With all the multiple different Social Media networks out there you may decide to skip some of them, particularly if you’re not sure about how they can help you. Well LinkedIn can help you. People have different thoughts about it, and many creatives and designers avoid it because they don’t see it as creative enough for them.

It’s all down to how you use it. I’m a designer and marketer myself and I’m addicted to it. It’s not stuffy and there’s plenty of ways it can help you at various stages of your career.

Getting Started

Right the, first things first you need an account:

1. Sign-up, use your real full name
2. You can add more than one email address to an account so why not add them all
3. Complete your profile (something which puts people off) as fully as possible with relevant entries
4. Add a professional picture. Creatives may be allowed some artistic license but it has to be representative of you
5. Add a summary to really sell yourself
6. Add your skills
7. Import your contacts with whom you want to connect
8. Search for other people you know
9. Join the immediately relevant groups (e.g. Alumni, organisations etc. that you’re a member of in real life)

Self-employed? Freelancer? Company owner?

“I’m a freelancer, what should I put as ‘company’ in my LinkedIn profile?”
I hear you. At the time of writing LinkedIn doesn’t include a sensible way for you say that you’re either self-employed or a Freelancer. As a result you’ll see profiles with things like ‘SOMEONE working as a freelancer at self-employed.’

Not ideal. If you have a assumed name you work under you may want to include that. I just use my URL so I’m a ‘Designer & Marketer at www.jeffreydriver.co.uk’ A nice simple work-around and it gives a little extra promotion.

Also if you’re doing your own thing you have a little more work to do…

LinkedIn company pages

1. Company pages, search for your company (you have to do it this way) when it doesn’t show up you have the option of creating a company page. Do it
2. Complete all your fields. There’s a lot to do here I’m afraid, but it’s worth doing
3. Add your product highlights. This is great and you’re allowed three of these. Add images with links to the rotating banner display
4. Connect twitter account if you use one

Ok, I’m done. Now what?

At this point I’d suggest going through everything you’ve added and start editing and tweaking. Make sure that it all represents you in the best way possible, go through all your settings and make sure everything is how you want it. thought of someone you forgot about? Add them.

Now, before you read about how to get the most out of LinkedIn, go and put the kettle on, you’ve probably earned it. When you’ve finished your biscuit, go here…