LinkedIn: The Contact Connection

In a previous post we recommended LinkedIn as a valuable tool for anyone who can benefit from a network of quality contacts. If you haven’t yet created a LinkedIn profile, you may be missing out on lucrative opportunities. If you’ve taken the first step and created a profile, here are a couple of fast, easy things you can do to maximize the benefits LinkedIn offers.

1) Import your contacts from online email services (Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, AOL), email programs such as Outlook, or PDAs (Palm, etc). If your particular email program isn’t supported by LinkedIn, you can create a .csv or vcard file and import the data that way. Once it’s in the system, simply select the contacts you wish to invite by clicking on the appropriate check box and LinkedIn takes care of the rest. Be judicious in who you invite. The value of LinkedIn comes from trusted connections. Inviting someone you couldn’t personally recommend doesn’t benefit anyone.

2) Make sure your profile is complete and informative. Your LinkedIn profile is essentially an advertisement for your skills and abilities. The better it describes what you do and how you do it, the more likely the people who get in touch with you will be qualified leads and the less explaining you’ll have to do to help them understand how you can help them.