How to become active on LinkedIn

How to take a brave step forward and have courage to publish something and start communicating in a profitable way? Here are some tips for you to succeed:

• Send network requests actively. On LinkedIn, you can basically send a request whenever you like. Get started by sending a request to all your current contacts who are not yet part of your LinkedIn network. You should also send a request when you meet new people at events, get a business card from someone you have met, encounter an interesting person on social media or when someone produces content on LinkedIn that you appreciate or someone who is otherwise professionally interesting.
• Look for interesting new contacts. Increase your network by using the People you may know feature. The bigger your network becomes, the easier it is to find new people and interesting profiles.
• Network in groups. Join the groups that deal with your field and interests and you will have a chance to follow – and participate in – discussions between influencers. Groups are also handy when you wish to meet potential employers and recruiters. But remember: you only get noticed if you are active yourself and participate in the discussion. So be brave and get involved! Express your views clearly and use trustworthy argumentation. Sharing professional content in groups is also a smart way of showing activity. On TEK’s TEKrekry LinkedIn group you can find technical academic jobs and trainings.
• Share content that interests your network. LinkedIn is a most wonderful channel to show your activity and professional commitment by sharing interesting content with your networks. Thank for the replies and contribute in taking the discussion forward. Spamming is not advisable. You can start by posting something once a week. Posting contents makes you look active and indicates that you obviously follow your field.
• Don’t be too critical of yourself. Don’t be too critical to your texts. There’s no need to be afraid of mistakes. It is easy to write a text based on your own ruminations and experience. In that way, you don’t need hundreds of pages of scientific analysis to support your story.
• Think about the tone. When you participate in discussions, try to be yourself. Stay positive as that will take you further. Hardly anyone wants to waste time arguing with a troublemaker and that kind of attitude makes you look like a negative person.
• Be open and clear. If you try to sell something or look for work, do it as openly and clearly as possible. Repeat yourself, within limits, without banging on about it.
• Use the chat. Use the chat when you cannot reach a person by phone or email. Many people who cannot be reached otherwise, do reply on LinkedIn.
• Be active – you give nothing, you get nothing. This should be crystal-clear but let’s revise it: On LinkedIn, just like in all other social media channels, activity is appreciated and it will help you in job search. So be active; discuss, recommend and form networks. Don’t sit passively at home waiting for someone to knock on your door and offer you a job. Be brave and polish your expert image!
• Be systematic and regular. Make a plan how you network on LinkedIn and carry it out.

This article is part of a LinkedIn training series written by TEK’s career coaches. Read more on what is LinkedIn, the basics of a LinkedIn profile, LinkedIn as a search engine, improving search results and the use of different features.