5 LinkedIn Mistakes That You Should Avoid

Today, LinkedIn is the No. 1 social media platform for professionals.Estimates show that almost 83% of all professionals are on LinkedIn. However, a lot of these members don't seem to be using this social networking site correctly.

Here are the 5 mistakes seen most often.

LinkedIn is not a Job portal

Okay, one understands that you are present on LinkedIn to increase your chances of coming across a better job opportunity but making it seem like your only focus can put  potential employers off. It is as important to stay active and connected as applying for a job. Merely using it as a Job portal might never land you a job. You'll be much better served by keeping your profile and connections current, rather than just reaching out to people when you need something.

Even though I know it, I won’t show it

Another mistake that people make is to not share their knowledge or expertise. You wrote a piece on your expertise of certain domain of work, you publish a great blog post or your company creates a valuable white paper - share it on your LinkedIn feed. Also, if you happen to come across something interesting/new related to your field of work or expertise, share it in your feed.

Be active and participate in Discussions and Forums where you can provide an expert point of view or share certain knowledge. This will help showcase you as a thought leader--and, if the content is on your site,  it can generate quality leads directly from LinkedIn.

If I need them, I’ll add them

Again, build up your connections, don't wait till you need something: You should be constantly adding and accepting connections from people you know professionally or personally. It is a professional networking site. You are here to network with people. But I do not recommend trying to connect with people that you don't actually know. Spamming people, asking them to accept your request or asking them to introduce to someone else is a strict no-no.

Please understand - reaching out to people professionally is very different from just adding people to boost the number of people on your network. Network with people as you would in your Offline Professional life.

These groups don’t make sense

Actually they do. You may not join a group because you feel it's irrelevant and/or noisy. But it is important to join a certain Group to show your participation and interest which will help you build a reputation as well more connections. If you don't join any group, join your alumni groups (college, prep school, grad school, fraternity or sorority). Industry groups--both for your own company and your major customer market segments--are the next steps.

You haven't brought your team/staff along

Sure, it might be a bit too much to require your CFO or Manager to join Facebook--but since LinkedIn is a professional network that focuses on individual, professional connections, you should emphasize its importance to your entire team. Think of the power you could tap into when you go for your next pitch, you check LinkedIn and see that someone in accounting is already connected to the someone in marketing of other company. Thus, it will not only help them but also the company in general.

Do you use LinkedIn? Let us know if there are other mistakes that a person could tend to make while using LinkedIn.

Image source: TheSeafarer