4. Researching on Linkedin – The Transformation Leaders Hub

Using Linkedin as a Research Tool

A Breakdown of the Core Elements of Linkedin - Focused on the Areas that Matter

Introduction

LinkedIn™ i

Many people

It's a research centre - organisations and people within these organisations that are active on the site leave clues about what they are focusing upon and what their priorities are, within the material that they post or the comments that they leave. By understanding how to explore this and engage in the right way, you can uncover so many potential opportunities to explore further.

It's a prospecting machine - ok, that may be stretching things a little too far, but because of its reach, it is highly likely that the people that you will be working with on future projects or in future roles are active on Linkedin - As such, you don't have to go hunting for them - you just have to know how to search for them, how to connect with them and how to engage with them in a way that isn't seen to be too 'salesy'.

It's a marketing platform - you have the same opportunities to position yourself, to differentiate yourself and to 'sell' yourself as everybody else, irrespective of whether these are individuals or large corporations. Linkedin provides you with the opportunity to adopt both a shotgun or a sniper approach to your 'promotions' - done correctly, you can position your materials/ thoughts/ comments directly with the right audience and start to get engagement really quickly

It's a networking opportunity - as it's even more important than ever that "people know of you" given that over 60% of all jobs (contract & perm) are never advertised, your ability to build and maintain a strong network is critical to ensure a successful change and transformation career. Linkedin provides a whole array of opportunities for you to connect with, engage with and ultimately develop longer term relationships with people within your area of interest.

It's a Job Board - Linkedin as an inbuilt job board, where organisations & recruiters advertise their open vacancies - make sure that you keep a check on the openings in those organisations that you feel you'd like to work with - it's amazing what you can uncover in terms of future potential opportunities by keeping track of their recruitment activities.

Having said all of that, let's not forget that recruiters and now more than ever, recruiting managers from organisations use Linkedin to source suitable candidates for their open opportunities. As such, it is so important that you set yourself up in the best possible way and really differentiate yourself so that when searching, YOUR PROFILE STANDS OUT!

Activity

Log into Linkedin and explore all areas on the site - click on the various menus to explore the various options open to you. If you've never done this before, you'll be amazed at the broadness of support available.

In particular, I'd suggest that you check out the following areas

The Groups that you can join - accessible from a link below your image and headline on the left hand sidebar

The Search capabilities available - accessible from the top menu - when you start a search, you have the option to filter via the 'advanced search' facility - this provides you with the opportunity to search for both organisations and individuals

The Jobs Portal - accessible from the top menu. Search for roles in the sectors or with the organisations that you're interested in working. What and who are they recruiting for and what clues may this activity leave?

Your Existing Network - accessible from the top menu - find out what they are interested in by exploring their updates, engage with them by commenting on their updates and see how they are connected to the people that you'd like to be connected to.

Identify interesting #Hashtags - this is a tool that Linkedin is encouraging people to adopt more and more. The benefit to you is that you can quickly identify posts and conversations that are within your areas of interest and where you can get involved and become engaged with new potential connections.

The challenge with Linkedin is that it is so big and that is why focused communities such as #TLH complement it so well.

However, by focusing on a small number of activities and implementing these in a systematic, consistent way, you can radically transform the volume and quality of the opportunities that originate from within Linkedin.

The rest of the Linkedin Essentials series goes into more detail on what you should be doing to achieve this.

Linkedin Essentials

What is Linkedin?

How do you view the Linkedin Platform? Do you exploit its potential to help you gain projects/ employment opportunities?

The Anatomy of Linkedin

Let's take a tour of the Linkedin platform and clarify how you can gain maximum exposure from each element.

Building Your Linkedin Profile

Don't follow the crowd - stand out from it. Your Profile is the best way to do this - we will show you how here.

Researching on Linkedin

How do you undertake research on Linkedin? What type of research should you be undertaking and why?

Connecting Strategies

How do you connect with your ideal clients/ prospective employers - there is a proven way that ensures response

Nurturing Your Connections

How do you engage with your ideal clients/ prospective employers that will get them to take action and reach out to you?