5 reasons to get LinkedIn with the geosythetics community

International Lining Technology begins an occasional series exploring social media and geosynthetics. Social media has become prevalent in our personal lives, but it also can influence your career.

LinkedIn is a social networking site focused on professionals. Aimed at making career connections and business related topics, many turn to this site to build their network.

Here are five reasons you should be on LinkedIn:

1. Jobs, jobs, jobs: If you are looking for a job, or even if you are not, this is the place to keep your resume where everyone can see how you have built your career. Job recruiters, employers and consultants are looking for your skills on the network. Be sure to populate your profile with key words that related to your industry such as geomembranes, geosynthetics, containment, installation or liner.
2. Networking: If you can’t attend those conferences or training sessions, this is another way to make connections in the field. Join a group and become part of the conversation. You can’t just sit there and read the post. Answer questions, ask questions and share your knowledge. Find lost connections and reconnect. This is a venue where you can congratulate your former boss on the new job or say good job to the colleagues that have been at the company for five years.
3. Latest news: Want to get industry news for insiders? Join on a group devoted to geosynthetics or the many professional associations. Every day, someone is posting a new paper, conference update or just world news that might affect our markets.
4. Resources: Are you looking for a job candidate? Does anyone have any experience using this company’s wire mesh reinforcement product? How do I …? You have a group of thousands in one place that would be able to give you advice for no cost. Take advantage of resources that takes years to build up.
5. Trending: See what is trending in the business world. LinkedIn is advanced enough to suggest articles that might be of interest to you. While most might not attract your attention, a few might bring ah-ha moments.

Let us know how you use LinkedIn.