CAREER PURSUIT

Follow industry leaders (you can follow people without connecting with them, just click on the ‘More’ button on their profile and then click on ‘Follow’). Follow any industry online news/magazine industry news and create new connections in your industry. As well as connecting with colleagues, it is a great way of starting informal conversations with other people you work with over a shared interest in an article (think suppliers, customers and potential new customers, if you are in a sales role). It’s also a great way to keep an eye on what competitors are up to as they shout about it on their LinkedIn page! TOP TIPS IF YOU ARE SETTLED IN A JOB companies e.g. R etail Week, Education Week. WHY YOU CAN’T AFFORD NOT TO BE ON LINKEDIN Wh a t e v e r y o u r c i r c ums t a n c e s , w h e t h e r y o u r u n y o u r o w n b u s i n e s s , a r e f r e e l a n c i n g , a r e l o o k i n g f o r a n e w r o l e , o r y o u a r e c om f o r t a b l y s e t t l e d i n a j o b , e v e r y o n e c a n g a i n s ome t h i n g o u t o f L i n k e d I n . B y L a u r a Mo o r e , T h e M i l i t a r y C o w o r k i n g N e t w o r k LinkedIn has seen huge growth over the last few years and currently has more active UK users than Twitter ¹ . Gone are the days when you only updated your LinkedIn profile when you wanted to start looking for your next new job. It is the go-to place for you to keep up-to-date with your industry news (and discuss the news with other interested parties), network with people in your industry, find new customers for your business, and, of course, look for a new job. It is now a social media platform in its own right – think of it as Facebook but for your working life. So, how should you be using it? Obviously, this depends on your personal circumstances, but it really does have something to offer everyone. I’m settled in a job and have no plans to move … LinkedIn is where you can keep up-to-date with 09 C A R E E R P U R S U I T 2 0 2 0