For many years, I did not make the platform LinkedIn a priority. In fact, my friends and family would probably tell you that I’m not a good participant on social media in general, because I don’t engage or post much on Facebook. I’m really more of a private person when it comes to the internet.
Since I launched my first book last year, however, I’ve been challenging myself to “get out there” more on social media. Fortunately I’ve had success growing my following on my public Facebook page and Twitter page for my coaching/consulting/book marketing, but I truthfully continued to neglect LinkedIn until recently.
One of the reasons I neglected LinkedIn was because I wasn’t that familiar with how to use it. I noticed it had changed a bit since I first joined ten years ago. Another reason I avoided LinkedIn was because of the attention I was drawing in my network (you would be surprised how many profile views I get from people I used to work with…and especially how many “private profile views” I have also been getting!)
Truthfully, all this activity makes me feel awkward, especially all the attention from old colleagues. Some people have talked with me and don’t understand why I’m not pursuing traditional paths in industry or academia for chemical engineering at the present time. But I’ve deviated from those paths for important reasons, especially so that I can have more flexibility to spend time with my son. Further, I feel that skill development is important, and I’ve been learning so much the past year business-wise. I also don’t believe careers are so linear anymore, as Sallie Krawcheck explained in her recent article “This is the Future of Work…and What it Means for Your Career.” And in the end, it’s my life — and my choice on how I want to live it 😉
I now realize how important LinkedIn is, especially since people participate on it from a career/professional standpoint. I’ve committed to learn it better over the next year (especially after my book launch — given how tight my time is!). Currently I’m learning more in a program called “LinkedUniversity” by Josh Turner of LinkedSelling. I have also read his books Connect and Booked. Additionally, I also came across another LinkedIn expert, Stephanie Sammons, and recently downloaded a book she wrote, Linked to Influence.
I’m bringing LinkedIn up in today’s post because networking is not something I typically discuss on the blog, yet it is another area of our lives we can seek to optimize; by adding value to the people in our network, and the people we’re adding in our network, we can forge better relationships and eventually open up new opportunities for growth or even employment. Therefore, many of us should probably leverage LinkedIn more. Since I’m not at the point of being able to share too much from my own experience, I thought it best to share who I’m learning from, and also share this presentation that Stephanie Sammons did on Slideshare (embedded below):
Perhaps LinkedIn may be helpful to you in the future. Feel free to share and comment below!
PS You are welcome to connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisakardos
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Lisa Kardos, Ph.D. blogs about how we can optimize our lives for the better! (achieve happiness, success, and what we hold in our hearts!) She enjoys helping people overcome challenges to achieve their dreams.
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Dr. Lisa Kardos has experience in chemical engineering, management, higher education, public speaking, and career development. She is the Founder of the Lisa Kardos School of Excellence and the Amazon Bestselling Author of Optimize for Victory: A Simple Approach to Overcome Challenges and Achieve Your Dreams.
