Page 46 - MiNDSPACE Issue 2 2022 - Old Mutual Corporate

in closing
How to LinkedIn
LinkedIn can be a scary
place and for many it’s
best avoided. Dr Jabulile Msimango-Galawe has words of encouragement for those who, like her, grew up with
Mtypewriters and fax machines.
Dr Jabulile Msimango- Galawe is a leadership and business coach, entrepreneur, researcher and author. She is also programme director of the Master of Management in Business and Executive Coaching at Wits Business School. Her LinkedIn page is a work in progress.
The closest we had was a typewriter and a fax. What? Exactly. The first time I saw a computer was in the mid ’90s at university.
They were very scary and difficult to operate. You had to remember all the functions (press F1 for help) and they had black DOS screens, which did not make things easier if you had the slightest anxiety about using a computer.
4. Check YouTube for videos on how best to use LinkedIn. (Yes, one social-media platform will tell you how to use another!)
Now we can do more on our phones than we could with one
of those clunky PCs running Windows. We Facebook, Twitter, Instagram ... but LinkedIn? It remains the scary platform – after all, it’s where you have to put on your interview outfit (and face), put your best foot forward and mind what you say.
5. Ask someone who won’t laugh at all your questions, even if you feel they’re stupid. Once you have the basics, you can hire a (younger) person to work on your page and make it look more professional.
Perhaps that’s why those of us who have passed the 40th floor may say that they don't need LinkedIn. What we’re really saying is that we’re not all that comfortable putting ourselves out there on a platform where we don't know anyone. It's like walking into a large networking event by yourself – and doing it on a computer! (Okay, or on your phone.)
6. Connect with people who you know won’t mind if you practise on them, even if it means deleting some posts in the beginning. Then graduate and move slowly towards the people that matter.
So the question is: How do you approach LinkedIn if you are like how I used to be with computers?
1. Ask yourself what can be so difficult, if you could study and
7. Read their profiles so that you can make the right impression when connecting with them. Also remember the golden rule
of job applications: don’t send the same covering letter to everyone. That will make a possible LinkedIn connection lose interest on the spot or worse, think of you as someone who isn’t really interested in them. Kind of like doing a sales pitch
pass matric without Google or a computer? These things are
to everyone you meet at an event.
8. Be consistent and post and share interesting or useful
younger than you. As an adult, you can handle them.
2. Once you’ve given yourself a pep talk, start checking out
information your contacts will enjoy. Don’t be lively and engaging for a month and then disappear for a whole year before popping up again. There is no value in that.
the room. Who's there and who are they with?
3. Click on any post or profile that looks interesting. Don’t
9. Remember, business is digital now. You can survive offline for a while, but if you don’t jump onto the platform and train, you may miss out on all the sights, adventures and new friends. M
pressure yourself. You don’t have to commit or hang around if you feel uncomfortable. Just as you would at an event.
y name is Jabulile aka DrJ and I am in the elevator passing
the 40th floor. I was born in Mpumalanga and we were not exposed to computers let alone able to use them as children.
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