Free «LinkedIn» Essay Sample

LinkedIn is the leading professional networking site online. It reconnects contact information, job opportunities and much other information around the world. As the leading worldwide networking site it has linked so many businesses and professionals in key market areas and details. LinkedIn is essential in many ways; job search, hiring, company search and contact information. It is mostly essential to job seekers. A number of world leading corporations use LinkedIn to hire employees, hence, as a member of LinkedIn, it will be a perfect opportunity. LinkedIn will also help you connect to a wide pool of professionals from all over the world who are looking for jobs or who wish to share their working experience and skills to other professionals, especially new graduates (Singh, S., & Diamond, S. ,2012). As to a new graduate and a student, LinkedIn will help you learn and share with accomplished professionals in your area of field and on job seeking strategies. Also, if you are looking contact details of various corporations, they can be found at LinkedIn. In every way LinkedIn is a valuable networking site that has a lot to offer. To become a member at LinkedIn you will need to set an account or register (Rampersad, H. K., 2009).

Setting Up a LinkedIn Account

Setting up an account with LinkedIn is a piece of cake.  Visit the LinkedIn link and you will be directed to the LinkedIn registration site. Click the sign up section and then fill personal and contact details. Initially, you only need to fill your names, email and create a private password. Then you will be taken to your profile.  Filling the profile is the integral part of a LinkedIn account. It is divided into three sections/ steps.

The first step is updating of personal education details, creation of a summary and posting of a photo. Educational details are the most important details for setting up a LinkedIn account, hence, ensure that the information is as accurate and precise as possible. Include your past education background, preferably, skilled and higher education. There is no need to put your high school information. Then post your skills you have acquired which will go hand in hand with your past experience; information of your past and current working experience, and, lastly, update your photo (LinkedIn Corporation, n.a).

The second step is creating connections. You can use the webmail to connect with your classmates, colleagues and other individuals you know, who are available at LinkedIn. Invite those who are not available. This step is essential in building a community which you will share with. LinkedIn has more than 135 million users, hence, there are a lot of people to share with. You can also upload contacts from your Facebook and Twitter accounts by reconnecting with the social sites. Ac address and Outlook, Palm and ACT! are contact places that you can upload more contacts from. These connections should be real and accurate (Wankel, C., 2010).

Lastly, leverage the connections advantage by posting questions on answers to tap and attract experts who you will share with. Search for people and company profiles and learn their skills and background.  Lastly, look for service providers who can boost your profile.

Security Issues

Just like any other online site, there are various privacy and security reasons that are associated with LinkedIn.  The most notorious security issue associated with LinkedIn is password breach. Many LinkedIn users have been stolen, with their accounts hacked and their personal information published and distorted. Hence, it is advisable that you put a secure password with more than six letters and words. Then change the passwords occasionally, possibly, after every three months (Larry Dignan, 212).

Password leakages and fake profile members are the major challenge that LinkedIn and other online sites face, hence, there is a need to ensure the protection of other people’s information and identification of fake members who wish to exploit site members. Also incorrect and misguiding information is exchanged a lot within LinkedIn which brings questions if there are legalities and procedures in identifying and disallowing such information.