your industry and connect with leaders. You can use groups to post questions to get ideas that you can use on your job.
You can also use groups to build relationships with people you are not already connected with this. You can easily start doing this today by setting aside a few minutes a week to comment in a discussion, share a link in the group, or just ask a thought provoking question.
2. Share Relevant News To Connect With Others
Sharing your point of view does not have to mean creating unique content in your free time. You can start today by sharing relevant articles.
By sharing articles related to the industry that you want to be known in, then people start to associate you with this field more over time.
Also, this gives you the chance to stay updated on trends in your field and add value to others in a simple way.
Finally, sharing content regularly keeps you front of mind, by keeping your profile active and in people’s newsfeed more regularly.
Join The Break Community
3. How LinkedIn Publisher Levels The Playing Field
When LinkedIn first opened up the Publisher feature, they only invited certain influencers to publish. Now, they have opened up this tool to everyone.
LinkedIn Publisher is an excellent platform for you to build your authority in your industry by creating fresh content from your perspective.
Once you publish a post, everyone in your network is notified. Then, they can start to see you as an influencer and a thought leader over time.
4. The Power of 2nd and 3rd Degree Connections
Your network is much larger than you realize it is. We are all busy and we can only maintain a limited amount of contacts that we know personally.
The people you know are your 1st degree connections. This can range from your family all the way to someone you haven’t spoken to in years.
These people will not likely be able to help you directly to reach your goals, but they know people too. Those people they know are your 2nd degree connections. Then, your friends of friends of friends are the 3rd degree.
Now that you understand how powerful your network is, how do you start to tap into that power?
LinkedIn makes this easy to do! Once you have added all the people you know on LinkedIn you can see who their contacts are.
You can start to analyze your 2nd degree connections very easily through LinkedIn and then ask for introductions to people who are in a position to help you or that you can learn from!
Most people do not take the time to analyze their social networks in this way, but once you start to do this you will see that the possibilities are endless!
LinkedIn can be intimidating at first, but it doesn’t have to be that way. You can start to tap into the power of the tool by exploring one of these new features each week.
By embedding these habits into your regular routine overtime you will see longer lasting results for your personal brand and career!
Olivia Gamber is an Organizational Psychologist who specializes in helping underutilized Gen-Y professionals advance their career at Occupational Olivia. If you’re interested in her free 5-day video course to learn how to get unstuck and get noticed then sign up here.
Want more great Linkedin tips? Click here.
