Linkedin is a powerful social network for business professionals. Many people find that Linkedin is not very intuitive to know how to use. Many tutorials of basic tips and guides to use Linkedin are on the web but here are a few of my favorite tips to go even deeper then just creating a profile and adding your contacts.

Search and Interview

A friend of mine recently moved to Seattle from Califonia and last night he shared with me how he was using Linkedin to integrate himself into the area before he moved. In the months leading up to the move he upgraded his account to a Premium account for $24.95/mo which gave him access to send an introduction even if he wasn’t connected with someone. He then spent the next three months searching for companies in the area he was moving by using keywords in his search.

To get more specific he used the “Modify Search” feature and inserted his new city.

After setting up interviews and getting acquainted with the area he has already started building a network in the area.

Answers

Answers are another feature of the website that could be categorized as an advanced tactic for using Linkedin. It allows you to post and answer questions to a broad and narrow audience. You can browse around for something that you might know the answer to and it’s a good way to build social capital with the people you’re helping. The first time I ever used it, I had 5 answers to my question within 5 minutes. Not bad!

Note that you can drill down into specific categories of questions.

So there are a few advanced tactics you can use for Linkedin. The best tip is to just spend a little time exploring around and using the site and I’m sure you will discover a few advanced moves of your own.

Take Action

www.linkedin.com