"Answers": Find Them On LinkedIn

As I have perviously mentioned, LinkedIn is a great way to help jumpstart your future career.  One of the ways that I have learned to used LinkedIn recently is through the "Answers" tab.  "Answers" is a way to ask specific questions to all LinkedIn members.  They are categorized, making it easy to find general of specific topics to help you learn more about the professional world.

How To Check It Out:  To look at the "Answers" page of LinkedIn, just go to the top bar and scroll over "More".  Click on answers and you go to the home page.  This page has a layout with some of the newest and most popular questions in the main section.  On the right hand side, you can browse through general topics and areas of study, such as Health, Marketing, or Business Operations, and then go into subcategories to get more specific questions and answers.

What role can you play? As a recent graduate, I just started using this as an outlet to expand my knowledge and influence within the last few weeks.  Being young and relatively inexperienced in the professional world, a lot of times I just get on a few times a week to read.  I go to the areas that are valuable to me, such as Direct Marketing or Internet Marketing, and just soak in the questions and answers provided by other professionals.  Some are right on, some contradict each other, but thats the beauty of having an individual opinion.  Everyone can provide the answer that they think is best.

You can also participate by answering questions.  Many questions in areas that I have recently studied or have learned about I can provide answers to! It is a great feeling to be able to take something you learn and apply it, whether it is in your work or helping other people.

The other way you can play a role is to ask questions.  A few weeks ago, I got frustrated with my job.  My marketing budget is nonexistent and I just had one of those mornings where you get down on yourself.  So I turned to LinkedIn.  I asked a question that I needed help with.  The next morning when I got on my computer, I had e-mails and LinkedIn responses from 6 people, providing me a great way to learn more about areas of my field that I was unsure about.

Why?  Why should you participate in LinkedIn "Answers"?  Because it helps you become more of a professional.  First, it can help you network with people.  When I posted my question a few weeks ago, my profile views increased drastically.  A few of these people I had personal messaging conversations with, and a few I "Connected" with on LinkedIn.

But most importantly, it helps you grow in areas that you have little or no prior knowledge of.  It helps show that you care about growing as a professional.  Never be satisfied with the knowledge that you have; always strive to learn more from others and through experiments.  One of my favorite quotes is "The day you stop learning is the day you stop growing".

Why College Students Need LinkedIn

I remember last November when I began to search for jobs.  I applied to a few places over Thanksgiving and Christmas break, receiving response e-mails or phone calls to try back in a few months.  When March came, I began to apply for more places, with still little luck.  As April came around, I started to use LinkedIn a lot more.  I had used it some since the middle of my junior year, but just like many things in life, such as working out or shooting a basketball, if you don't use it, you lose it.

The Before:

Before LinkedIn, I was very immature.

LinkedIn helped me mature.  I know that seems weird . . .  a website helped me grow up . . . but it did.  I began applying to jobs, making more contacts, learning more about potential industries, and updating my profile.  While the positions that I currently hold did not come through LinkedIn, I was offered some job positions through the website.  My advice to current college students or recent graduates: use LinkedIn.

1. LinkedIn helps you get your stuff together.  Having a profile on LinkedIn that is incomplete is a terrible representation of yourself.  If you apply to any jobs or have anyone looking at your profile, it is motivation to make your profile complete.  Updating your experience with job titles, companies, dates, and job description are great.  The more experience that you have, the better.

2. LinkedIn teaches you basics about resumes and applications.  I applied to approximately twenty-five jobs on LinkedIn.  With those numbers, you realize that some do not respond, some send you a courtesy thank you, and others are interested in potentially hiring you.  Submitting a cover letter is not an option; it is a necessity. Changing your cover letter and resume from application to application are vital.  Responding to people's e-mails, while this should be common knowledge, are also critical to advancing in the job process.  Show them that you are qualified and that you care.

3. Another great aspect of LinkedIn is company pages.  As a college student looking for job in a specific field, I used LinkedIn to check out companies.  You can see their company description, connections they have with you, the size of their company, and other information that will help you get a basic understanding of what they do.  You can follow a company to stay updated on what they are doing and see job positions that they need to fill.

4. Grow your connections.  LinkedIn is not a Facebook or a Twitter, you do not post what you ate for lunch or pictures of your last sorority function that you don't remember.  Think of it as a Facebook with a coat and tie.  You want people to see you as a professional.  Look into the people around your age, reconnecting with those fraternity brothers that graduated a few years ahead of you or people that you knew in an industry you are interested in.  Then, connect with other professionals, such as your previous bosses, professors, or family contacts.  This will help people know that you are entering, or close to entering, the professional world.  A few family friends on LinkedIn messaged me asking about my interests and qualifications, saying they could keep an eye out for potential jobs for me.

The After:

LinkedIn made me grow up, become professional, dress nicer, and be better with the ladies (slight exaggeration).