Are You LinkedIn to Your Professional Community?

This is a guest post by Christopher Dela Cruz for InternMatch’s Contributor Platform. If you’re interested in getting involved as a Contributor, learn more here.

How connected are you to the business professionals in your industry? Networking is a necessary part of getting ahead in your career. What I have found over the years is how useful LinkedIn truly is in this regard. If you have not yet heard of LinkedIn it is a business-oriented social network where you can connect to millions of industry professionals with the click of a button. It is an online platform to jump-start your career, even when you are still in college.

Top Benefits of LinkedIn:

• Exposure
• Connection

If you are new to it, it may be a bit confusing to navigate, and seem pointless or even boring. However, it is best to start while in college, establish your presence, and continue to update your profile over the years. When first starting your profile (especially as a college student), you will quickly notice that you don’t have the experience that other people do. Don’t let that discourage you – we all start with little to no experience.

This network allows you to filter both what you see and what you get notifications on, based on your own specifications. Unlike Facebook where you receive tons and tons of random notifications and posts, LinkedIn allows you to filter them so you only see what you want to see. Anything from blogs, job postings and even new potential business connections.

Over the years I have created numerous connections and even received job offers and found business partners through LinkedIn. What you find and see on LinkedIn is very valuable, just be sure to use it wisely.

So if you haven’t done so yet, create your LinkedIn profile and get a jump start your career.