Linkedin Blog

Today, Sir Richard Branson set a new record at LinkedIn, becoming the first LinkedIn Influencer to cross the 1 million follower mark. Branson, the founder of Virgin, was one of the charter contributors in Influencer, a program we launched six weeks ago that gives a select group of thought leaders the ability to write long-form content on LinkedIn and have their words and sharing activity be followed by our 187 million members. The program has been a huge success, with 6 million total following relationships and nearly 1,400 articles posted.

But Branson is in a league of his own. Let me provide a bit of context: He now has twice the number of followers as his nearest competitor. That thought-leader? Barack Obama.

One of the old fashioned myths about job hunting is that you’ll never get hired in December. “People slow down for the holidays,” the thinking went. “Everything is on hold until the new year.”

Thankfully I ignored that advice back in 1999, when I interviewed for and was offered my dream job at a career-focused Internet start-up just a few short weeks before Christmas.

Each week, the members of Connect: Professional Women’s Network, Powered by Citi start hundreds of new professional conversations. They’ve discussed everything from work/life balance to leaving a job to start a business. After months of getting great advice from each other, group members turned the advice inward, asking what they wish they’d had known when they were beginning their careers. Group members had a lot to tell their younger selves,  from dressing for success to finding mentors and dealing with failure. Here are some of the best tips. What piece of wisdom do you wish you had when you were starting out?

The last time I was in Rome, I was 20.  I arrived on Good Friday. I spent my first night in a park because I could not find an empty room. Easter weekend is not the best time to be a tourist in Rome. The museums, stores, shops were all closed. I went to the Vatican hoping to see the Sistine Chapel but it too was closed. So I stood with the thousands gathered in Vatican Square and was there when the Pope came out and blessed the crowd. That was cool, but I left a few days later feeling as if I hadn’t really seen Rome.

So when I received an InMail on LinkedIn with the Subject: “Possible Trip to Rome” from Susannah Gold, a person I had never met I was intrigued. She asked if I’d be interested in an all expense paid trip to cover the International Balzan Foundation Prize Ceremony for the sciences and humanities.