iMedia: What is the biggest misconception about LinkedIn that you've heard circulating among the marketing community?
Hoffman: There are two perceptions that we bump into: First, because our advertising business is only about a year or so old, there are some marketers who aren't aware that we accept advertising. Let me make it very clear: We do!
Second, there is a perception that professionals are primarily looking for jobs on LinkedIn. Finding new career opportunities or finding potential employees is definitely something we do and do well. However, it's not the only reason people are using LinkedIn. Outside research by Anderson Analytics confirms that less than a quarter of LinkedIn members are actively looking for work. We see hedge fund managers doing research on LinkedIn. We see business development professionals brokering deals on LinkedIn. We see executives asking their networks for advice on which advertising firm they should use. In fact, executives from all Fortune 500 companies are LinkedIn members.
We are more of a business professional community than we are a job site. We're increasingly seeing marketers recognize the potential of advertising on LinkedIn since LinkedIn has an audience that is made up of senior professionals who are serious about their careers.
iMedia: What are a couple of your own personal "best practices" for professionals looking to present and promote themselves on LinkedIn?
Hoffman: I actually think every individual is now an entrepreneur, whether they recognize it or not. The average job length is now around two to four years. That makes you a small business. You are the entrepreneur of your own small business. How do you get to your next gig? How do you progress in your career? All these things now fall on the individual's shoulders. They're essentially entrepreneurs in terms of the business of themselves and how they drive that. So how do you get your next job opportunity? How do you get a promotion? All of that stuff comes from how you manage the network around you. Which is, by the way, what gave me the idea for LinkedIn.
That being said, I have two pieces of advice: Get prepared and get involved.
First, invest some time in making sure your profile is complete. We offer a lot of advice on the site and at our learning resource, and there was a good piece loaded with advice here on iMedia Connection recently. But at the very least, make sure you provide a descriptive headline for what you do, provide a summary of your professional accomplishments and skills, and provide your entire work history. Be selective in the recommendations you make and those you solicit and accept, and also be selective in building out your network; who you're connected to (and who you're not) says a lot about you as a professional.
Secondly, get involved with your network. Share advice and insights in Answers, join the professional groups that matter to you, and use the Status feature to let your network know what you're up to. Put the LinkedIn Application Platform to work -- you can use the SlideShare application to share presentations, you can track what's being Twittered about your company using the Company Buzz app, and you can share recommendations about books with your network.
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