LinkedIn, calling itself “the world’s largest professional network,” may have once been only for recruiters and the job seekers, but no longer. Since the inauguration of its long-form article platform and news aggregate service, LinkedIn has become the place for professionals from every career and company to gather, learn, and network—including you, Business Officers. We can list four reasons why you should spruce up your profile (or create one!).
1. Find Employees, Vendors, and Freelancers
It's time to put on your HR hat, Business Managers, and use LinkedIn to find new employees! From faculty and staff to new vendors and insurance brokers, people from every profession and experience level can be found on LinkedIn. The resume-inspired personal profiles can give you needed details at a glance, and the site’s job-hosting services can provide immediate access to a variety of candidates.
Many of the best candidates, too, are passive candidates—that is, they already have a job and aren’t currently looking for a new one. These candidates may be interested in your school’s community, but they wouldn’t bother cruising job postings. Recruiters say that LinkedIn’s services provide a great way to contact these people who might be willing to come to your school—if they were approached in the right way.
2. Connect With Your School Community
Your school’s faculty, staff, and fellow administrators all have a vested interest in staying active within their professional networks. LinkedIn provides a natural social media space in which that networking can occur, both within the community and beyond it.
Furthermore, your school’s parents are often established professionals in their own rights. Should you ever need to interact with them—be it for fundraising, reminders about student forms, or general school updates—their LinkedIn profiles may give you some background and details that will ease your conversations.
3. Take Advantage of Professional Resources
With the new long-form post format, professionals have begun writing their thoughts as LinkedIn blog posts to share with their network. These articles can be featured on various “Pulse” news channels like “Accounting,” “Human Resources,” and “Education,” spreading the article far beyond the original network.
Reading such news stories helps you stay abreast of current trends within the professional world and offer new ideas to alleviate common problems in your office. Perhaps you’ll be inspired to write an article or two of your own, which brings us to our final point…
4. Boost Personal Credibility
Getting your name known within your niche industry of private-independent school Business Managers opens opportunities and resources hitherto unexplored—and becoming an active member on LinkedIn is a great way to do just that. There are so many options, however, that it can be a bit overwhelming at first. We’ve got a few ideas to help you master the process so you can become a thought leader!
- Write and publish articles on the LinkedIn platform. This point could be an article in and of itself, but suffice it to say that articulating your approach to private-independent school management and your opinions on popular methods contextualizes your professional experience. You’re no longer a Business Manager with seventeen years on the job; you’re a Business Manager who can provide real-world tips on how to, say, implement a BYOD at a small day school.
- Join and participate in LinkedIn Groups. In addition to the Pulse and long-form posting, LinkedIn has a variety of “Groups” (specialized online forums) that allow participants to share articles, ideas, and expertise freely. Find a Group that includes your interests and experience—HR, insurance news, finance, etc.—and become known as someone who’s got great resources and advice for folks in a bind.
- Share updates. Yes, this feels a little like Facebook and other social media sites, but LinkedIn allows users to share thoughts and articles, showing up on their connections' Home pages. If you share pertinent professional articles or ideas—and respond to others’ updates—you’ll find your professional network will become more engaged and ultimately useful to you in the “real world.”
Do you use LinkedIn? Have you published an article or participated in a Group discussion? We’d love to hear about it. (And if you’d like updates and resources from ISM on your professional platform of choice, go ahead and follow our Company Page.)
Additional ISM resources:
Private School News Vol. 9 No. 6 What to Do This Summer About Your Listservs and Forums—Etiquette for Staying in Touch Electronically
Private School News Vol. 9 No. 3 How to Know Which Social Networking Tool Fits You
Additional ISM resources for Gold Consortium members:
I&P Vol. 35 No. 1 Faculty and Staff Use Social Media: Sample Policy
I&P Vol. 39 No. 11 Hiring, Preparing, and Training Staff for Your Summer Program
