Time and time again I hear the same question – Why do I need to use LinkedIn?
Many people think that LinkedIn is just the redheaded step-sister of Facebook, though in reality LinkedIn is an important tool that you need to take advantage of as a professional.
Whether you’re still in school or you’re a seasoned professional, LinkedIn gives you the ability to organize and remember the people in your professional network that you meet through all of the different activities that you participate in.
For example, normally when you attend a class or seminar, you meet some great people with various backgrounds. You pass around business cards and then you go on your merry way. A few months later you find yourself looking for information on a particular company and you remember that you met a person that worked for organization, though now you can’t find their business card!!!
LinkedIn instead gives you the ability to connect and maintain relationships with individuals when you meet them and also learn a little more about their background by viewing their profiles. This allows you multiple touch points to start or continue a conversation and also allows you to strengthen your relationship with them.
This just scratches the LinkedIn surface and in future posts we will talk about the community forums, finding industry answers and opportunities from LinkedIn…
Giddyup