Here at Communiqué PR, we are huge fans of LinkedIn. Although not an end-all resource, it is hugely helpful for recruiting, staying up to date with contacts, and maintaining your personal and business’ online brand. LinkedIn is most effective when updated frequently, as it is an easy tool that lets colleagues know what you are up to—and the more accurate and up-to-date, the better. Keeping your profile relevant is essential to cultivating an effective LinkedIn presence.

To this end, LinkedIn has developed LinkedIn Applications, a tool that makes maintaining and updating your profile easier and more streamlined. Despite being incredibly useful, I rarely see my own LinkedIn connections making use of the LinkedIn Applications feature.

So what does LinkedIn Applications do, exactly? According to LinkedIn itself, the feature “enables you to enrich your profile, share and collaborate with your network, and get the key insights that help you be more effective. Applications are added to your homepage and profile enabling you to control who gets access to what information.”

Currently, there 17 LinkedIn applications officially offered through LinkedIn.com. The following list is organized by the industry for which each is best suited.

All industries

• Blog Link by SixApart

Blog Link connects your blog to your LinkedIn profile. You can then display your recent posts from your personal or company blog, letting visitors to your page know about what you’re currently writing.

• WordPress by WordPress

With the WordPress app, you can feature all your WordPress blog posts on your LinkedIn profile. This is the only LinkedIn application I currently use, and when I publish this blog post, it will post directly to my LinkedIn profile! Just like Blog Link, it’s a great feature to keep your profile appearing updated, without a lot of extra work from your end.

• SlideShare Presentations by SlideShare Inc.

Share SlideShare presentations directly through your LinkedIn account. Have a recent project that went well? Want to showcase some of your work in an aesthetically pleasing manner? The SlideShare application could be a great addition to your profile.

• Reading List by Amazon

A great way to enrich your professional profile, this application shares the books you’re reading with other LinkedIn members. For the avid reader, it lets you stay up to date on what others recommend. Looking to stay current when it comes to industry literature? Follow industry thought leaders’ reading lists on Amazon, and get a peek inside from where they’re getting their information!

• E-Bookshelf by FT Press

Less personal than Amazon’s Reading List application, E-Bookshelf lets you look at “essential reading” materials from experts in various fields. The content is catered to your expressed industry and interests on LinkedIn, and you are able to share articles with your connections as you see fit.

• Projects and Teamspaces by Manymoon

Utilize this application to manage projects directly from your LinkedIn profile with other LinkedIn connections. The software is totally free, and allows you to track and share unlimited tasks, projects, documents and Google Apps with your LinkedIn connections.

• My Travel by TripIt, Inc.

Follow where your network is travelling, and see when you are in the same city as other colleagues. This is great for someone on the go. Update your network on where you’re going, and why, and potentially network while you’re on the road!

• Polls by LinkedIn

The Polls application allows you to collect data from your connections on LinkedIn. This may be especially helpful for brand pages, or just for maintaining interaction with your connections.

• Box.net Files by Box.net

The cloud storage giant has created a LinkedIn application that allows you to share content directly with other connections. You can manage files directly from your LinkedIn, and shared current projects with colleagues and connections.

• Events by LinkedIn

This application allows you to search for and publicize professional events. From conferences to local meet ups, the events application helps take LinkedIn networking into the real world.

Real Estate

• Real Estate Pro by Rofo

This application accesses your local real estate and office space market, displaying new property listings and available spaces. Ideal for use by those in the real estate industry, it can feature listings directly on your LinkedIn page, rather than simply a link.

Creative

• Portfolio Display by Behance

An excellent addition for those in the creative world, the Portfolio Display application allows you to feature your portfolio directly on your LinkedIn profile. For creatives, a resume is more about showing rather than telling. The Portfolio Display application can let you do just that, making your LinkedIn a more accurate representation of your body of work.

Tech

• GitHub by LinkedIn

Use this application to showcase your GitHub projects on your LinkedIn profile. Ideal for those in the coding and web development community on LinkedIn, this application allows you to easily display your work.

Law

• Lawyer Ratings by LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell

For legal professionals, this is an absolute must. Showcase your Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings™ and Client Review Ratings™ to establish your credentials on your profile. This application gives a stamp of approval to your LinkedIn profile from an outside, well respected source.

• Legal Updates by JD Supra

Lawyers, you can use this application to upload your own articles and content. Or, simply use the application to stay up to date on legal news that is relevant to your business—and easily share stories with your connections.

If you are looking for a way to enhance your LinkedIn profile, increase your presence on the network, or just take some of the tedium out of updating your profile, LinkedIn Applications may be able to provide a solution that fits your needs.

For more from Communiqué PR on LinkedIn, check out the following blog posts:

• Four Tips to Maximize your LinkedIn Profile by Erica Lieppman
• Best Practices for Company Pages on LinkedIn by Erica Lieppman
• 8 Tips for Managing a LinkedIn Group by Monica Graham
• The Latest in Brand Marketing from LinkedIn by Kari Day
• New Features on LinkedIn for Companies by Katherine Turney
• The Value of LinkedIn vs. Other Social Media Networks by Jennifer Gehrt

And for more on LinkedIn Applications, look at the following resources:

• 5 Must-Have LinkedIn Apps: Pump Up Your Profile from CIO
• 5 Essential LinkedIn Apps for Sales Teams from Mashable
• 5 LinkedIn Apps for Power Networking from Fast Company
• LinkedIn Applications: Your Resume Just Got More Dynamic from ReadWriteWeb
• LinkedIn: Applications from LinkedIn

 

Do you use LinkedIn Applications? Do you find them useful? Why or why not?

Tags: careers, job search, LinkedIn, LinkedIn applications, personal brand, personal branding, resume, Social media, social media presence Filed under: INDUSTRY, PUBLIC RELATIONS, Reputation Management, Social media