Do You Remember Why You First Joined LinkedIn?

OK, let’s be honest now.

You all had different reasons for joining LinkedIn way back when, some good and others not so good.

Maybe someone invited you to connect out of the blue.

Or, you were thinking about possibly, maybe looking for a new job.

Or, you can’t remember.

Or, you realized that LinkedIn was an opportunity to brand and present yourself in the best possible light to a community of like minded professionals.

I won’t embarrass you by asking which one was your reason.

But, let’s not dwell in the past, let’s discuss why you’re on LinkedIn now and whether or not your profile and activities reflect that.

Whatever your original reason was for joining LinkedIn, good, bad, or indifferent, what matters now is that you’re still there.

Let’s ignore the “I never really bothered too much about it.” excuse.

There are a finite number of good reasons to still be on LinkedIn:

You’re a self-employed individual who is looking to develop connections which could lead to billable work.

You’re an employee who is either happy in her current role but is open to learning about new opportunities elsewhere or is actively pursuing new opportunities.

You’re unemployed and and are actively looking for a new position.

There are variations on these reasons but these are the basic reasons why people remain on LinkedIn.

Alright, now what are you supposed to do about this situation?

Have you asked yourself this question yet, “Why are you still on LinkedIn?”

If not then this is a good time to do it.

Once you understand why you’re still on LinkedIn then ask yourself the next set of questions:

Is your LinkedIn profile current?

Does it clearly present what you’ve done and what you’re doing and position you for consideration for other roles?

Would potential clients understand the value that you bring and see the social proof (e.g., recommendations and endorsements) to support it?

If unemployed and seeking employment, is your profile positive and persuasive and not desperate?

(Sadly, I’ve seen these.)

Have you asked someone whose opinions you value and trust to review your profile and give you honest feedback?

If you haven’t asked yourself these questions yet then I suggest you do and soon!

Why you’re still on LinkedIn may change over time.

Just make sure that your LinkedIn profile reflects and supports those changes.

Remember if no one but yourself can read your profile and understand why you’re on LinkedIn then it’s not working for you!

That’s it for now!

Please check-out my 8 step approach for developing a social media program to get some more ideas on how to use social media.

Also, never forget to reach out to either ask questions or to ask for help from someone like myself!

In the meantime, thank you for following and reading my blog!

I look forward to any and all comments that you may have. I will reply to any comments made to this blog post as promptly as I can.