The Registry’s LinkedIn Initiative: Expanded Opportunities for Members

Dr. Robert “Bob” Smith
Senior Consultant
The Registry

The Registry is now establishing a more expanded presence on LinkedIn to enhance access to information about recent events and opportunities for Registry Members. In this article, we describe how Members can connect with The Registry via LinkedIn to benefit from this new initiative.

The Registry and LinkedIn

LinkedIn, a wholly owned subsidy of Microsoft, is arguably the preeminent networking and professional development platform serving a broad range of business practitioners along with academic administrators and faculty members.  The service claims nearly 700 million members across 150 countries, worldwide. Because of this extensive coverage, LinkedIn is a go-to-site for university professionals seeking information on colleagues throughout the world.  Indeed, we are aware of the extensive use of the platform before and during interviews of Registry Members who become candidates for interim administrative positions among Registry clients. Beyond this usage, we see the Registry LinkedIn site as a means of promoting dialog among Registry Members and providing ongoing updates on Registry developments, including placements, articles and news, and testimonials from clients and Members on placements.

The Registry’s LinkedIn site has recently gone “live” and we wish to offer guidance to Registry Members at this moment to maximally benefit from its existence and evolution. That hope requires Members being or becoming connected with LinkedIn. Fortunately, for those Members not currently connected with LinkedIn the sign-up process is fairly straightforward and there is a free service option.

Getting Started

The process for signing-up for the Basic (free) account begins with the LinkedIn start-up page, which provides directions for Members to create their own site. A curriculum vitae prepared in Microsoft Word^® can be used to lift out and fill-in boxes for the various information categories, including work histories, degrees and certificates from colleges and universities, and references to selected publications. Logos of firms (e.g., The Registry) and institutions (e.g., University of Michigan) can be accessed and inserted into the electronic document to add color and interest; in many cases, these logos will appear automatically once the name of the organization is entered. When filling out the profile we recommend that entries be more rather than less descriptive, including publications and academic achievements. The best profiles will also include a professionally developed headshot that will appear on the Member’s landing page. 

The Registry As A Hub

A number of veteran LinkedIn users recommend starting with the Basic (free) account but with the option of upgrading to a possible Premium membership (e.g., Career Plan) that provides enhanced services (e.g., increased in-site e-mailing, notices of individuals or companies that have searched the subscriber’s site) are available beginning at approximately $250 per year. This is a decision that might most wisely be made after the Member becomes familiar with the Basic account. When you access a LinkedIn member’s site and notice a small gold LinkedIn logo next to the member’s name at the top of the landing page, that logo indicates premium membership. Once a LinkedIn membership is secured, Members only have to access The Registry’s LinkedIn website and in the upper right-hand corner of the landing page click on the “Following” tab, which should produce a check-mark icon. This action ensures that all additions to The Registry’s LinkedIn page will be communicated to Members on a regular basis.

We hope that the information provide herein will be helpful to our Members. If a Member experiences difficulties along the way, The Registry’s Director of Membership, Galen Hench ([email protected]), will be happy to assist.  Also, feel welcome to check with Galen if there are questions about information posted on The Registry’s LinkedIn site going forward.