Are You LinkedIn - Part ll

Greetings!

So you now have a LinkedIn account. You've created your LinkedIn Profile - essentially, your online resume and website. You've have linked in with some contacts. Now what?
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Adding to your network
First you can add to your network. Here is one way to do it. 

In your account looking at the menu above your picture click on "Profile". When the profile screen comes up look to the right of your picture. You will see some thumbnail pictures to the right. The title above them is "People You May Know." 

Click "People You May Know" as it is a link besides being a header. A two-column page with a number of people on it will come up on the screen. These are your contacts, contacts. Scroll down and connect with those people you know.

Also make a list of the people you see that you might like to meet. Under each person displayed is a link called "Shared Connections." Click on "Shared Connections and you will find out who you and the person you are checking out have in common. The person(s) you have in common would be the person to make the introduction.
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Ask for Introductions
Second, go to the LinkedIn page of each of your connections and look at their all of their connections. Make a list of anyone that you might like to meet and ask your connection to introduce you.
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Recommendations
I suggest you seek out people you've worked with in the past and ask them to write you a recommendation. It is helpful to have some recommendations to add to your profile. 

Recommendations can be quid-pro-quo. Tell your former co-worker, boss, customer, vendor or whoever, that you will write a recommendation for them, if they will write one for you.
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Endorsements
If you find that you want to generate some activity on your LinkedIn account, try this. 

Go to the page of one of your contacts. Above that person's picture is a text box and on the bottom of it, there are two buttons, "Endorse" and "Skip."

Click the "Endorse" button. When you do another box will appear in the same spot titled "What skills or expertise do your other connections have?" Go through them if you can endorse your contacts for skills endorse them. 

If you reach a point where you can't really endorse any of the four persons displayed, then click "See More" on the bottom right of the box and a new set of people and skills to endorse will appear.

I've found that when I endorse others, others tend to endorse me. Besides the benefit of being endorsed, it can also lead to conversation. Any job search oriented activity in a job search is good activity and using the endorsement function in LinkedIn is good way to generate some activity!
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Thanks for visiting!
Andy