#YourCareer : Intimidated To Engage On LinkedIn? Here’s Some Advice. Great REad!
Before corporate and intellectual property attorney Lacy Bell graduated Emory Law School, she created a LinkedIn profile to facilitate easy networking with law school colleagues and hopefully help secure employment post-graduation. Later, as she launched her own law firm during the pandemic, she created a LinkedIn profile for her business as well. She certainly understood the importance of maintaining a presence on the largest professional social media platform, but she also faced a challenge—her own intimidation about actively engaging on LinkedIn.
“Like most of my peers, I had not engaged much on LinkedIn because it is a professional workspace and can be intimidating when you’re at the early stages of your legal career and trying to walk the line of being an individual with your own opinions and views, but also understanding that past employers and future employers are watching and have access to anything you post,” she explains. “Unfortunately, it can be intimidating and just feel like more work outside of work.”
Bell certainly isn’t the only professional to feel anxious about diving into the powerful LinkedIn ecosystem. Early career professionals in particular may have anxiety around figuring out what to post, what not to post, how often to engage, who to tag/hashtag, etc. As someone who posts on LinkedIn regularly, I’m surprised how often I encounter posts that start with some version of “I’ve been wanting to post on LinkedIn for a long time, but I was too nervous to do it.” Like Lacy many of these timid posts are authored by successful, accomplished individuals who still feel like a bit of an outsider on the platform. While starting to engage on any new social media platform can feel awkward, the stakes may feel even higher on LinkedIn as the site is often mined by employers and recruiters for valuable opportunities.
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Global Creator Programs Lead at LinkedIn Callie Schweitzer insists that it’s perfectly fine to observe initially but also cautions against overthinking it. “If you’re just starting to get more active on LinkedIn or interested in upping how much you’re posting or how involved you are, just start commenting,” she suggests. “Follow people you’re interested in, connect with people, and start pursuing different areas. Build who you are and your presence that way.” She also urges newbies to experiment by engaging with different content types and learning from a range of creators.
One great way to explore a range of content types while also learning about the creator journey may be by following participants in LinkedIn’s new Creator Accelerator Program. It’s a 10-week incubator-style program designed to support creators on LinkedIn through coaching, recognition, and resources. Among other support, LinkedIn provides a $15,000 grant to help creators build engaged communities, spark productive conversations, and connect to meaningful opportunities. “I’ve loved following Creator Accelerator Program participant Elizabeth Leiba as she shares how she’s learning to use and love video even though writing is her ‘safe space,’” explains Schweitzer. Indeed, following some of these creators may be a great way to learn alongside them and build your confidence muscle at the same time.
Follow people you’re interested in, connect with people, and start pursuing different areas. Build who you are and your presence that way.
Before long, attorney Lacy Bell took the plunge and crafted her first post, and she has no regrets. “It felt good to share my content and officially introduce my firm on LinkedIn,” explains Bell. Posting about her selection to Top 40 Lawyers Under 40 in Georgia by the National Black Lawyers last year, she explains “I was initially hesitant to share it, but I am grateful for all the overwhelming support and impressions that post received.”
As for those who professionals who are still terrified at the prospect of dipping their toe into the waters of the most recognized social media platform for professionals, founder and managing attorney Lacy Bell implores them to just do it. “If there’s something positive or otherwise in your professional career that you want to share with your network, try to put your fears aside and do it,” she insists. “LinkedIn is a great platform to connect with other professionals who can support and assist in so many different ways.”
