Employer Blog

We all know how important a first impression is. It can be a friend maker, a breath taker, or a deal breaker.

LinkedIn is your professional presence. It’s your online business card. It’s a virtual networking event that never shuts down. Yes! You’re invited. And yes! You should participate.

But that doesn’t mean there aren’t any LinkedIn no-nos.

Do you often find yourself thinking, “What if this improbable thing happens?” Or “What if that terrible result happens?”

Using “What if…” scenarios to guide our behaviors is tricky. Sometimes it can be the safe way to go. As in, “I can’t run out into the street. What if there’s a bus coming?” But often, we let our "What if..." questions push us in the wrong directions.

Many of us give presentations regularly as part of our work lives. Staff meetings, employee meetings, client meetings, sales meetings. And in your spare time, maybe even PTA meetings.

Whether you’re scheduled to present to 300 caffeinated conference attendees, 20 brand new interns, a grim-looking finance committee, or a single prospective client, the last thing you want is for anyone to feel like their time spent listening to you was wasted.

Once upon a time, LinkedIn was a cool new recruiting, job search, and referral tool. Today, it is a major social media platform with wide and varied usage.

You don’t have to tell me there are a lot of advice-based articles out there. I’m guilty of writing them.

The thing is, many of us are looking for answers to issues we’re facing at home, at school, at work, and in relationships of all kinds. We crave empathy. We want knowledge. We need answers.

When it comes to apostrophes, it seems as though anything goes. When in doubt, just throw one in randomly and don’t give it a second thought! Because a tiny little punctuation mark couldn’t possibly affect your business.

Or could it?

When did we stop being willing to pay for the things we value? Who told us we should get everything for free?

Some people are really good at reading others. Those lucky individuals can often tell instantly if a potential client, employee, or acquaintance isn’t a good match. Maybe they can’t put it into words exactly, but they get that gut feeling, and they somehow KNOW that something about the relationship just isn’t going to work.

And then there’s the rest of us.

There are a lot of great reasons for you to be on LinkedIn. Increased exposure in your industry. New professional connections. Tons of business-focused articles and advice. Enhanced job search capabilities for candidates and recruiters. A fun way to look busy when your boss walks by.

But whatever you’re using LinkedIn for, you need to know one very important thing: We are totally judging your photo.