Getting Started on LinkedIn: A Guide for New Users

Getting Started
With LinkedIn
New User Start Guide
Updated June 2016
Created by Leigh-Anne M. Lawrence

Getting Started With LinkedIn
2
Table of Contents
Setting Up Your LinkedIn Profile……………………………………………………………3-6
Sign Up For An Account …………………………………………………………………….3
Fill Out Basic Profile Information……………………………………………………………3
Add Detailed Information to Your Profile ……………………………………………….….4
How To Edit Your Profile ……………………………………………………………..….4-6
Navigating the LinkedIn Interface……………………………………………………………7-16
Top Navigation Bar ………………………………………………………………………….7
Home Page ………………………………………………………………………………..7-8
Posting a Status Update……………………………………………………………...8
Profile Tab…………………………………………………………………………………9
My Network Tab…………………………………………………………………………..9-10
Adding a Connection………………………………………………………………….10
Jobs Tab …………………………………………………………………………………..11
Interests Tab ………………………………………………………………………………11-13
Business Services Tab……………………………………………………………………14
Premium Tab……………………………………………………………………………….14
Search Feature ……………………………………………………………………………14
Notification Alerts…………………………………………………………………………..15-16
Inbox……………………………………………………………………………………..15
Notifications Flag………………………………………………………………………..15
Grow Your Network Tab………………………………………………………………..16
Accessing Your Account & Privacy Settings……………………………………...……….17-18
Accessing Your Account Settings…………………………………………………………....17
Account Tab…………………………………….……………...…………………………...18
Privacy Tab……………………………………………………...……………………….....18
Communications Tab……………………………………………………………………....18
Troubleshooting………………………………………………………………………………....19-21

Part I: Setting Up Your LinkedIn Profile
Step 1: Sign Up For An Account
Go to www.linkedin.com and sign up for a new account. Fill in the required information and click
“Join Now.”
Step 2: Fill Out Basic Profile Information
Once you’ve signed up for an account, LinkedIn will walk
you through a series of steps to fill out the basic part of your
profile. You’ll be prompted to supply information about your
location, to add a photo, and to select industries and news
topics you’re interested in to help keep you informed.
You’ll also have the opportunity to import your
contacts from your personal email account
(i.e., the email account that you used to sign
up for LinkedIn’s service).
LinkedIn will also ask to send a text message
to your cell phone to confirm the account.
This helps protect against identity theft.
Your cell phone number is not listed publicly
and will only be used for the initial confirmation
or if you want to reset your password without
using email. LinkedIn will not contact you via
text message (or by phone) without your
permission.
3

Step 3: Add Detailed Information to Your Profile
Once you’ve completed the introductory steps, you’ll reach a welcome screen telling you that
your profile has been successfully completed. At this point, you can begin to fill in the details of
your LinkedIn profile including your work history, your education history, your skills, and other
pertinent career-based information.
How To Edit Your Profile
To edit your profile, click on the word Profile in the navigation bar at the top of the page. Then click
Edit Profile.
4

How To Edit Your Profile Continued
Once you click Edit Profile, you’ll see a screen that looks nearly identical to the welcome screen.
However, this screen has multiple “Edit” options, as well as places where you can add information.
Places were you can add or edit information appear in blue.
Tip: LinkedIn recommends
that you fill out your entire
profile. As you fill out your
profile, the circle will fill with
blue until you receive the “All
Star” rating, meaning your
profile is complete.
Tip: LinkedIn automatically assigns
you a URL or Web address when you
sign up for an account. This allows
you to include a link to your LinkedIn
account in your email signature or on
another website. You have the option
of customizing your LinkedIn URL by
clicking the “Edit” tab that appears to
the right of the URL.
5
Tip: You can choose whether
your profile edits are visible to
the public. The default setting is
“On.”
If you don’t want your edits to be
visible to the public, make sure
you toggle the green Yes button
to No, which will appear in red.
Tip: The View profile as button
allows you to view your public
profile. You can use this feature to
make sure that only information
you are comfortable sharing is
visible to the public. For example,
some people choose to hide their
photo or their current employer.

How To Edit Your Profile Continued
You don’t have to fill out your entire profile all at once, but it’s important to know how to add information
and how to edit existing information so that you can finish filling out your profile the next time you sign
on. You’ll want to include work history related to the job that you’re looking for or for the type of
professionals you want to connect with. Likewise, you'll also want to include your educational
credentials and skills to show that you are qualified for your current or future jobs and to connect with
former classmates, co-workers, and employers.
LinkedIn places great value on achieving profile completeness. To achieve profile
completeness, you need to fill out all areas of your LinkedIn profile and add a minimum of fifty
connections. A “connection” is a personal contact. Connections can be people you know, such as a
work colleagues or former classmates, or people you don’t know who work in a similar field or industry.
Learn more about achieving profile completeness.
6

Part II: Navigating the LinkedIn Interface
To maximize the potential of LinkedIn, it’s important to understand how to navigate your profile. This
includes being able to access LinkedIn content, as well as adjust your account and privacy settings.
The most important thing you’ll need to use to navigate your LinkedIn profile is the top navigation bar.
Top Navigation Bar
This bar appears on every page and is the way that you can not only view your profile, but also add
contacts, search for jobs, join groups, and find companies to follow. The top navigation bar contains
seven tabs, three notification icons, and a search bar and is also the place you go to update or change
your privacy settings and log out of the network.
Home Page
Each time you log-in to LinkedIn, the first thing
you’ll see is the Home Page, which you can
access any time by clicking Home in the top
left corner of the navigation bar.
The main part of the page is your “news
feed” where you will see updates from
your connections and from companies
you follow. From this page, you also have the
option to share news or information with your
connections. Your personal sharing of
information is called a status update.
There are three types of updates:
 Links to online articles or websites
 Photos
 Blog posts (created and posted on LinkedIn; not via a third-party website)
The most popular kind of updates are links to online articles.
Learn more about status updates.
7

Homepage Continued: Posting A Status Update
To post a status update, type your text directly in the text box where it says Share an update. If
you want to include a link to an external website (such as a direct link to an online article), simply type
in the URL or Web address of the website you want to share in the update box. Once you’ve typed in
the URL, an autopreview of your post will appear.
Once the autopreview
window has appeared, you
can delete the URL and post
your own message or you
can leave the field blank to
post the article by itself with
no commentary.
To change your post’s visibility so that only your personal connections can see it, click on the
down-facing arrow next to Public and choose Share with: Just your connections.
Once you’ve added your content (including the URL) and have chosen which people will be able to
view the update, you can share your content by clicking the blue Share button.
Learn more about customizing the types of updates that appear on your homepage.
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Tip: Make sure you check and see
who can see your status update
before you post it. Status updates
automatically default to Public,
which means that any LinkedIn user
can see it when he or she views your
profile.

Profile Tab
The Profile tab allows you to view or edit your profile as discussed on pages 3-6. This tab also allows
you to view all your status updates in one location, as well as see which other LinkedIn users have
viewed your profile.
My Network Tab
The My Network tab allows you to add connections to your LinkedIn account. This can be done by
importing contacts from your personal email account (which you were prompted to do during the initial
account setup) or by searching out connections on LinkedIn. You can import contacts from any email
service provider including Gmail, Yahoo!, Hotmail, and others.
Learn how to add a connection on the page 10.
9
Tip: The Who’s Viewed Your Profile
feature allows you to see which users
are finding you on LinkedIn. You can
view the most recent three or four
users who’ve looked at your profile
and can also see how your profile
views compare over time.
To view all the users who’ve looked at
your profile, you need to have a
Premium or paid account.

My Network Tab: Adding a Connection
To add a connection, you will need to navigate to the profile of the individual you are trying to add.
From his or her profile, you will see the
blue connect bar. Select the down-facing
arrow followed by “Connect.” This will
generate an email to the user informing
him or her that you want to add him or her
as a connection.
You will also be prompted to select how
you know the user. Select the option that
is most suitable and click the blue Send
Invitation button when you’re ready to
submit. The user will then be notified
and can either deny or accept the
connection request.
Learn more about adding connections.
10
Tip: You can customize the
message that the user receives by
deleting the text in the box and typing
your own. This is recommended if
you’re attempting to connect to
someone whom you do not already
know or have never met in person.

Jobs Tab
If you’re looking for a new job, you can search for jobs through the Jobs tab in the top navigation bar. If
you’re a recruiter looking to find candidates, you also post jobs using this tab.
Learn more about LinkedIn jobs.
Interests Tab
The Interests tab is how you stay up-to-date on industry news, companies you’re following, and groups
you belong to. It’s also where you can access online tutorials and search for freelancers to conduct
work for you or your business.
11

Interests Tab Continued
The Companies menu option allows you to follow companies or brands on
LinkedIn. It also allows you to create a LinkedIn page for your own company
where you can post news and updates and where employees (current and former)
can connect with one another. Company pages are also used for colleges and
universities so that students can connect with former classmates and instructors
and schools can connect with alumni, current students, and staff and faculty.
Learn more about company pages.
The Groups menu option
allows you to join existing
groups of like-minded
people in your industry or
create a group of your own.
To find a group you like,
click on the Discover tab in
the upper left-hand corner.
Learn more about groups.
12
Tip: If you manage your
own company page, you’ll
be able to navigate
directly to those pages
from the Companies
page.
If you want to create a
new company page, click
the yellow Create button.
Tip: You can like,
comment on, and share
updates by the companies
you’re following to your
own network. This is a
great way to engage with
other users, especially in
your own network.

Interests Tab Continued
The SlideShare menu option allows you to view SlideShare presentations
created by other users or to post your own SlideShare content.
The Learning menu option allows you to access online tutorials through Lynda.com. To access these tutorials,
you need to have a paid account through www.lynda.com.
The ProFinder or Freelance Marketplace menu option allows you to search for freelancers.
13

Business Services Tab
The Business Services tab is specifically for employers and recruiters and provides easy
access to post and advertise for jobs.
Premium Tab
This tab allow you to upgrade to the paid version of LinkedIn. The free version is more than adequate
for most users.
Learn more about LinkedIn Premium.
Search Feature
The top navigation bar also contains a Search feature, which allows you to search for people, jobs,
companies, groups, universities, and more.
14
Tip: The People you may know feature
recommends people that you may know on LinkedIn.
These suggestions are automatically generated by
LinkedIn based on connections you already have or
by your work and education history.
Tip: You can choose to do a
general search by typing directly
into the search bar, or you can
choose to do an advanced search
by selecting the Advanced tab
that appears to the right of the
search bar.

Notification Alerts
On the right of the top bar navigation, you’ll find your notification alert buttons and your account settings
button.
Inbox
The first button allows you to access your
Inbox. Like your personal email account, your
LinkedIn inbox is where other LinkedIn users
can send you private messages.
Notifications Flag
The Notifications Flag is your activity feed, showing you a
snapshot of everything that has occurred on your account
since the last time you logged in. This includes both your
personal account, as well as your company pages if you’re
a manager of a company page.
15
Tip: Endorsements are
recommendations by other LinkedIn
users.
On your profile, you have the option
of adding skills to your profile. The
skills can be ones that you enter
yourself or ones that other users
create for you. Each time you
receive an endorsement, LinkedIn
will notify you. These endorsements
display on your profile.

Grow Your Network Tab
On the right of the top bar navigation, you’ll also find the Grow Your Network tab, which allows you to
add connections and is another way that you can search for people on LinkedIn. If you receive a
connection request, you will be notified here.
You can choose to accept or ignore the connection. If you accept the connection, that individual will be
able to view your profile information and will also show up on your profile as a public connection when
other people view your account.
Once you have accepted the connection
request, you will receive another notification.
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Tip: Who you choose to add as a
connection is entirely up to you. You
can control what invitations you accept
or receive by clicking Accept, Ignore,
or Report Spam.
Learn more about accepting invitations.

Part III: Accessing Your Account and Privacy Settings
Accessing Your Account Settings
To adjust your account settings, click on your profile
photo that appears in the right-hand corner of the top
navigation bar.
This will open the Account & Settings menu. Select
Privacy & Settings to adjust your basic account
settings, as well as your privacy settings. You’ll also
be able to adjust your email settings and group
message notifications.
This menu also allows you to upgrade your account
from free to paid (Premium), post a job, manage your
company page, change the language in which your
profile displays, and access LinkedIn’s Help Center.
Once you’ve selected Manage, you will be taken to the privacy settings area. There are three tabs:
 Account
 Privacy
 Communications
These three tabs allow you to access your privacy controls, set your email preferences, or
delete your account.
17

Account Tab
The Account tab allows you to change
basic profile information like your email
address, phone number, name, location,
industry, and more.
From this tab, you can also connect your
account to Twitter, manage any third-
party apps you’ve added to enhance your
profile, upgrade your account to the paid
version, and delete your account should
you decide that you no longer want to be
on LinkedIn.
Privacy Tab
The Privacy tab is where you can
change your profile visibility settings,
view how your profile appears to the
public, check profile views, and more.
From this tab, you can also block users
and followers if needed, control how
LinkedIn serves you advertisements,
and activate a two-step verification
process for added security.
Communications Tab
The Communications tab allows you
to change how often you receive
notifications from LinkedIn or from any
Groups you belong to.
You can also control what emails you
receive from non-connections as well
as what type of emails you receive from
LinkedIn. For example, if you only want
to accept connection requests from
people you know, you can set it so that
someone has to know your email
address to contact you.
18

Troubleshooting
Q: I’ve already set up my basic profile, but I’m unable to log-in. Why?
A: If you’ve already set up the account, you will need to confirm your email address with LinkedIn
before accessing your account. During the initial set-up, LinkedIn automatically sends an email to
the address you used to register. To confirm your address, check your email inbox for a
message from “LinkedIn Email Confirmation.” The message should look like this:
Click on the link in the email. You should then see an email confirmation screen that looks like this:
Once you’ve confirmed your email address, you’ll be able to log-in to your LinkedIn account.
Q: What should I do if I lose my password?
A: If you lose your password, go to the LinkedIn
home page and choose the Forgot
password? option. You will be emailed
instructions explaining how to reset your
password.
19

Troubleshooting
Q: I’ve imported contacts from my email and made them connections, but how do I
invite other LinkedIn members to connect with me?
A: When viewing the LinkedIn profile of another member, there will be a Connect button in blue near
the top of the profile. Click the Connect button. You will then be prompted to send an invitation to
connect. See page 10 for more information.
Q: I’ve added someone as a
connection in error. How do I
remove that connection?
A: To remove a connection, go to
My Network in the top
navigation bar, click
Connections, and then click
Remove Connections, which
appears in the upper right corner
of the page. Check the box
beside the name of the person
you want to remove and then
click Remove Connection.
Q: Can I change the appearance of my LinkedIn profile?
A: You can’t change basic features such as where your profile photo appears, but you can change the
order in which information appears on your profile. From the Profile tab in the top
navigation bar, choose Edit Profile. Once you are in edit mode, you can reorder the sections of your
profile (e.g., summary, education, experience, etc.) by dragging each section to the preferred location.
For detailed instructions on how to rearrange your profile, go to http://help.linkedin.com/app/answers/
detail/a_id/2904.
To further customize your profile, you can also add third-party applications.
Q: How do I check to make sure my privacy settings are working? Can I view my public profile?
A: Yes, to view your public
profile, go to the top
navigation bar and click on
your profile photo icon that
appears in the upper right-
hand corner. From there,
choose Manage from the
Privacy and Settings field.
Click on the Privacy tab in
the center of the page and
then click on Edit your
public profile.
20

Troubleshooting
Q: Does LinkedIn offer any online training resources?
A: Yes, LinkedIn offers a series of webinars for beginning and advanced users. Webinars are free and
can be accessed at http://learn.linkedin.com/training.
Q: Where can I go for additional help?
A: LinkedIn has a comprehensive Help Center, which
can be accessed at any time by going to your profile
photo icon in the upper right-hand corner of the top
navigation bar and choosing Help Center.
The Help Center can also be accessed directly
by going to http://www.linkedin.com/help.
Q: How do I log out?
A: From the top navigation bar, click on your
profile photo icon in the upper right-hand corner of
the top navigation bar and choose Sign Out.
21

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