By Seowebmount
When it comes to etiquette, Facebook is fairly lax. Sure, Facebook experts admonish against drunk postings, spoiling a television season finale and badmouthing someone who, through a maze of networked friends, is bound to see the post. Infractions such as these can result in bad feelings and the fateful “unfriending.”
For LinkedIn users, however, etiquette is paramount.
The reason, of course, is that unlike Facebook, LinkedIn is a professional network. Just as your behavior in the workplace would be tightened up compared to, say, an evening out with friends, so should your LinkedIn profile. While some professionals have used Facebook for business purposes, Facebook’s emphasis on the personal and with sharing to the extreme can prove professionally disastrous.
This distinction between LinkedIn and Facebook is complicated somewhat by the fact that LinkedIn has continually added features that make it similar to its competitors. In May 2013, for example, LinkedIn added a feature that enables individuals and businesses to post photos and other media through status updates.
Don’t let the similarities fool you, though. No matter what tools and features LinkedIn and Facebook share, LinkedIn has its own code of behavior that is essential to follow. Whether you are new to LinkedIn or an established professional, consider the following tips for good LinkedIn etiquette.
1. Choose your profile photo carefully
Visuals make a strong and immediate impression. For that reason, profile pictures should be strictly professional, or, as LinkedIn career expert Nicole Williams puts it, “No dog, no husband, no baby!” Hiring a professional photographer to take a head shot might be worth the investment; your photo should show you looking groomed and alert against a neutral background.
Williams also advises against misrepresenting your appearance. An older professional who posts an outdated photo will turn off interviewers if they are expecting to meet a person 20 years younger. Remember that prospective employers will want to meet you in person; if you look significantly different than your profile photo, you will come across as disingenuous and untrustworthy.
2. Be selective in your status updates
If you spend one minute thinking about your Facebook posts, you should spend at least 10 times that amount for your LinkedIn posts. As you consider adding an update, ask yourself, “Does this present me in a good light? Does this give my connections confidence in my ability?” Your connections don’t want to know if you’re halfway through your sales report (unnecessary), nor should they know that your co-worker was just fired (gossiping).
Forbes recommends keeping your status fresh every few days, and using status updates as a way to show that you’re active and engaged. Announce your upcoming presentation at a business conference or your completion of an MBA program; avoid the temptation to make superfluous updates.
Furthermore, when possible, don’t make it all about you. Use a status update as an opportunity to congratulate a co-worker or tout the achievements of one of your connections.
3. Make the right connections
Unlike a Facebook ‘friend,’ a LinkedIn ‘connection’ should be someone you want in your professional network, period.
“Don’t accept every invitation to join someone’s network of contacts,” cautions Eric Taub of the New York Times.
More isn’t necessarily better; you want to connect with people you know and trust who can introduce you to others you may wish to meet. If you do receive an invitation to connect from a stranger, marketing professional Jasmine Sandler suggests that you schedule a phone call with that person and find out whether there’s a reason to create a professional relationship.
At the same time, having a large number of professional connections can be helpful, particularly if you are job-searching. Making connections with faculty and fellow students from your MBA program, for example, can potentially hook you into a vast network of related professionals. LinkedIn’s blog post ‘3 easy ways to strengthen your LinkedIn network’ has some helpful pointers for reaching out to a professional contact you haven’t interacted with in a long time. One suggestion is to touch base with your contact and acknowledge that even though you haven’t spoken in awhile, you’re interested in finding out more about something you saw recently on her profile. You should let your contact know what you’ve been doing in your professional life as well.
4. Be personably professional
Obviously, LinkedIn is not the place for vacation photos, whining and drama, nor is it the place to sing the praises of your children (unless they are professional connections). Being professional, however, does not mean being impersonal. For example, when you request a connection with someone on LinkedIn, don’t use the default message; send a personalized one, making specific mention of the professional relationship you have to one another. If you want to make a connection with someone you don’t know, USA Today’s Andrea Kay recommends asking for an introduction through a mutual colleague, as one might do in the real world.
resource: http://www.sitepronews.com/2014/03/14/forget-facebook-four-rules-linkedin-etiquette/
No comments:
Post a Comment