Connections

      In case I haven't introduced myself enough, let me tell you about another passion in my life.  I am the current President of our local HR Association and a proud member of the OHSHRM State Council.  Our local association meets once a month to collaborate on issues facing our tri-county area.   I am so lucky to be on a Leadership Team with 9 other AMAZING HR people.  One of the recent discussions from our Leadership Team revolved around the use of social media.  The percentage of our members that are active online in social media was around 50%.  So, these series of posts are for those 50% not active yet.  We'll convert you!

BTW, we had two recent converts to Twitter at our OHSHRM State Council Meeting - here's a big shoutout to @HRStella and @karlinn2cool.  These are two outstanding human resource professionals here in Ohio.  You should connect with them.

On to business...

The next step to successfully creating your LinkedIn Profile is to connect with other business professionals. 
There are two ways to do this. 

The first option is to search for someone you know.  In the upper right hand corner there is a search box.  You can search several ways using this field, but right now let's concentrate on people.  You can search by full name, just first name, or just last name.  You'll notice that LinkedIn will auto-suggest some potential names.  There is also an advanced option that allows you to enter in their location, industry, or job title.  All of this can be done from the home profile page you created. 

The second option is to use the Add Connections link.  Once you are in your home profile page, click on the tab at the top that says "Connections."  Once there, in the upper right hand section is an Add Connections link.  Go ahead and click that link.  You will notice several options for finding people.  You can enter email addresses of people you know, you can search for colleagues you currently work with, and you can search for alumni you went to school with.

These two options help you find people that are currently on LinkedIn.  Once you have identified someone you want to connect with, you click on the yellow connect box in the upper right corner.  You then have to choose one of the radio buttons to show how you know your connections.  PET PEEVE ALERT: Please change the canned response in the optional message at the bottom. Let folks know why you want to connect with them. Start building those relationships from day one.

The next step in connecting with folks is done on the flip side.  Just because you want to connect with someone doesn't mean that they want to connect with you.  They have to accept your invitation!  On that note, you don't have to connect with everyone who sends you an invitation. 

So, go at it!  Start connecting with people.  Just remember, it's not about the number of connections you have .  It's about the genuine relationships you can build online, one connection at a time!

 

I met a new peep at the OHSHRM State Council Meeting.  I just sent her an invitation to connect.  Who will you connect with?