LinkedIn Etiquette

     With the growth in popularity of professional networking sites such as LinkedIn, there is great need for new social media etiquette because while a user may be doing what is deemed socially appropriate on Facebook and Twitter, they could be committing a huge “professional social networking faux pas" on LinkedIn.For many users this could be the difference between getting hired or not.

     As the use of social networking has grown, we have witnessed the birth of an unwritten code of etiquette for users of social networking sites. For example, most Facebook users know that it is a huge DON’T to constantly update their status about the mundane details of their life like, “I ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch”. A huge DON’T committed by Twitter users is constantly retweeting what other Twitter users' say. We all know this person they never have anything of their own to say; they just retweet what others say. In order to prevent yourself from being "one of those people" on LinkedIn, here are four easy tips to assist in putting your best foot forward on social networking sites:

1) Use a professional head shot for your profile picture; photos that are humorous, artistic or provocative are not appropriate for LinkedIn.

2) Make sure you have no spelling errors. Future employers may make blanket generalizations about you based on misspellings.

3) Unlike Facebook and Twitter it is important that your “connections” are actually individuals you know or have had some type of interaction with.

4) View the biography section of LinkedIn as the equivalent of a resume, make sure it is professional and abides by general resume rules. Keep the personal interests and hobbies limited.

Through the Eyes of a Professional-I

Name: Anthony Brock

Profession: Regional Human Resources Manager

Member of Social Networking Site: Yes, LinkedIn. 

The above video contains the audio from an interview conducted on September 25, 2011. The interviewee, Anthony Brock, was asked a series of questions pertaining to his experiences and opinions related to networking in both a traditional and nontraditional sense.

A Letter to the Reader

Dear Reader,

Welcome to our blog, “Networking: Not Working”! Here, we will explore the dos and don’ts of networking in both traditional (face-to-face encounters) and social media (LinkedIn, twitter, etc.) environments, as well as what networking means to the success of your current or future career. As five University students, we each have learned the importance of networking through our time as interns, organization leaders, students, and employees. Due to our experience and having received constant advice, which stresses the importance of building relationships and networking for career success, we have decided to create a blog for the sole purpose of providing men and women ages 20-30 with the tools and knowledge to strengthen and maintain their own networking skills and habits. It is our hope and overall goal to provide you, our audience, with well directed guidance as you make your way toward and through the initial stages of your prospective career.

We are glad that you have decided to join us on this journey as we delve into the world of networking and look to answer several questions, such as:  what is networking, why is networking important, how can I network successfully, and how has networking benefited successful professionals in the past? To assist in answering these questions, from not only a plethora of diverse individual experience, but scholarly work as well, we have decided to provide you with a variety of post. This blog will include: articles, interactive post, and one-on-one interviews with various professionals. Though each post will be unique in its topic, each of them will approach networking from a knowledgeable angle and hopefully allow for you to build your own repertoire of networking knowledge.

Before we get started, we ask that you please keep in mind that although we genuinely hope the information and tips we will provided are applicable to creating your own success, there is no one size fits all method when it comes to networking. Nonetheless, although our blog is not a complete guide to successful networking, by taking the information and tips provided and strategically shaping them to fit your own personality, goals, and level of networking expertise, you can make strides to achieving career success by harnessing the invaluable power of relationships through networking.

We hope you’re ready to unleash the power of networking, by establishing and maintaining one contact at a time. Lets get start!

Sincerely,

The Networking: Not Working Team