I would like to start this article by asking - what is your goal as far as your online networking activity is concerned?
As a social media user for quite some time now, I would have to say - go to Facebook if you want to meet “friends online”; go to Instagram if you want to share great photos; or go to Twitter if you want to randomly express your thoughts about anything under the sun. But if your goal is to build your professional network, go to LinkedIn.
There are two major reasons why LinkedIn is the most powerful professional networking site right now.
First is because of its reach. LinkedIn has more than 830 million members in over 200 countries and territories around the globe. With that, it is now easier for you to connect, build relationships, and collaborate with other professionals across geographical borders. All you need is a good profile that is published online and an Internet connection, and voila! - you’re already set to building a great professional network.
The second reason why LinkedIn is the most powerful professional networking site is because of the opportunities it provides. Remember that aside from individual members, company profiles and the niche groups that they have created are also on LinkedIn. Now, behind those company profiles and niche groups are the “admin users” that are normally recruiters. In short, if you have a good and updated professional profile published on LinkedIn, and if recruiters find you as an active member with engagements and recent posts sharing your thoughts on relevant matters, the more chances that they’ll reach out to you with a job opportunity. That is on top of the fact that you can proactively join niche groups, message recruiters to express interest, and apply to the job you are most interested in.
I would like to end this article with a question too - have you taken advantage and have maximized the use of the world’s largest professional network called LinkedIn?
