Paul Gillin's List: LinkedIn

• Are you seeking to connect mainly with others in your field and industry? Then a simple, explanatory headline like “Senior Project Manager at McDonnell-Douglas” is best. Are you seeking to branch out into other areas? “Leader of High-Performing Aeronautical Engineering Projects” alerts others quickly to the value you would bring to an organization.

• listing “non-jobs” you’ve done, like chairing a conference or leading a panel. “People shouldn’t just think of this as a resume tool,” he says. “It can be a way to show color and breadth.”

• Anything that even begins to stray from the truth. Unlike even a resume, your profile will be seen by a lot of eyes. Did you really lead that project, or did you lead it along with several others?
• “If you receive an invite on LinkedIn, ask yourself if you would take a call from this person on a busy Monday morning.”

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• After you accept an invitation, reply with a quick personal message that includes a few bullet points about what you do, an opportunity to ask questions about your industry and additional ways to connect with you online such as your blog, ezine or forum.
• Present your profile to match the audience you want to target with benefits or accomplishments that highlight your expertise to draw them in

• I talked with some folks on Twitter about this process and they were surprised to see that I had over 100 recommendations. They asked how I got them, and I responded with my secret: I asked for them.
• Use the recommendation system within LinkedIn to send the recommendation request. If you email it to someone, it’s another chance to NOT get it filled out.

• Quick Lookup - Look up who you are having that next business meeting with. You’ll be able to break the ice right away.

• pay special attention to the summary. This is an opportunity to relate what kind of problems you solve with your business. Craft an approachable and concise description. You will have the opportunity to be more specific in the specialty area
• Look for opportunities to demonstrate how you think and what you know by contributing to answering questions posed by other professionals.
• You may earn and give a "best answer" score when you answer or ask a question. By and large members are very helpful and provide extensive responses and resources.
• LinkedIn Polls - they can be set up to reach certain segments, let members answer only specific questions, and show results by profile-based criteria.

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• 1st degree means you know them personally, 2nd degree means you know someone who knows them, 3rd degree means they're a friend of a friend of a friend...and so on.)
• 1st degree means you know them personally, 2nd degree means you know someone who knows them, 3rd degree means they're a friend of a friend of a friend...and so on.)
• It's a bit like asking your friend to pass a note to another friend two aisles over in study hall when you're in junior high.

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