Slides delivered to Fast Stream Opportunity Network on 18 August 2016

1. Linked In
Fast Stream Opportunity Network
Marilyn Booth, August 2016

2. What we’ll cover
● What is it and why use?
● Getting started - building your profile & finding connections
● Endorsements and recommendations
● Hints and tips to build your network
● Build your knowledge
● BEIS engagement model
● Engage and share
● What next?
● Questions

4. Getting started: building your profile
Building your profile
○ Stick to Civil Service Code, but sell your experiences
○ Choose what to share - current job only or more detailed
○ Make it visual - share project links
○ As your career progresses this will change - so keep it current
○ Photos help
○ Add your skills (think what this says about you)
○ Education (this will change over time)
○ Think about projects creatively

5. Finding and accepting connections
Think of it as a contacts list that you build up from the start of your career
● Find connections
○ What do connections say about you?
○ Send invites via Linked In itself
○ Check your potential connection is actually on the platform
○ Good practice: introduce yourself if you’ve only worked with people
briefly
○ Chance for you to build up your professional network over your career
● Accept invites - you don’t have to accept from people you don’t know
● For some people, this will be the extent of what they do

6. Hints and Tips: Build your Network
● Check for former colleagues and classmates who are on LinkedIn by using
their search tools.
● Check for people who share a group or affiliation with you.
● Go through business cards for potential contacts
● Search through your first-degree network connections.
● Advertise yourself by joining and participating in LinkedIn Groups.
● Use the People You May Know feature.
But - think about your privacy: become familiar with “privacy & settings”

7. Endorsements & Recommendations
● Endorsements can be useful: but be careful when giving
● Recommendations: not essential but can add context to your profile

8. Building your knowledge
● Not just about networking
● Learn from your network’s updates (and make your own)
● Groups can be good places to share best practice, research and more
○ Useful if you have a more corporate role or don’t want to be active
yourself
● Follow influencers (scroll down in profile to “discover more”)
● Follow companies & your own departments

9. Wider engagement

10. You and your connections: engage & share
● All social networks are about being helpful, sharing and learning
● Share updates with your connections
● Like, comment or add to others’ updates
● Join a group
○ Alumni groups
○ Support groups
○ Groups associated with your policy or work area
● Keep on building your groups
● Could you blog to share your expertise?
● How could you use to a) build your knowledge or b) develop policy in future

11. What next?
● Set up an account if you haven’t already
● Join the Fast Stream Opportunity Network Linked In group
● Use that group to find future connections
● Share your insights, hints, tips and questions there
● Follow your department and see how they & other companies market what
they do on Twitter.
● Become a LinkedIn expert & think about how you can use other digital
tools in your day jobs

12. Questions?