LinkedIn 101
According to Alexa, LinkedIn is the number thirteen site in the world and number nine website in the US. With the number of job-seekers, it’s no small wonder why, but LinkedIn is more than just job seeking. LinkedIn is the modern, more professional version of comparing penis size. Your friends and colleagues post something new so you feel the need to out do them. Your buddy from college learned Spanish and added it to his, so you learn Japanese. It seems like a lot of competing, but it’s really motivational for individuals.
So who uses LinkedIn? Everybody! It’s used mostly by job-seekers across the board to look good in front of human resources people, but it really lets people show their entire résumé online. Artists can show work, writers can show off their latest pieces, and businessmen can talk about their latest accomplishments. It is literally business bragging.
Personal Information.
When you set up your account, make sure to add your photo. Even if you’re ugly, set the photo up. People like to see who they are talking to. Add all contact information you want to give out. This includes email addresses and phone numbers. This allows people who already have your contact information to find you easier and add you. These are friends and colleagues. Being popular is very important on LinkedIn. I’ll explain why friends are important later.
Résumé Section.
Be thorough. Add your full job history, dates, responsibilities, and anything else it asks for. This gives your work history and human resources people look at it to see if you are a good fit. Even if some of your work history isn’t relevant to the job you are seeking, it may prove handy to show how well-rounded you are.
Endorsements.
LinkedIn will ask you about specific job skills. Add them. If you know PowerPoint, let LinkedIn know about this. As you add these skills, they will pop up to allow your contacts to endorse you and you endorse them. One tip I need to throw in here is you should never endorse a skill that you have not directly observed. With that, text all your buddies on LinkedIn and have them endorse your skills after you endorse theirs. Don’t endorse every skill they have, but just ones you have directly observed. It shows who all endorsed a skill to any third-party who views your page, so it’s a red flag if it’s the same person endorsing every skill you claim to have. Make sure you have all skills listed, even skills that aren’t associated with your current because you never know who will see your profile and what they may be interested in.
Other Stuff.
LinkedIn allows for other bragging rights beyond skills and will constantly ask you about these areas. Have you returned to college? Have you learned a new language? Are you published or a contributing author antes here? Add as much as you can about yourself and LinkedIn will give you just about every possibility you can think of. They also include links for portfolios, so artists and writers, take note. That works for you.
Premium.
I don’t use the paid premium version and throughout my pieces, you’ll see I mostly only talk about free methods to use social networking, but there is a premium upgrade service and from my understanding, if you’re looking just to find a new job, it’s completely worth the price, so I give it an untested recommendation. I believe in the product that LinkedIn is that much.
Final Tip.
In your settings there is an option that has a toggle that allows your updates to show up in the feeds of your friends. While building your page, toggle it to the off position. Everything you do will show up to your entire contacts list and they will get annoyed with you as you make updates while building the page. After you are done setting it up, then toggle it back so your updates show up in the feeds of your contacts. Now when you get that dream job of yours, they will see it, but they won’t see every change you make. Ask yourself if you’re changes will just start to piss off your contacts and if the answer is “yes,” toggle it to the off position and back on once you’re done with upkeep-style changes.
I rank in the top 39% of my LinkedIn connections. It’s a nice feeling since I was never studious enough in high school or college to rank that high and I’ve taught myself and had others teach me many things which I excel at. I know I need to do some more work on my personal LinkedIn Page, but I’m happy with my current rankings since I’m not a job seeker currently.
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Picture a young Michael Beebe, fresh out of La Porte High School in ’93, diving headfirst into the world of hospitality with a busboy gig at the old La Porte Holiday Inn. That hustle led him to an Associate of Science from Purdue-North Central in ’95 and a Bachelor’s in Hospitality Management from Purdue-Calumet in ’97 (those schools are now merged into Purdue-Northwest, by the way). Michael’s early career was a whirlwind—running a 140-room hotel in Indianapolis, where he learned the ins and outs of the industry but realized it wasn’t his true calling. What did spark his passion? Teaching. He found himself thriving in front of students at Ivy Tech Community College and Lake Michigan College, sharing the art and science of hospitality management. Oh, and he also moonlighted at WIMS radio in Michigan City, juggling both on-air and behind-the-scenes roles with his signature high energy.
Politics? That’s been Michael’s sidekick since he was 18, registering to vote with a fire in his belly to make a difference. He threw his hat in the ring for La Porte County Council in 2010, where he got a crash course in the power of social media marketing. Undeterred by not winning, he campaigned for Indiana’s General Assembly in 2012 and took another shot at the County Council in 2014 and 2016. Though he hasn’t clinched a seat yet, Michael’s relentless drive to serve shines through. Lately, he’s been pouring that energy into helping other candidates who champion personal liberty, amplifying their voices with his knack for strategy.
Here’s a twist: Michael once co-owned a tattoo shop, despite having no ink himself. As the business manager and marketing guru, he leaned hard into low-cost, social media-driven campaigns to put the shop on the map. That experience fueled his love for digital marketing, and now he spends his free time crafting websites and boosting businesses online—a true labor of love.
These days, Michael’s living the dream as an independent contracted transporter, crisscrossing the country while getting paid to soak up new places and cultures. When he’s not exploring, he’s parked somewhere scenic, laptop open, building his digital consulting company, Spark Plug Strategies, or penning his thoughts. He even wrote a few books.
Based in La Porte County, Indiana, Michael’s embraced a “decentralized laptop lifestyle,” blending work, travel, and passion projects into a life that’s as dynamic as he is.