Career insights by GGI is a new series by GGI sharing hacks and tips around management consulting, MBA, product management and public policy.
In this GGI career insight, we will be sharing insights into: how to maximise benefits from LinkedIn
Have you ever wondered how to fully utilise LinkedIn as a social media platform?
This particular career insight is personal since I share my LinkedIn growth story. This article is divided into 4 sections covering my journey, development and recommendations.
1. So, when did I get introduced to LinkedIn?
My journey with LinkedIn goes back to 2012 when my manager asked me to add her connections on LinkedIn after she had networked with new folks at an event.
While this task felt extremely trivial to an enthusiastic intern from St. Stephen’s, it made me realise the power of LinkedIn and introduced me to the same.
Thus, realising I wished to have a presence on this platform too, especially with my final year of college right around the corner, I made sure my profile was always updated always!
2. So, how did I get the confidence to write on LinkedIn?
Moving a few years forward, during my time at ISB Hyderabad, I was always sure I wasn’t pursuing MBA just to get a good job. Hence, I wished to learn practical and applicable skills.
So at the end of the day, I would think of 2 key takeaways from my classes every day which I could deploy as a start-up founder or a management consultant. I started referring to these briefly little notes learnings as- MBA in 2 minutes.
Post ISB MBA and just before joining BCG, I decided to post my learnings, of MBA in 2 minutes, on LinkedIn.
This was free of cost and the aim was to just simply give back to society. What was a simple gesture of faith, blew up on the platform and gained me a lot of confidence to write more. The success of my first post gave me the confidence to keep going.
Much to my surprise, my second post blew up as well on LinkedIn.
I came to realise that this wasn't sheer luck, but something about my experiences and brutally honest opinions that actually resonated with society. That motivated me to keep going.
3. Benefits of writing on LinkedIn
Only after 2 and a half years of consistently giving my best and writing my stories, did I become LinkedIn's top voice.
I was awarded a Women Young Leader by the Economic Times right before that. I got this opportunity via LinkedIn too. In fact, Tony Blaire Institute had reached out to be through LinkedIn itself which turned out to be an interesting international affairs exposure to me.
I have plenty of examples to give. But by now it must be evident to you that LinkedIn has a lot it store if you leverage it properly.
4. My advice to you
Hopefully, my journey has inspired a few of you to pick up your pen as well.
I would encourage you to share your views that are either backed by data or your experiences. The sad reality is that nobody cares about your opinions that come from the seat of your pants. .
One last piece of advice I will share will be to keep a strong eye on your LinkedIn messages. I get about 400 messages on LinkedIn every day and it gets extremely hard to manage.
Nevertheless, I make it a point to skim through them frequently. The opportunity to share my story via Tedx was just lying in my inbox, I would have missed it had I not been prudent.
Today, I hire from LinkedIn as well. It is a mutually beneficial platform. At GGI, we have a mentor from BCG who connected with me through a personal chat on LinkedIn. Of course, we are extremely grateful for their contributions and for reaching out.
I would conclude by saying, there is no one writing style.
Take a leap of faith and start your journey with the utmost passion. We can all learn something from each other's stories.
Author: Shatakshi Sharma, Co-CEO Global Governance Initiative, Ex-BCG Management Consultant, Former Policy Advisor, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change
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