Sams Teach Yourself LinkedIn in 10 Minutes

Patrice-Anne Rutledge is a business technology author and journalist who writes about social media, web-based applications, and small business technology. Her other books include Sams Teach Yourself Google+ in 10 Minutes, Using LinkedIn, Using Facebook, and The Truth About Profiting from Social Networking, all from Pearson. Patrice is a long-time LinkedIn member and social networking advocate who has used LinkedIn to develop her business, find clients, recruit staff, and much more.

Introduction 1

1  Introducing LinkedIn     3

Understanding What LinkedIn Can Do for You     3

Understanding the Key to Success on LinkedIn     4

Understanding LinkedIn Account Types     5

Using a LinkedIn Free Account     6

Exploring LinkedIn Premium Accounts     6

Exploring LinkedIn Sales Professional Accounts     8

Creating a LinkedIn Account     8

Exploring the LinkedIn Home Page     13

Navigating LinkedIn     15

Summary     16

2  Creating Your Profile     17

Viewing a LinkedIn Profile     17

Creating a Profile That Achieves Your Goals     18

Understanding Profile Completeness     20

Entering Basic Profile Information     21

Adding Positions     22

Adding Educational Information     24

Adding Website Links and Other Additional Information     27

Integrating Your LinkedIn Account with Twitter     29

Customizing Your Public Profile and URL     30

Adding Profile Sections     32

Adding a Profile Summary     34

Adding Personal Information     35

Specifying Contact Settings     35

Adding a Profile Photo     37

Viewing Your Profile     38

Summary     38

3  Adding and Managing Connections     39

Developing a Connection Strategy     39

Building Your Network     41

Importing Contacts from Other Email Systems     43

Connecting with Current or Past Colleagues     45

Connecting with Former Classmates     46

Connecting with Other LinkedIn Members     47

Connecting with People Not on LinkedIn     49

Responding to Connection Invitations     50

Managing Your Connections     52

Removing Connections     53

Viewing Your Network Statistics     54

Summary     54

4  Customizing Your LinkedIn Settings     55

Customizing the Way You Use LinkedIn     55

Customizing Profile Settings     57

Customizing Email Notification Settings     60

Managing Group, Company, and Application Settings     62

Managing Your Account Settings     64

Summary     67

5  Managing and Updating Your Profile     69

Understanding the Importance of a Current Profile     69

Posting an Update     71

Managing Your Updates     73

Understanding How Your Network Can Respond to Your Update     73

Updating Your Profile     74

Promoting Your Profile on the Web     76

Printing and Downloading Your Profile     77

Summary     78

6  Communicating with Other LinkedIn Members     79

Understanding Your LinkedIn Network     79

Understanding InMail, Introductions, and LinkedIn Messages     80

Understanding Your Contact Options     81

Managing Your Inbox     83

Sending Messages     86

Reading and Replying to Messages     87

Sending InMail     88

Requesting Introductions     91

Managing Introduction Requests     93

Summary     95

7  Searching on LinkedIn      97

Performing a Quick Search     97

Searching for People     98

Narrowing People Search Results     99

Performing an Advanced People Search     102

Saving a People Search     103

Using Advanced Search Techniques     104

Using the Profile Organizer     104

Summary     106

8  Using LinkedIn Tools     107

Understanding LinkedIn Tools     107

Installing and Using the LinkedIn Firefox Browser Toolbar     108

Installing and Using the LinkedIn Internet Explorer Toolbar     110

Using JobsInsider     111

Using the Sharing Bookmarklet     113

Creating an Email Signature     114

Other LinkedIn Tools     116

Summary     119

9  Finding a Job     121

Attracting Recruiters and Hiring Managers     121

Searching Job Postings     122

Viewing Job Postings     125

Performing an Advanced Job Search     126

Applying for a Job     128

Finding Recruiters and Hiring Managers     129

Upgrading to a Job Seeker Premium Account     130

Summary     131

10  Requesting and Providing Recommendations     133

Understanding LinkedIn Recommendations     133

Requesting Recommendations     134

Managing Recommendation Requests     137

Responding to Recommendation Requests     138

Accepting Recommendations     141

Making Recommendations     142

Managing Recommendations     143

Summary     145

11  Participating in LinkedIn Groups     147

Understanding LinkedIn Groups      147

Joining a Group     148

Participating in Group Discussions     150

Using a Group’s Jobs Tab     155

Managing Your Groups     156

Creating and Managing Your Own Group     161

Summary     165

12  Using LinkedIn Answers     167

Understanding LinkedIn Answers     167

Asking a Question     169

Browsing Open Questions to Answer     171

Answering Questions     173

Searching LinkedIn Answers by Keyword     175

Viewing and Modifying Your Questions and Answers     177

Summary     178

13  Using LinkedIn Applications     179

Understanding LinkedIn Applications     179

Choosing the Right Applications     180

Adding Applications     181

Working with LinkedIn Polls     190

Adding and Managing LinkedIn Events     192

Removing Applications     193

Summary     194

14  Working with Company Pages     195

Understanding LinkedIn Company Pages     195

Searching for Companies     197

Creating a Company Page     200

Editing a Company Page     203

Deleting a Company Page     204

Associating Employees with a Company Page     204

Summary     205

15  Using LinkedIn Mobile     207

Using LinkedIn Mobile     207

Accessing LinkedIn on Your Mobile Phone     207

Using the LinkedIn iPhone Application     208

Using the LinkedIn for Android Application     209

Using LinkedIn on Your BlackBerry     210

Using LinkedIn on Your Palm     210

Summary     210

16  Recruiting Job Candidates     211

Understanding LinkedIn’s Recruitment Options     211

Posting a Job     212

Purchasing Job Credits     217

Searching for Job Candidates     218

Performing Reference Searches     219

Using LinkedIn Corporate Recruiting Solutions     220

Summary     221

17  Advertising on LinkedIn 223

Understanding LinkedIn Ads     223

Creating a LinkedIn Ad     224

Managing Your LinkedIn Ads     229

Summary     231

Index     233