To be or not to be
The business platform LinkedIn has over 600 million members. A revolution in business life is on the horizon and is an innovative innovation for open-minded people.
Who needs LinkedIn
LinkedIn describes itself as a “knowledge network for decision-makers”. Above all, specialists, managers and experts should network here. Who does not appear on LinkedIn today is like not present and seems to be ignorant of the new world. The business world forgives only very few people the ignorance not to be present on this channel (i.e. members of the highest nobility).
Networking
LinkedIn is more focused on business than at competitor Xing on mediation by other members. To expand your network, you can send requests to any member or get introduced through a common contact.
This recommendation system sees LinkedIn as an advantage over the competition because it makes the connection more serious. This rule is especially important for jobs and business. Compelling: It is possible to rate members with whom you are networked – for example, that someone is a good boss. This rating gets then displayed as a kind of seal of approval on the profile page of the contact.
Surely it is tempting to brag to business associates that you have hundreds of connections. But what is a link worth if you don’t know the person? Therefore it is advisable to create your own rules. One of the founders of SeventyOne, with over 1,500 connections, at least shook hands with all connected people, or in practically all cases had to do business. These people (hopefully) remember you, and you can write to them without any problems.
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The right time to start
As soon as possible. Especially during your studies, apprenticeship or internship, you should ask as many colleagues as possible for a connection. All these people will end up in other inspiring companies in the next few years. SeventyOne, for example, has experienced that at some point in the future you will know and be able to write to people at all kinds of companies in your industry. Besides, LinkedIn can be integrated directly into the Microsoft Outlook application, so you always have the current contact data instead of a contact graveyard to drag before you.
Check your requests and news regularly. Mark messages that you like, because if you should share something, other people will mark it as well.
Cost
The use of the platform is possible to use free of charge and is actually enough for every user unless you are active in sales. Further-reaching possibilities with other members are to be had only against payment. If you want to send a mail to people you are not connected to, you have to pay for a small free quota. The solution is a paid account, which enables direct contact.
This option can be quite expensive and is not necessary for regular use. By the way, active members or those with proven connections get sometimes offered free months.
Your Profil
LinkedIn again is for professional life and not a substitute for your Facebook account. So check out the many sites on the Internet to find out what your profile should look like.
It is also crucial that you present yourself truthfully because if you should ever be known, you can be sure that other media will check your profile meticulously. If you make false statements about your education there, it may cost you your head. The profile photo should look as professional as possible and should not be a photo from the last beach holiday.
On top of everything – LinkedIn is a great job platform. Based on your profile you might land your dream job!
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Influencers
LinkedIn publishes the ranking of the top influencers on LinkedIn irregularly. Most people never reach this manually approved status and, unlike other platforms, the goal should not be to have as many contacts as possible, but to have connections that will help you in your business. Nevertheless, here are the top 5 influencers, according to LinkedIn and its 2018 edition:
- Richard Branson | Founder, Virgin Group
- Melinda Gates | Co-Chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
- Ray Dalio | Founder, Co-Chief Investment Officer & Co-Chairman, Bridgewater Associates
- Nicholas Thompson | Editor in Chief, Wired.
- Justin Trudeau | Prime Minister, Canada
Microsoft buys LinkedIn
The software company Microsoft bought the business network Linkedin for about 26 billion dollars. Despite this takeover, the online portal has mainly remained independent. However, the opportunity arose to network LinkedIn in Microsoft applications and services for collaboration with those you work with.
Conclusion
In the beginning, LinkedIn seems to be similar to recording a contact somewhere else. Over time, however, new constellations arise when former colleagues suddenly switch to other companies. You probably find yourself on a particular career ladder and can therefore sometimes fall back on former colleagues.
This circumstance can be the case, for example, if you want to change your job and a former colleague is already working for this company. We have been active for many years, and while we were all simple employees at the time, our colleagues now include numerous CEOs, COOs and other C-Levels.
Therefore – start early and maintain the profile continuously. You will all be able to benefit from this platform at some point.
- Free of charge, very good structure, good possibilities to appear more "aggressive" via LinkedIn Ads at a relatively moderate price.
- The additional services are so expensive that you are happy to do without them. The system continually tries to animate contacts to invite via its Outlook contacts, which are not yet on LinkedIn .
