Linkedin Blog

We’re already a month into 2012 and most job seekers have given up on their lofty New Year’s resolutions. If you’re in this boat, don’t despair! Instead, use LinkedIn — and a few trusted friends or colleagues — to help you make the change you desire.

Over the years I’ve observed the ways that people use LinkedIn to change career direction or perk up a slumping job search. Here are my three favorite reinvention tips:

Editor’s Note: As shared in an earlier post this week, LinkedIn has launched a new microsite for our Veterans initiative tailored with tips, tools and information to help veterans find new opportunities across LinkedIn, including a free one-year Job Seeker subscription for all US veterans and current service men and women. 

If you’re not a current member of LinkedIn, we encourage you to create a LinkedIn profile, update it with your military experience, and check back on the microsite to take advantage of the great tools and the free one-year subscription. If there are any questions, please click the “Send Feedback” link on the Veterans Page. 

Due to the realities of the economy and employment market today, it’s increasingly common to moonlight outside of work hours, start a small business on the side, consult for a variety of clients or, as The New York Times recently reported, work five or six part-time jobs simultaneously to pay the rent.

There are pros and cons to every situation, of course, and many people prefer to earn a living without a full-time, steady job. But there’s one area where “non-traditional” employment can pose a particular challenge: when creating a professional social media profile.

Thanks to Miss Manners, Emily Post and our grandmothers, we know to say please, treat others the way we’d like to be treated and write a note when we receive a gift.

But for some reason, the minute many people turn on a computer or mobile screen, their basic knowledge of etiquette flies out the window. Perhaps because they’re not face to face with others, they forget how to interact.