Using the social network LinkedIn, it’s very possible and quite straight forward to meet thousands of people that have the potential to offer you the first step in your career, or launch it to the next level!

But how? For those of you unfamiliar with LinkedIn, it’s a social network for business. So instead of making friends, you make professional connections. It sounds a bit boring, but it is a massively powerful tool that when used in the right way can get your name in front of thousands of potential employers without costing you a penny.

As a creative person it is tempting to switch off at the very mention of the term “business” but we’re also talking about connecting with fellow artists, art supporters, and people who will buy your work!

Here’s how to do it… Firstly you need to set up a good LinkedIn profile as explained in an earlier posts. Once you’ve got a good profile and have invited all your friends, school/college/university colleagues, any people you’ve worked with, it’s time to get proactive!

1. Ask for recommendations Don’t forget to get as many good recommendations from people as you can and add these to your profile
When people see that you have been recommended by others, it helps build trust that you are who you say you are. It’s a bit like buying books from Amazon: you’d tend to trust other customer’s reviews over those of the book publisher.

2. Join relevant LinkedIn groups
There is a group search feature that enables you to search for groups of people who already work in the industry you want to get into. For example, if you want to be a photographer, find the photography groups and join them. If you want to get into film production, there will also be groups for that. There will be groups for almost every career and professional interest.

3. Get involved in discussions.
Now that you are a member of a number of groups that are relevant to your career aspirations, you can comment on group discussions, and even start discussions yourself. You could start a discussion with a question like “Hi, I love photography and want to be a photographer when I graduate. What’s the best way to get into the industry? Thanks” Or you could start a discussion about something topical in the industry. For example, if you want to get into fashion, you could ask the group members for their opinion on a designer’s latest collection.

4. Be seen on the LinkedIn group emails
When you start discussions, if they get lots of comments an email with the details is sent out by LinkedIn to every member of the group, completely for free. This could mean thousands of people in the industry seeing your name and your question. It’s a great way to get your name out there in the industry, and you’ll find that lots of people will be willing to help you.

5. Contact people directly
If there are people you’d love to work for, don’t be afraid to contact them directly. You can do this by sending them a request to connect. You must make sure that you write a personal note in the request that explains honestly, and openly, why you’re contacting them. And don’t be disheartened if they don’t reply, they are likely to be very busy.

6. Always be professional and polite
LinkedIn isn’t Facebook, so use proper language and double-check your spelling. But being professional doesn’t mean you have to be a boring robot, be yourself and let your personality shine through.

See our Top 10 Tips for Setting Up a Great LinkedIn Profile 

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