031 How to use LinkedIn to supercharge your next transition with Viveka von Rosen

LinkedIn expert Viveka von Rosen shares her top advice about how to use that powerful social networking tool to supercharge your next transition.

This week, Leary interviews Viveka von Rosen to share her tips for using the LinkedIn network to quickly move into your next great beginning.

Viveka is author of LinkedIn Marketing: An Hour a Day and the CEO of Linked Into Business. She has more than 30,000 first-level contacts on LinkedIn and is has made the Forbes list of top social media influencers for the past three years.

Viveka offered this episode’s Inspire Me quote comes from her mentor, Bob Berg:

“All things being equal people do business with people, and people refer people they know, like and trust.”

In this episode, Leary and Viveka discussed several key advantages of using LinkedIn to help you get to your next transition, whether a new job or an entire career change:

• There is a tremendous amount of talent and people who are willing to help others that you will likely not ever actually meet.
• It takes your face-to-face local networking and puts it on steroids.
• It is a great tool to use for a new business venture, transition of career, or a change of life direction.
• It is essentially Facebook for Business with great built in connection tools for the users. The “Introduction” tool is one of the best on LinkedIn.

Your LinkedIn profile page is a critical place to start. Here are some of Viveka’s tips to setting up a profile:

• A profile picture is a must. It needs to be a good picture of you that is recognizable for others to be able to connect your name and face. Use a current photo and not something from your high school graduation.
• Spell your name correctly. Seems obvious, but critical for those looking to connect with you.
• If you are in transition, use the ‘Professional Headline’ section to draw attention to your skills. For those not in transition, the using your job title and associated skills is best.

If you’re in transition, these suggestions by Viveka will supercharge your next great beginning:

• Join groups you have an interest in. It is the fastest way to locate and connect with people who are like-minded.
• Use the ‘Background/Summary’ section to tell your story. This gives you an opportunity to let people get to know you.
• Think outside the box. It asks you for your “experience” not your job. Be creative.
• Search for someone who might be able to be a mentor during your transition. You’ll be amazed at the number of people willing to help, if you just ask.
• In the settings area of your profile add all your email addresses, past and present to help others in finding you and connecting.
• Post updates that those in your network of connections may find helpful. It’s important that you can be seen as someone who is both knowledgeable and helpful to others.
• Engage in groups that you join. Be part of the conversations that take place in the groups.
• If you are a writer, use LinkedIn Publisher. It can generate many more views that you might be able to get on your own.

How big is a healthy network? Viveka recommends anywhere from 300-3000 first-level connections. As she puts it, your only as visible as the size of your network.

Be sure you don’t make these mistakes:

• Creating more than one account. Should LinkedIn discover it, or someone report it, you will be asked to delete one or, they may do it for you.
• Putting anything other than your name in the name fields of your profile. LinkedIn will see you as gaming the platform and will penalize your visibility.
• Pitching yourself for a new job. Don’t send resume’s and emails seeking employment to your connections.

Leary and Viveka’s Challenge Me for this episode is to create a list of things to work on with your LinkedIn profile daily, weekly, monthly, etc. If you don’t have a profile on LinkedIn, now may be the time to make that the number one item on your list.

Resources mentioned or related to this podcast that may be helpful to you:

• LinkedIn, The home of the LinkedIn social network and where you can get your free account.
• LinkedIn Marketing an Hour a Day, Viveka’s book chalked full of expert tips.
• Linked Into Business, Viveka’s home on the web where you can connect to her resources and follow her on social media
• LinkedIn profile of Bryan Freely, Viveka referred to Byran’s profile as an especially creative example of a good profile