One of the perks of joining LinkedIn is that members have the opportunity to join a LinkedIn group. LinkedIn groups come in different categories, and cover a wide variety of topics from hobbies to businesses promoting a product or service.
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In particular, LinkedIn groups offer business professionals the opportunity to exchange ideas, network themselves, make business connections, and meet leaders and innovators in their respective fields.
If you’re a career-minded college student, joining a LinkedIn group can assist you in seeking out potential mentors and exploring your job options on a much broader scale.
Some additional benefits of joining a LinkedIn group include the following:
- Members have access to people and information they might not otherwise be able to get on their own.
- Members have the opportunity to get professional feedback to their questions.
- Members can receive support and encouragement from other people in their profession.
- Members have the chance to converse with other professionals at various stages in their careers.
- Members can get advice on problems and issues that they might not be comfortable bringing to their employer’s attention.
- Members can learn about any additional skills or training they might need to remain successful in their field.
- Members can be notified about job opportunities before they’ve been posted.
How To Find A LinkedIn Group
Finding a LinkedIn group to fit your needs is much easier than you might think, especially if you follow these 5 steps:
- Go to the search bar at the top of your LinkedIn homepage.
- Type in a key word related to your topic inside “Search” followed by “groups”.
- Decide if you want to filter your search by clicking “Locations, Connections or Current Companies”.
- Review your search results.
- Click “see all” to view more potential groups.
Which Group Is The Right One For You?
In order to see if a LinkedIn group is right for you or not, you should ask yourself the following questions:
- Does the group have a mission statement?
- Is there an official facilitator?
- Does the group keep any kind of schedule?
- Is there a screening process for potential new members?
- Is there a clear purpose and focus?
- Is the group open as opposed to closed?
- Are they welcoming to both experienced professionals and beginners?
- Does the group encourage a sense of camaraderie among all its members?
- Are all questions met with positive feedback?
- Do they tolerate members who are rude, argumentative, and toxic?
- Does the group weed out members with ulterior motives?
How Do I Create My Own Group?
In case you have trouble finding a group that meets your expectations, LinkedIn members always have the option of starting their own. This can be accomplished by completing the following 6 steps:
- Log onto www.linkedin.com.
- Click the “Groups” icon, which is located in the upper right corner of your homepage.
- Click the “My Groups” tab at the top of the page.
- Click the “Create Group” tab on the left rail.
- Fill out a form and supply information about your group.
- Click “Save Changes”.
Whether you decide to join an established group, or create one of your own, becoming part of a LinkedIn group is a great way to make connections and stay connected to your dreams, goals, and ambitions.