LinkedIn for Legal Transcriptionists

The ubiquity of social media platforms, many of which are tailored to every niche interest imaginable, has transformed the social and professional landscape forever. To get a job, the old adage goes, it is not what you know but who you know. Thankfully, with services like Facebook and LinkedIn, it is easier than ever to get to know just about anyone on the planet. For legal transcriptionists, the benefits are many: Increased business, developing professional ties, and honing your craft.

If you’re a legal transcriptionist, there are no two ways about it. You need to be on LinkedIn. You can establish your page and join professional groups to meet others in your field as well as those who may need your services in the future. LinkedIn also has a dynamic search option that filters candidates based on skills and qualifications. This is a quick and easy way for headhunters to find employees — if you’re looking, it can help you get found, too. In addition, colleagues can rate your skills and offer helpful reviews. They can even give you a global recommendation visible to all who land on your profile page.

Establishing your profile on LinkedIn isn’t enough, however. You have to keep it updated and current. Always make sure your professional headline, location, and industry are up to date — you’d hate to get contacted for job you are no longer interested in. It wastes time on both sides.

Along those lines, make sure the profile picture you use for LinkedIn is professional. This may seem to be a given but social networking often makes people do crazy things.  Take advantage of every media upload opportunity you get. Post a banner photo and even the occasional graphic update about your company.

Your summary is who you are and this part of the profile needs to be top notch. Don’t let a sloppy introduction deter business. Make sure you represent yourself as accurately and concisely as possible.  Avoid typos and awkward formatting. Like Google, LinkedIn relies upon keyword search so that other people can find you so use this area to draw in like-minded individuals.

Some groups to join are:

The Libra Network: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/130445/

Organized by local chapters in various cities, states, and countries, Libra Network helps bring the legal industry of the world closer together through collaboration, sharing, and exchange of resources online and through live legal networking events and functions designed to facilitate personal interactions and relationship building among legal professionals.

Paralegal and Legal Support Jobs: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/4070948/

A jobs and careers group for all legal support professionals such as legal secretaries & assistants, law clerks, paralegals, legal admin & legal office support, etc.

Law Jobs Network: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/2177221/

A jobs and careers group for legal professionals. Focuses on job opportunities, hiring, looking for employment or recruitment specifically within the legal profession

LinkedIn offers a robust set of features that should be familiar to users of Facebook and other social media platforms. These people are your future colleagues and/or business leads, it is a professional atmosphere, and the content should reflect these two things. The best route on LinkedIn is to keep it business. Maybe things will change in the future, but as a legal transcriptionist you are unlikely to be on the vanguard of such a movement. It is all about marketing, and you want to present stability and competence even if you’re delightfully funny and incisively intelligent in your blogging. LinkedIn is a professional site for professionals. It is an extremely powerful networking tool for legal transcriptionists and it should not be overlooked.