Eric Melniczek Career Advisor High Point University (336) 841 – 4558,

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Are you struggling with knowing there is more to LinkedIn in 2014, but you do not know how to access it? Have you exhausted strategies you can put in place? Is confusion over what to do next paralyzing your ability to refine both your LinkedIn profile and career strategy to the next level?

Hire industry expert (career coach or LinkedIn specialist) who will address your challenges and coach you through a solution process Do it yourself (DIY) by incorporating today’s tips into your career action plan (the dirty dozen!)

(2 – 3 times per day is preferable (breakfast, lunch, dinner)) People in your LinkedIn network may post valuable information, job postings, articles, resources, etc. After quickly skimming, choose to click the “like” button. This starts building your online presence and “link-ability”

Comment on a few of your connections’ status updates. Why?

Spend time daily visiting and/or joining LinkedIn groups Follow featured discussions & post comments Build your brand/reputation as knowledgeable in certain areas – how would you define personal branding? Become valuable member to your groups (SME) Could ultimately result in new connections and/or leads for job opportunities

Keep your discussion short and simple – research shows it will attract a higher number of responses Reach out to people who post comments to your discussion topic Thank those who post comments Request a connection if you are not already connected at 1 st level

We live in a 24/7/365 world People expect quick responses today Review your connection requests Answer messages ASAP

Share status updates Check your feed to see what others are saying Read articles that would be of interest to others Share your article in a status update/post Make comments about it yourself Invite others to share their opinions

Do you know about the Alumni feature? The Alumni feature helps you find former classmates and possible future connections from academic organizations, colleges, and universities Search by company, industry, job function, and major

Reach out to people through InMail (you should have five with Basic membership) or connection requests Set realistic goals to reach out to someone (daily) to build relationships. Meet one new person each day! You never know who might know of a company that is hiring and/or has perfect career opportunity for you!

Research potential employers LinkedIn suggests companies that might interest you Click on home, careers, and products Reach out to a 1 st connection to find out about a job posting, other questions or concerns you may have about that company.

Check out who has endorsed you Review connections’ “Skills & Expertise” area so you can endorse them for skills you have personal experience with and can attest to Reach out to other connections who have not endorsed you, endorse them, and they will endorse you back in some cases!

Your personal brand extends to your endorsements so you have control over what “Skills and Expertise” you want to communicate to visitors to your profile If a connection endorses you for a skill you no longer want to use or develop, you can delete that skill from your list If you develop new skills, you can add these to your profile.

Regularly add any new accomplishments, certifications or degrees, change in employers, media interviews, PowerPoints, etc. Profile acts like an ever-evolving resource Ensure profile is the most up-to-date version of who you are and what you can do for others

It can only take a few minutes per day for the care & feeding of your LinkedIn profile Set a timer for 15 – 30 minutes to see how many of these strategies you can incorporate into your career search plan