I love LinkedIn for networking.    The first time I read Guy Kawasaki’s overview of using LinkedIn (See www.guykawasaki.com – search his Blog for ‘LinkedIn’), it was real eye opener. 

For networking, the tools is great for finding people who have a vested interest in you (usually the most powerful connection) and connections into people you want to meet.

Where Guy expanded my view was how to use the tool for researching a person you will meet and the role that you will interview or would like to have if they had an opening.

In researching someone’s background you may find:

·         Common points of interest:  These items help get the conversation started (schools, work, travel, interest, boards, organizations, etc.)

·         Commons contacts:  LinkedIn shows how you may be connected to this person.  Many times there may be someone in your network who is directly connected to the person you will meet.

·         Work history:  Knowing a person’s work history can tell you quite a bit about the level of responsibility, types of work cultures they prefer (or not),  how long do they stay at a firm, etc.

Each of these items help you prepare for a networking meeting or interview.   You avoid asking questions that take up valuable time.   More importantly, the greater your knowledge, the better you can prepare, connect with the person and anticipate questions.