If you want a quick and easy way to expand your professional network, LinkedIn should become your new best friend. While it doesn’t have as large or as active of a presence as Twitter or Facebook, LinkedIn is a valuable resource that can provide various opportunities if used effectively.  From personal experience, I had created a LinkedIn profile with the mindset of “Why not? It can’t hurt” and was later surprised to find a research postdoctoral fellow contacting me with an open undergraduate researcher position after having seen my relevant work experience within the biotechnology industry.  In another instance, I had gained new connections via LinkedIn members who had expressed interests in some of the other organizations I was involved in, which served as a beneficial avenue for me to recruit members to join these groups.  In both cases, LinkedIn has proved to be a useful resource in putting me in contact with individuals beyond my own network.  Likewise, for several of my friends, LinkedIn has created an effective medium to directly contact recruiters and to attain summer internship positions as an alternative to the cold call approach of emailing professors, managers, and recruiters and without the necessity of having to slowly work one’s way up the hiring chain.  It is a tool that I would highly recommended individuals, especially young professionals to use, and it is important to realize its potential.  With that said, it should be noted that interpersonal connections can’t be replaced entirely by this form of social media and therefore should not be the only resource you rely on as it is important to further strengthen relationships by meeting face to face if at all possible.

Brief Overview of LinkedIn

Advantages:
–       serves as a free online resume that doesn’t take long to put together
–       allows for your connections to quickly endorse your skills
–       provides updates and opportunities within your industry
–       allows you to showcase your personality more as opposed to the traditional paper resume
–       makes it easier for you to be found via Google
–       can be utilized to build new relations, which includes the following:
           o   used to contact companies and individuals regarding open positions
           o   could put you on the radar with recruiters

Tips for Creating a Strong Profiles:
–       choose an appropriate professional headshot to display (no selfies, no filters, nothing blurry, no                     awkward cropping, and no pets)
–       do check for spelling and grammar mistakes
–       do include a relevant and succinct summary of yourself that details your passions and goals
–       attain personal recommendations if possible