An easy guide to getting started on LinkedIn and leveraging it to accelerate your career

2. LinkedIn 101
About this eBook
LinkedIn 101 is brought to you by the EMC Global Services Career Center (EMC Internal).
This eBook was created on January 12, 2010. To check for new versions, and to download
podcasts, templates and more, visit http://one.emc.com/clearspace/docs/DOC-19227.
About the Authors
This eBook was written by Kimberly Greco and Chris Ferdinandi.
Kimberly is an English and Business student at New York University. She is also an HR intern at
EMC, and works with the GS Career Center on EMC|One.
Chris is an HR professional at EMC, and manages the GS Career Center on EMC|One.
Photo Credits
The images in this ebook were provided by:
 LinkedIn
 stock.xchng
 François Bouchet
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3. LinkedIn 101
What is LinkedIn?
LinkedIn is an online network of experienced professionals from around the world. As of 2010,
membership exceeded 55 million individuals representing over 170 fields and 200 countries, as
well as every Fortune 500 company.
But that’s just scratching the surface. LinkedIn is really a
multi-layered career community.
Think of LinkedIn as an electronic resume combined with
an ongoing networking event. At its core, the site allows
you to create a profile detailing your work experience,
education, and recommendations by your peers.
But you can also join groups and engage in discussions with
other professionals. You can browse profiles, connect, and
share ideas.
The result is a powerful career development tool. LinkedIn makes building, and maintaining
professional relationships much easier. The connections you make will help you throughout
your career.
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4. LinkedIn 101
Getting Started
Filling out your profile
This is the resume part of LinkedIn.
The most important thing you can do is fill out
your profile completely. Profiles that are 100
percent complete are 40 times more likely to
be viewed than ones that are only 90 percent
complete.
As a best practice, use your real name and set
your profile to “full view”. This will allow others
to find your profile when they search for you.
Adding a picture also substantially increases the chances that your profile will be viewed.
This is a brilliantly easy way to broaden your audience. Profiles with pictures are more visually
appealing and will spark curiosity about your written content as a result. It’s a great way to
showcase your personality, and improve your chances of making new connections.
At the top of every profile on LinkedIn (beneath your name) is a headline. Think of this as your
“professional tagline.” You should write a tagline that describes your professional niche and
current occupation.
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5. LinkedIn 101
Two Approaches to Writing Your Headline:
 “Sr. Program Manager at Intel Corp” – Jeff Hodgkinson
 “Work Smart. Be Heard. Be Remembered. Passionate Writing & Communications
Strategist | Author | Screenwriter” – Liz Isaacs
You can be as traditional or creative with your headline as you choose.
Stating your job title and indicating where you are employed is perfectly effective. What was
your reaction to the two examples above? Which is truer to your personal style? Whose
profile would you click first?
It’s also very important to include your education. If you do not provide this history, people
will assume it didn’t happen.
Describe your work experience. LinkedIn helps you build out this section by letting you upload
your current resume, but don’t stop there!
Each job entry should define the company you worked for, explain what you did there, and
summarize the impact your work made. The goal here is to create a picture of the value you
can add to other professionals.
Write a summary. Think of this as your elevator pitch infused with keywords. This section
should provide a high-level overview of what you do in your current position and what you’re
looking to do in the future—what you’re about!
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6. LinkedIn 101
What are keywords?
Search engines like Google and Yahoo—as well as the search function in LinkedIn—
use keywords to generate results. For instance, if you conduct search on Google, the
first sites you find will be those that are rich in the words included in your search.
The same principle applies to your LinkedIn profile. If you create a profile that
includes keywords that you want to be associated with and believe define your work,
your profile will be located when other professionals search for those terms.
Weaving keywords into your summary is a delicate task. Strive for a balance between using
your own voice and “resume speak.” For a great example of a LinkedIn profile that balances
keywords and natural voice, check out Jeff Hodkinson’s award winning profile.
Presentation is almost as important as content. The online nature of LinkedIn changes the
game here. Particularly on a screen, no one wants to squint at a page-long sea of text.
Block out your content into as many manageable, concise sections as you need. Remember:
You do not need to fill all the space you are given.
Round out a strong profile by completing the achievements section. Listing any honors,
awards, or recognition you have received will help demonstrate your credibility.
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7. LinkedIn 101
Building your contacts
When you’re constructing your network, you don’t have to start from scratch. LinkedIn can
import your contacts from Outlook or web e-mail.
By doing this, you can begin connecting with the people you already know.
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8. LinkedIn 101
Building Relationships
Building a profile on LinkedIn is essential, but nurturing your existing relationships and forming
new connections is where the real power of the site lies.
There are two ways to network—and only one will grow your career.
The first type of networking is passive, the equivalent of collecting business cards and tossing
them in your desk drawer until you need a favor.
Active networking is about sharing ideas, helping others, and adding value to your
connections. By sharing information and ideas, and helping others voluntarily, you can develop
a coalition of professionals who are ready to jump to your aid should you need it.
How to Network Actively
Update your status. On LinkedIn, you can update your profile to let your community know
what you are working on, thinking about, or learning about. Update your status to share links
to quality articles and blogs, or let people know whatyou’re doing at work.
Just take caution not to disclose any sensitive or confidential information. If you are unsure
about what is acceptable to post, consult EMC’s Social Media Policy, located internally on
Channel EMC.
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9. LinkedIn 101
You can also join professional groups and get to know the people in them. Within a group, you
can engage in discussions and help others solve problems. On LinkedIn, you have an entire
database of knowledgeable experts at your fingertips!
As you participate in groups, you will begin to form relationships with other likeminded
professionals. Continue to expand your network by requesting to connect with these
individuals.
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10. LinkedIn 101
Finishing Touches
Now that you’ve polished your electronic resume and built a robust network of professional
relationships, you are ready to dive a little deeper into the other capabilities of LinkedIn.
Request an introduction. On LinkedIn, you’re only a few degrees of separation away from
almost anyone. The site even shows you how many degrees of separation lie between you and
any other individual!
For example, you might want to reach out to someone who you don’t know, but who is part
of a colleague’s network. LinkedIn actually tells you who you know that can introduce you to
that person.
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11. LinkedIn 101
Give and receive recommendations. Recommendations are a public endorsement of someone
else’s work. They get linked to both your profile, and the profile of the person you
recommend. Make sure that you only write recommendations for people that you truly
believe deserve them. Recommendations are as much a reflection of you as they are the
people you write them for.
You can also ask people to write recommendations for you. Feeling reticent? Give
recommendations when you truly believe in the value of someone’s work and you are likely to
receive one in return.
Integrate LinkedIn with other online profiles. If you have a blog, website, or other online
profile tailored for professional use, linking to it on your LinkedIn page will showcase the work
you have put into it. Sites like these can testify to your creativity and versatility. Cross-linking
will also make your profile more visible to search engines.
Add personality to your profile by listing both your work and home-related interests. Try to
keep the professional-to-personal mix at an 80:20 balance.
On LinkedIn, you can customize your contact settings to specify how and when you would like
people to contact you (for example, reconnecting with old colleagues or learning about career
opportunities).
Keep it fresh. Active networking is all about maintaining ongoing relationships. Do not allow
your profile to sit idle on the web. In addition to updating any changes in your work history or
certifications, it is a best practice to regularly refresh your profile with news that may be useful
to your network.
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12. LinkedIn 101
Don’t forget about real life! When you meet someone in-person, add them to your
connections on LinkedIn. This will allow you to network and build relationships after first
introductions.
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13. LinkedIn 101
Summary
4 Steps to Getting Started
1. Fill out your profile. Create a 100 percent complete profile, using keywords and
adding detail where appropriate.
2. Sync your e-mail contacts. Upload your Outlook contacts file or import contact from
another web mail account.
3. Grow your network. Meet other professionals by engaging in group discussion and
sharing useful information.
4. Build relationships. Keep up with groups and continually offer your expertise. Stay
top-of-mind with your connections by actively adding value to their network.
To learn more, visit the LinkedIn Learning Center at http://learn.linkedin.com.
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