A friend recently asked me, Gordo, i am new to the LinkedIn thing - do you have a some do's and dont's...
to which i replied...
Depends on your goal, but if you are looking for work or changing jobs i would use it as a tool to promote yourself professionally, so (not that i do that often) post links to articles that position you as being in touch.
So if you are in the finance field link to online articles about what is happening in the economy. The thing to remember about linking to online articles is your personal brand - the articles you link to are a reflection of you - so instead of linking to some dodgy article, link to the Financial Review.
Better still, post links back to your blog (a recent commentary you may have written) so you can position yourself as an authority on a particular subject. LinkedIn combined with blogging can be a powerful tool to position yourself as a leader in your field - and the best thing is these social media tools are free!
Also show a bit of personality - companies like to know what makes their leading candidates tick, so that they know they will fit with the culture of an organisation.
This is a funny story, my new boss told me the other day, that on paper I was by far the best candidate for my job (which was naaiice - Kath and Kim moment there) but when she read my LinkedIn and then spoke to Walshie (my previous Director) - who referred to me as 'Gordo', she immediately thought, this guy will fit with our culture - so to cut a long story short - be your beautiful self - and the rest will fall into place.
