Useful applications for LinkedIn

Please note that some of the information in this post is no longer applicable in LinkedIn.com

LinkedIn logo

This post is primarily for LinkedIn users. I don’t see many users actually taking advantage of some of the extras that can be incorporated into their profiles. I’m referring to the addition of applications. I’ll admit that I am only currently using one application, but I have viewed several of them to see whether they would be something I may want to add.

The portfolio option seems like a good app, but since I already have a portfolio website and the link is on my profile, I decided not to use that one. Maybe you’ve put together an awesome presentation that highlights your expertise; well, there are a couple of applications to choose from for that. In fact, the one I’m going to tell you about will allow you to attach that as well.

A while back I was corresponding with a connection through the LinkedIn email, and she asked me to send her my resume. The first thing I discovered is that there is no option to attach anything to a LinkedIn email. The second thing I realized is that LinkedIn does not offer a way to add any type of documents directly to my LinkedIn profile.

That’s where the applications come in. I started hunting through the applications and discovered Box.net. By adding this application, I can add documents to my LinkedIn profile so that they can be downloaded by anyone that has access to my account, which in my case is my direct connections or anyone with a paid account—generally recruiting professionals.

Box.net Application on LinkedIn

It was quite easy to set up. First you hover over Profile in the tabs at the top of the page and then click Edit Profile. Next you will just scroll down the page until you see the Applications section and click on Add an Application. Once on the new page, look for Box.net Files, click on it, click Add Application, and then follow the directions to set it up.

Since I set up my account a while back, I can’t set it up again to obtain a screen shot for you, but if my memory serves me correctly, I only had to enter my email address and create a password. After that was done, I just uploaded a couple of documents from my computer and now they show on my profile.

I chose to upload a pdf version of my resume. You probably guessed that one since that’s what started this whole thing. Next, I also added another version of my resume—a creative version—that is applicable to certain jobs that I apply for and shows recruiters even more of what I can do.

I also uploaded a recommendation letter I have from a former boss. As you know, LinkedIn allows electronic recommendations to be placed directly on your profile. I had a recommendation letter that was written a few years ago from a boss that is now retired. He has no reason to be on LinkedIn—lucky him—so I can’t really get him to do the electronic version for me.

Box.net documents

You can really add anything that is a document. This includes PowerPoint presentations and Excel spreadsheets. But wait, there’s more! You will now have an account that can be used for file storage that you can access outside of LinkedIn. Just go to box.com and sign in with your new sign-in information. I have not actually used this, but it appears to be similar to Dropbox. As you know from an earlier post, I have been using Dropbox for a while, but Box.net could be a good option for some of you.

I signed in just to learn what some of the basic features are and the first thing I noticed is that it comes with more free storage—5GB—so that is appealing. Since I have this account, I believe that at a later date I will test it further for you and will report my official findings in a later post. But if there’s no Camera Upload feature, I’ll have to stick with Dropbox because that’s a priceless feature in my opinion.

Questions: Now that you know how to add this application to your profile on LinkedIn, other than your resume, what documents do you plan to upload?Are there other applications on LinkedIn that you have used and recommend?