Unlocking LinkedIn's Power: Your Career Development Tool Beyond Job Hunting

Picture this: you've snagged that dream job, and your LinkedIn profile is gathering digital dust. But wait—is your career journey really just about nabbing the next position? As your guides to professional excellence, we, Laura Beishor and Mary Fiend Brand, are here to reveal why an active LinkedIn presence remains your secret weapon for career growth, long after the 'new job' confetti has settled. From celebrating personal milestones to mapping out vacation dreams, we kick things off with a touch of the personal joys that keep us grounded and energized for the professional road ahead.

Then, with the wisdom from our combined 25 years in career development, we steer you through the untapped potential of LinkedIn for professional networking, continuous learning, and staying visible in your industry. We don't just chat about these concepts; we live them, sharing insights on growing a robust network and the art of giving back within the professional community. And remember, your voice is crucial to our conversation—engage with us, suggest future topics, and let's together tailor a career journey that has you at the helm as the CEO of your success. Tune in and transform your LinkedIn routine into a strategic asset that fuels your professional voyage, even when you're not actively job hunting.

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Transcript

Mary Fain Brandt: 0:02

Welcome to the Redfine Your Career Journey Podcast, where we help career minded professionals like you become the CEO of your career.

Laura Bashore: 0:11

I'm Laura Bashore and I'm here with my co-host, Mary Fain Brandt. Together, we have over 25 years of experience in career development and coaching.

Mary Fain Brandt: 0:19

We're thrilled to share our insights and expertise with you on this podcast.

Laura Bashore: 0:22

So grab your favorite cup of coffee, tune in and let's start the show.

Mary Fain Brandt: 0:30

Where did 2023 go? I feel like it was flash by in a snap.

Laura Bashore: 0:37

I feel like that is what happens now, and I'm going to throw it out there. Now that I'm getting older, I feel like time goes by really fast, and I don't know if I shared it with you yet. This is the year I turned 40.

Mary Fain Brandt: 0:57

We are going to have to get oh, you turned 40 in 2024? Yes, I am 20 years older than you.

Laura Bashore: 1:07

Yay, you turned 60. Well, good then we got to have some big celebrations together. Throw that into the vacation planning.

Mary Fain Brandt: 1:17

Okay, I know we were just talking about this, but we started a tradition maybe five years ago, my husband and I the lake in December. We start talking about what the next year looks like, and especially vacationing, because we have to plan that out and you've got to stay for it. So we've already locked in a week in June in Minnesota. Our friend, I know that's random, right, but our good friend, that is very random and cold.

Laura Bashore: 1:44

No, in June.

Mary Fain Brandt: 1:46

That's human. I've already been there in November and it snowed. But our good friend, chad turns 50 and is graduating from college. So there's going to be a huge party and formal invitations are being sent out and we're going to do wine tasting. He's got a friend with a boat and then there's a big graduation birthday party and then a day to chill. So we decide just turn that weekend into a five day vacation. And it's beautiful. Back there they have a lot of lakes, they've got that. And then we're thinking of somewhere tropical, because I love the beach, I love water. So it could be. I am, I do. My cousin lives on one of those islands. What are those islands? St Thomas, oh nice, so we might do like a week over there to see him. Or my brother-in-law has have VBROs. They have a couple homes on a lake in Arkansas and the Ozarks but I hear some really humid there.

Mary Fain Brandt: 2:47

But so I don't know. So one of those. And then, of course, san Diego. We'll probably do three San Diego trips this year, coming home for like four days. So we will definitely get together. Now, when's your birthday?

Laura Bashore: 3:00

My birthday is April 16th, so I'm going to Okay, okay.

Laura Bashore: 3:06

I'm going to Vegas to go see Seinfeld for the first time, so we're going to go see Seinfeld the week before and then we're planning a trip. My husband's dad is retiring, finally from Duke hospital and so we are I say finally, because they've been trying to get him to retire for a decade His family that is and so we're going out there at the end of May, so I think we might. They're in North Carolina, so I want my kids to go to the beach and see what that's like, so I think we're going to plan that, maybe like a South Carolina trip on the end of it. That's about it so far. We'll probably go home to like Fresno or something to just check it out and melt, and yeah.

Mary Fain Brandt: 3:58

And melt yeah.

Mary Fain Brandt: 4:01

Yeah, I know it's only January, but we really plan everything out because you know my husband has to get time off and you know I've got to make sure. You know I'm blocking my calendar. I'm not going to a conference or speaking somewhere. So I and I really have a goal of two big trips this year and then some short trips. We're also you know what? We're also going to go explore Arizona because there are so many quirky little towns around us. Maybe you and your hubby have to come out here and we need to go explore and do some. That would be fun. Yeah, I got a brand new guest room in our house. It's all set up and you'll feel right at home because we call it the sea and sand room. It's all ocean Okay.

Laura Bashore: 4:44

All right, I'll like that. Then I'll have to look into it. Yeah, I think you got a plan you got to plan out so you have stuff to look forward to, you know, and so that you could do what you want to do and have enough money set aside, and all that so you can enjoy yourself.

Mary Fain Brandt: 4:59

I'm a big planner, list maker, task rabbit organizer.

Laura Bashore: 5:03

That's why we get together, that's why we get along so well. Love a list.

Mary Fain Brandt: 5:07

Well, and that's going to go right into today's topic on this episode is 10 reasons why you should continue to use LinkedIn after you've landed a job. So let's talk about what you need to plan on doing after you've landed that job and why it's important to keep using LinkedIn. Look you guys, I have a lot of people on LinkedIn. I help career professionals, business owners, build their brands, create content and grow their network. And for my career professionals, I get it. You're like LinkedIn's done its job. I got my new position. Why put in any more time? Well, I'm going to tell you why.

Mary Fain Brandt: 5:45

Next steps, two words, next steps. That is not going to be your last job, and LinkedIn is there to help you find your next opportunity or give you your next training, your next referral, maybe your next business partner or your sales. If you're in sales, linkedin is a great place to build that network, build your brand and get a promotion. Or maybe you're going to move to a new town in the future. We don't know. You can't predict that. Wouldn't it be great to have a network already built? And using LinkedIn even after you got your job is a great way to create a community, a network of people that can continue to help you grow, that can promote you and recommend you for the next best thing coming down your way.

Laura Bashore: 6:35

Yeah, I mean, the whole reason why I got into LinkedIn and utilizing it for my clients was that I had a colleague who regularly, like every year and a half, would get headhunted just based off of his profile. So it was started when he was working at HP and just continued and he gets great job offers. And that's where I was like, oh, you should be using this for more than just your job search. And to that point, you know, here's a really interesting stat, which is about how many leaders are utilizing LinkedIn. So 62% of Fortune 500 CEOs are on social media and of which LinkedIn is their number one choice, and the astounding 92% of them who say they utilize social media, are utilizing LinkedIn, because this is, after all, where you're supposed to be doing your professional networking.

Mary Fain Brandt: 7:36

That doesn't really surprise me. I've had clients and when I've done summits and stuff and we, you know we were trying to do these summits where every night you do a recap on Facebook, I was like half my audience is not on Facebook.

Mary Fain Brandt: 7:50

The you know career, the high level, c level. You know what they're going to choose one platform that's going to be LinkedIn, and those are the people who can be following you, learning from you, understanding who you are. So you might have a great job right now, but that doesn't mean you're always going to be in that role. As a matter of fact, the average length of a job market is about two and a half, maybe three years, so you need to be prepared for that next move before you need to be prepared. Does that make any sense?

Laura Bashore: 8:23

Yes, absolutely Always stay ready.

Mary Fain Brandt: 8:26

Yeah, and talking about staying ready, we're going to give you 10 reasons that you need to keep using LinkedIn after you, even after you secure your new job. So number one is staying relevant. You know, learning professional development in your industry or an industry you're interested in pivoting to LinkedIn is a great way to connect with those that are in that industry and you can learn from them. Let's say you've landed a job at a company where there's no budget for professional development. You can reach out to other employees in your industry or that other industry that you're arrested in, and you can learn from Lynda dot com on LinkedIn's learning platform. So staying relevant. Number two visibility. You got to stay top of mind. How can you do that if you go incognito and nobody can find you? You know you get a job, you use LinkedIn and then you just ignore it, and I see a lot of people do this. So the visibility staying top of mind. You should also always be updating your LinkedIn profile, you guys, at least I would say twice a year, like six months, and at that year mark you get the new job. What new skills have you acquired? What top projects have you completed, what new accomplishments or awards? So visibility staying top of mind. And then, third, probably one of my favorite things about LinkedIn is really growing your network and the people that you can meet. You know, we've built networks that have people all over the world, and I just think that that is probably the favorite thing about LinkedIn for me is the people that I meet on LinkedIn. Yes, sure, it's, by watching their content, maybe sending a DM message and then maybe a Zoom call, and a lot of them I've had the opportunity to meet in person, whether I'm traveling or they're traveling. So, continuing to build your network, because who knows where your next move will be?

Mary Fain Brandt: 10:28

With remote work, you might decide you might be in San Diego, then you might decide to move to Arizona. Just saying, and what if you decide to move to a new town or city or state? Wouldn't it be great to have a few people there that you know? And true story, you guys, when we moved to Arizona, when I was in San Diego, I had a lot of clients that were in Arizona and when I moved out here, there were a few people that I had met on LinkedIn and when I told them I was moving out here, we actually met up for lunch, go for a walk, things like that, and it really helped me feel a little more comfortable in this new city.

Mary Fain Brandt: 11:05

And so shout out to Tishamary Peltier and Russ Johns, who were two of those people that I had met on LinkedIn and when I arrived here, we got to hang out in person and they got to introduce me to more people. So I love building a strong network that can serve you now and in the future, laura. What are some other reasons that people should continue to use LinkedIn once they've secured a new job?

Laura Bashore: 11:33

Well, thinking about how you give back. You know, let people know of openings in your organization. So I love when I see this from people on the platform where they truly love the place that they work, love the culture and so they will put out there when the organization is hiring. You know the best of the best networkers will continue by helping others even after they've already landed a position. So think about how you can continue through paying it forward to continue to also build up your brand and reputation as somebody who works with others.

Laura Bashore: 12:13

The question is, who are people looking to hire? So when you yourself are looking at getting a position, companies really prefer to have a referral come in. So by being someone who shares of openings with your network, you're utilizing that part of it engaging with other people and really kind of showing the value that you add on to it, and also sometimes you even might receive a finder's fee right, some organizations do that, so it's a win-win for everybody. Number five on our list, which is so important to me, is research companies and people before meetings or before your business transactions. Your first impression is so important. Really utilize the tools that are out there. You can find out not only about the person as an individual, but their organization, which shows you kind of what values they hold true. Why are they with that organization? What was it about that? So research is going to help you come off as a stronger candidate or come off as a stronger potential business partner.

Mary Fain Brandt: 13:25

Have you actually?

Laura Bashore: 13:26

researched right, Because people want to be the company or the person wants to be the sparkly gym that you specifically want to go for them, so give it to them.

Laura Bashore: 13:39

A little bit of research goes a long ways, and you can do that through LinkedIn. This is increasing business and or visibility of your organization. So really interesting. I want to throw this down here. We have this really cool sales stat that we pulled, because a lot of times people will think, okay, well, if I'm not looking at making a move, or maybe I really love where I work and I don't want to be headhunted, really why am I going to waste my time utilizing LinkedIn? Or here's this really cool sales stat that we found, which is the difference that a strong LinkedIn profile makes for salespeople.

Laura Bashore: 14:22

So apparently, 79% of buyers are more likely to consider a brand if the salesperson they're working with has an informative LinkedIn profile. So think about social selling. This also happens on LinkedIn. So, similarly, 73% of buyers are more likely to consider a brand if the salesperson reaches out utilizing LinkedIn. So it's not only just about when you're looking to move on from a job. It's about how you hit in your numbers and get those quotas. This only goes to increase your business and visibility of not only you and the organization. So thinking about that, which leads into number seven building your brand right. Your brand equals your reputation, equals new opportunities. I think that's something that Mary and I talk about a lot.

Laura Bashore: 15:19

You want to make sure you want to make sure that you're setting yourself up to be successful, and LinkedIn is the way to do that. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Mary Fain Brandt: 15:27

Yeah.

Laura Bashore: 15:28

Number eight on here is finding new talent. So, in HR, this is the perfect platform for you to find those you know shiny, bright stars that we were talking about, or those who are making a brand for themselves. It really just lets you understand who you're looking to bring in before you put out that interview. So make sure that you're staying on top of these things. And then, mary, do you wanna go ahead and take the last two things from our list?

Mary Fain Brandt: 16:02

I would love to. So number nine is stay engaged with your past colleagues and friends on LinkedIn. Share your thoughts right. So share your thoughts via posts, articles and comments. You really want to stay engaged with the people that are in your network on LinkedIn, because you never know if there's an opportunity that they know about. So by being visible on LinkedIn, by sharing content, posts, articles and commenting on other people's posts, your name and headline will appear and when that's happening, your people in your network are gonna see that and that helps you stay top of mind and they might have an opening or know of an opening at a different company. That is perfect for you. So it's important to stay top of mind by being present and engaging with your network. Now number 10, I love this one too.

Mary Fain Brandt: 17:06

How about enhancing your company's image?

Mary Fain Brandt: 17:09

Stand out in the crowd of the typical and get noticed by your boss by having a stellar profile and through content.

Mary Fain Brandt: 17:17

And if you really wanna go above and beyond, start tagging your company and sharing about their culture, a new product and even just being out in the community. So the bank that I worked for in San Diego, we did a lot of community involvement or development, community development, like we did some runs. We gave back to a couple organizations, so those were always LinkedIn posts that I would create for the whole team to share out, because it shows that we're invested in the community. And you can do that as an employee and it helps again with your visibility, your reputation, while building your company's reputation and sharing about the culture, and you get to stand out in the eyes of your boss and if you're a manager or a supervisor, why not highlight some of your employees on LinkedIn and tag them and get everyone involved right? That just kinda I feel like highlighting employees and projects and community involvement at a company. That just elevates the culture, the brand and increases your visibility.

Laura Bashore: 18:28

Absolutely, and I think the one thing to remember is put a little bit of thought into it. You don't need to spend 30 minutes on this post, but don't just simply repost it without putting a thought. If you really want this to be impactful, your network wants to know why this is important to you.

Mary Fain Brandt: 18:48

Absolutely. That's the one big mistake that people make. They hit the share button and they don't tell anyone why they're sharing it.

Laura Bashore: 18:57

Do you agree with it?

Mary Fain Brandt: 18:58

Do you disagree with it? Is it something you're involved with? Are you working on the study of something for the post? You need to share your thoughts, otherwise, why are you sharing it?

Laura Bashore: 19:12

Yeah, you're gonna find that you get way less engagement. People will not comment, because I appreciate when people share the content that I put out there or the things about my different businesses. But when they don't share why it's hard for me to even comment, then all I can do is thanks for sharing, because I don't know what their intention was on it and it just kind of loses the whole potency of what you're trying to do.

Mary Fain Brandt: 19:38

Yeah. So make sure that you share your thoughts of why you're sharing that and when you're posting about employees, colleagues, companies, make sure that you're tagging them on LinkedIn when you can, because it'll tag them and they'll see that and then their network will see that and you never know who's in their network that's watching what's going on and you could be the perfect candidate for an opportunity they have at their company.

Laura Bashore: 20:06

Absolutely. I love that bit of advice. So we've just shared with you guys 10 excellent reasons, and even strategies, as to why you need to be on LinkedIn and utilizing your profile, even when you're employed. So continue utilizing LinkedIn. Don't just let it sit there idly because, just like anything else that we utilize, if you're not using your tools, they're just taking up space and collecting dust.

Mary Fain Brandt: 20:36

Yep and if you have another reason of why you should continue to use LinkedIn, even after you've secured your new job, we'd love to hear from you. The one thing that Lauren and I like we love hearing from our listeners, our audience and our network. So if there's also a topic that you want us to talk about, hey, go ahead and shoot us a note over on LinkedIn, dm us and let us know, and we'll see if we can weave that into our schedule. If you enjoyed the podcast, show us some love, and if you have any feedback, go ahead and share that with us too, because we want to hear from you. And don't forget to visit our website.

Laura Bashore: 21:14

You need to find your career journey that can help you take the next step in your career. We'll see you next week with another episode to help you redefine your career journey.

Mary Fain Brandt: 21:26

Until then, stay focused, stay motivated and stay caffeinated.