LinkedIn: why do I need a profile?

LinkedIn is not just an ordinary social media platform. It is your online resume, CV, accomplishments, interests and contacts all in one very handy place. LinkedIn (LI) is considered the number one place to post your professional resume. It is one of the first, and one of the hottest, places to look for networking opportunities. It is the number one location to be found by recruiters, should you be looking for a new opportunity. And, like all social media platforms, there are best practices to ensure success.

Before going into detail about how to optimise your account and mastery skills, let’s first examine some of the ways you can use your account.  You will find company pages and groups from almost all of the major cement organisations, vendors and associations. You can find discussions happening on just about any subject related to cement inside these group pages. When you find a group of interest and join in the discussion you can become an SME (subject matter expert) for your area of expertise in a matter of months, just from posting your comments or starting a discussion.

Another great advantage of using LI groups is that when you have an issue with a piece of equipment you can go to the vendor’s page and ask for a solution. Or, you might want to post your best practice to another industry specific group. In this way, you can have an extended team of experts available at your fingertips. The LI platform provides you with the ability to connect with talented cement sector professionals from around the world. Alternatively, you can connect with professionals within your location and region for even more specific conversations. In my next article on LinkedIn Mastery Skills, I will discuss networking strategies in more detail. For now, just know that this platform has the power to enhance your career by giving you the knowledge you need to solve your cement industry related issues when you need it. For this, an optimised LI profile is needed so that those you are connecting with will know who you are and what you do.

To find an appropriate LI group, first go to the search bar at the top of your home page and type in “cement groups”. You will receive over 500 results. As you scan through the list you will see several of interest, such as:

• World Cement.
• Portland Cement Association.
• Cement, Concrete and Construction.
• Cement Technology.
• CO₂ reduction for cement industry.
• Cement Industry: Africa and the Middle East.
• Cement Industry: India and Pakistan.
• AFR, Emissions and Pyro-processing in Cement.

Select one of these and review posts to decide if this group matches up with your overall LI strategy. At the top of the page you can simply click to join the group. Some groups require prior approval so your request may have to be reviewed before you are able to post. Others allow for automatic entry.

Other areas of interest you can search for may include:

• Cement industry or technology.
• Six Sigma.
• By company name.
• Mining, metallurgy and exploration.

Once individuals see you in a group they may want to connect with you 1:1 via your LI profile. Now that you have your strategy for utilising LinkedIn, you are ready to optimise your profile and put your best foot forward.

Written by Robin Harpe, Cemcon International, Inc, USA.

Robin Harpe is a Senior HR Professional with extensive business partner, corporate and manufacturing experiences known for her compassionate career development coaching and as the Sr. Recruiter for Cemcon International, Inc. Previously she worked for Blue Circle Cement/Lafarge as an Area HR Manager and the HR Manager/Director during the startup of Suwannee American Cement/VCNA. Robin has proven effectiveness in partnering with clients and candidates to drive results and build strong working relationships. She can be contacted on 352-474-6297 or via email.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/special-reports/21032014/linkedin_for_the_cement_sector_why_do_i_need_a_profile_929/