An Introduction to Linked In
Posted on February 13, 2011
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The World Wide Web has created a revolution in the way that people interact with each other for personal as well as professional purposes. There is no dearth of social networking websites; however, Linked In is clearly the market leader in the arena of professional networking websites. In seven years of its existence, it has grown to a massive user base of ninety million individuals.
The primary purpose of Linked In is to have on online version of a professional resume, along with references and recommendations provided by colleagues. This online resume acts as a showcase of an individual’s professional experience –education, positions held, nature of tasks completed, accomplishments, professional growth achieved etc.
However, there is a crucial difference between a Linked In profile and a resume posted on a job website. Whereas the primary purpose of a job website is to match an individual seeking a job to potential employers, Linked In profile is equally worthy to professionals not actively interested in job switch. Rather, it is a living document of one’s professional experiences and achievements.
Linked In also offers opportunities to discuss topics and challenges related to an individual’s sphere of work through its online discussion groups. Each group brings together professionals with interest and prior experience in a field of work who can provide valuable insights to individuals in the same profession across the world.
Therefore, Linked In allows individuals to get insightful answers/thoughts regarding pertinent questions regarding their profession. It also allows individuals to get in touch with other professionals who have participated in a discussion for follow-up conversation by adding them to one’s professional network.
Employers worldwide have started using Linked In for two purposes – recruitment and background checks. Many companies, including Fortune 500 companies, are posting their job requisitions on Linked In to tap the massive user bases of experienced professionals who actively use Linked In. At the same time, most companies also use Linked In to do preliminary screening of job candidates in the initial stage of background check. By viewing the candidate’s Linked In profile, recruiters are able to analyze the job fit and character of candidates. In this regard, recommendations provided by senior colleagues is specifically helpful to establish the veracity of information provided by the candidate on the resume submitted to the company.
Using Linked In is easy with its intuitive interface and repository of frequently asked questions about the website’s features. To help and individual expand his professional network, Linked In allows users to sync their contacts from other email and networking websites. The “People You May Know” feature suggests individuals that are in the expanded network – connections of an individual’s professional contacts.
About the author:
Claire Jarrett runs Marketing By Web, who offer Pay Per Click Advertising
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