by Sybil McLain-Topel, contributor
LinkedIn can be a valuable networking tool for portfolio sharing, keeping in touch with SCAD alumni and building your professional network. Forbes.com recently ran an article saying LinkedIn has more than 161 million professional users in its network and has become a “must have” in recruiting. It outranks its biggest competitor, Facebook’s BranchOut application, in number of users by nearly 150 percent.
I’m a believer. I’ve been using LinkedIn for more than nine years.
If an art student were to take my LinkedIn network and create a visual snapshot with my more than 1,400 contacts, it would look like a space galaxy with blue, orange, yellow, green and pink clouds of stardust. The blue net would represent my public relations and marketing connections. The orange would represent my contacts in specific business networking organizations. The yellow would symbolize my friends in the architecture, construction and engineering world. The green and pink would be church friends, tennis buddies and a few relatives.
Is it worth it to have more than 1,400 contacts on LinkedIn? The answer for me is yes. However, I would encourage any professional who is serious about establishing their personal brand to spend some time on LinkedIn. I have six main reasons for doing so:
LinkedIn puts me in control. Whereas other networks, like Facebook, decide what goes on a user’s page, I alone determine what goes on my profile page.
LinkedIn is trusted by human resource professionals and executives. This is the only reason I trusted LinkedIn to begin with. Laura Purswell, a human resources consultant who is also a friend and mentor, introduced me to LinkedIn. She recommended it, and since she had more than 15 years’ experience in human resources, I tried it.
LinkedIn is a quick and valuable resource for primary research. LinkedIn permits users to send up to 50 emails at one time. Using this feature, I queried friends who had studied abroad and used their responses in a business class at SCAD.
LinkedIn helps track people who have changed jobs or locations. I used the network to locate a London-based friend from earlier college days who is now C.F.O. for a global finance company. The last time I saw him was more than a decade ago in Geneva, Switzerland. I also reached out to a business colleague I first met in Montreal and he had a new job. Their quotes provided outstanding proof of the benefits of study abroad.
LinkedIn is accessible from mobile devices. It is easy to stay connected on the go with iPhones, Androids and Blackberries, other smart phones and tablets.
Portfolios created in Behance.net are linkable. In the last several months, LinkedIn has dramatically enhanced the ability to share visual portfolios and link them to other platforms, including Behance.net, which is supported by SCAD.
I am always looking to expand my network. If you have a LinkedIn profile, please connect with me. If you have an account, click here to try the “visual snapshot” of where your connections are. If not, visit Linkedin.com to get started.
