Since it was first launched back in 2016, LinkedIn Learning has grown tremendously as an educational platform, receiving constant updates and refinements to make each feature as effective and responsive as possible, while also adding to the massive catalog of courses.
With that being said, now that a few years have passed since its release, it has been found that some Linkedin users will commonly fall into the same issues when using the platform, usually when they are first getting used to it and still trying to adjust to everything LinkedIn Learning has to offer.
To make sure you get as much out of this professional networking site and online learning platform as you possibly can so that you don’t end up wasting any money, here are 10 things you should never do on LinkedIn Learning when you’re logged in.
1. Avoiding Quizzes And Assessments
There are many people who love flicking through multiple courses at a time on this professional network site, whether it’s a few over the space of a week or even several smaller courses in a day, and while there’s nothing wrong with this, what can become an issue is when these people will skip the assessments to get straight to the next course.
The assessments are designed to give you the opportunity to demonstrate your newfound knowledge before you apply it to the outside world, and since there are multiple attached to every course, it’s never advised to skip them, especially since they are a part of your membership.
2. Remain Within Your Comfort Zone
While a lot of LinkedIn Learning’s courses are centered around the many aspects of business and software engineering, because there are literally thousands of courses with new ones being introduced to the platform every day, you don’t want to end up boxing yourself in.
Instead, make full use of your membership and don’t be afraid to learn a little more about topics you may not have initially thought about such as courses in ethics and law or remote work foundations to improve your personal brand, make a connection request and all of these will be able to benefit you in one way or another once you complete them, or even just watch a single episode to test if they are for you or not.
- Offers a wide range of courses and tutorials on various topics
- Boost your Career with LinkedIn Learning
- Anytime, Anywhere Learning
- Validate your Skills
3. Dropping Courses
Admittedly, the 17,000+ courses that are granted to you upon registering for LinkedIn Learning can seem a little overwhelming at first, to the point that many users will be so eager to see what is on offer that they will leave a course halfway through.
This is never recommended since each course is designed to accumulate and bring together all you have learned in the final videos, and if the course can award you a certificate, you will definitely want to stick with it until the very end.
4. Not Linking With A LinkedIn Account
Even if you don’t already have a LinkedIn profile and you don’t make connection requests it can be worth making one just so that you can connect it with your Learning account and receive the benefits it offers, especially when it comes to recommendations since the program will be able to better understand what you may be most interested in judging from your personal details on LinkedIn network.
Connecting both accounts also makes it much easier to switch between platforms with just a single click so you can chat and discuss work and business matters on the LinkedIn app before then jumping into some courses.
5. Skipping Over Community-Based Learning
The community-based learning feature which can be found on the Linkedin profiles hub is designed to connect users who have undertaken similar courses, giving them time to discuss how they feel about each lesson and giving each other recommendations on what they should check out next.
This is a feature many people are unaware of when they first sign up for LinkedIn Learning, but it helps to make the entire experience feel a lot more communal while also giving you the opportunity to test yourself with others in a group setting.
6. Using Multiple Accounts
Some people will have multiple different LinkedIn accounts to reflect different jobs they may have which can make it easier to manage colleagues and business ideas by keeping them separate, however when it comes to LinkedIn Learning, this can often make it a bit overwhelming as you are recommended so many different courses at once.
Instead, it can make for a much easier and smoother experience if you simply use a single account which will attract the relevant recommendations before then searching for other courses manually that may link to your other job search.
7. Miss Out On Saving Courses
LinkedIn Learning offers users an incredible amount of customization options when it comes to the courses themselves, and a huge feature that many people, unfortunately, skip over is being able to save courses for later.
This will keep the course in your own personal “Work” tab so that you don’t forget about it, and since new courses are being introduced all the time, it can make it difficult to find one you had your eye on a few days prior, so it’s always worth making use of.
8. Leaving Out The Q&A
All members of LinkedIn Learning are granted access to one of the most useful resources on the platform, the Q&A feature, where you are able to ask any questions you may have to the course instructors or the larger Learning community.
This is another small feature many people will miss out on after signing up and getting stuck into the course, however, if there is anything you’re unsure about in terms of what you are learning, it is always worth making use of it.
- Offers a wide range of courses and tutorials on various topics
- Boost your Career with LinkedIn Learning
- Anytime, Anywhere Learning
- Validate your Skills
9. Watch A Course Video Once
Most courses on LinkedIn Learning will have videos that are designed to be digested easily without you having to commit too much time to learn them, with many videos being no longer than 15 minutes in length.
Therefore, it makes it easy to quickly run back through a video just to make sure you’ve absorbed all the information necessary and didn’t miss anything.
It can also help you generate your own creative ideas by watching a class several times and trying to understand where it would most benefit you most in your career going forward.
10. Ignore The Video Personalization Features
While watching a course video on LinkedIn Learning, you might notice a few symbols near the bottom and around the frame of the video.
These are customizable video features that enable you to interact with the video in certain ways including being able to highlight certain spots and saving where you last left off so you don’t lose your place.
Maybe the most important feature here is the playback tool which is incredibly precise and designed to help you go over something you may have missed instantly without having to rewind a few seconds before and wait for the buffering to be over.
Summary
When you’re on the front page of LinkedIn Learning and are ready to jump into some informative and exciting courses, be sure not to avoid all the extra features that can make your experience so much better, and always venture out of your comfort zone to experience everything this popular online learning platform has to offer.
Some of the other useful tips will be using a great profile picture, making Linkedin connections requests, sending personal messages to the top tier accounts, and avoiding negative posts
