nick tadd: Monthly networking events

This month's inaugural event is set to feature a presentation about how to get the most out of the business networking site, LinkedIn.

LinkedIn has more than 60 million users worldwide, of which approx. half are in the United States with 11 million being from Europe. It is a site that allows professional people to maintain a list of contact details for people they know and trust in business. This list of connections can then be used in a number of ways:

A contact network is built up consisting of their direct connections, the connections of each of their connections (termed second-degree connections) and also the connections of second-degree connections (termed third-degree connections). This can be used to gain an introduction to someone a person wishes to know through a mutual, trusted contact.
It can then be used to find jobs, people and business opportunities recommended by someone in one's contact network.
Employers can list jobs and search for potential candidates.
Job seekers can review the profile of hiring managers and discover which of their existing contacts can introduce them.

The "gated-access approach" (where contact with any professional requires either a preexisting relationship, or the intervention of a contact of theirs) is intended to build trust among the service's users.

LinkedIn also allows users to research companies with which they may be interested in working. When typing the name of a given company in the search box, statistics about the company are provided. These may include the ratio of female to male employees, the percentage of the most common titles/positions held within the company, the location of the company's headquarters and offices, or a list of present, past, and former employees. Clearly, LinkedIn is one of the major players in social networking that we all should endeavour to understand and leverage.

We have therefore brought in one of the most respected LinkedIn trainers in the U.K., Mark Perl, to speak to you. Mark's presentation will help you optimise your presence on LinkedIn, and help you be efficient in the time you spend in the network. Please book for this hot topic below. Payment: £10 in advance, or £15 on the door, on the day (places permitting).