The Networking Power of LinkedIn

                                                  

    Alan Ferraro

 

 

            The daily use of LinkedIn in your job search is one of the most important things you can do to network outside your “known” group of contacts.  Keeping in touch with your “warm, trusted network” is important, but the ability to create new business relationships and cultivate them on a consistent basis can result in many an unexpected and profitable result. In addition, keeping your name in the forefront of LinkedIn can provide you with the exposure you’ll need to get noticed by the people & companies you want to be seen by!

 

Recruiters are utilizing LinkedIn as an important source of talent for their clients; a recent estimate has the number at over 130,000 presently in use.   Additionally, many employers are searching for talent directly to supplement their needs, all within a virtually cost-free environment.  Not only can both recruiters and employers find you, they can find out “about” you, having a solid feel for you as a candidate even before they attempt any contact. Although there is really no “hidden job market”, LinkedIn comes close, offering opportunities that most job seekers just won’t see anywhere else.

 

In order to present the best possible candidate for these hiring managers/recruiters to find, you need to do a number of things. 

 

1)      Ensure that your Profile says, succinctly and descriptively, who you are and what you do. Remember that your Profile, for many, will be the first thing they see about you; “selling” yourself in the first few sentences can make the difference between this being their first and last impression of you.

2)      Join Groups! There are thousands of Discussion Groups on LinkedIn (over 300,000), many directly involved in your line of expertise (whatever it may be), as well as dozens devoted strictly to Career Search/Job Hunting.  Once joined, become active within the group; answer questions posed by other members and/or pose questions yourself.  Post discussions specifically about yourself, letting your fellow members know who you are and what you’re seeking, with a solid descriptive headline (eg – “IT professional with Six Sigma experience seeking new opportunity in NY market”).  Offer assistance, when possible, directly to fellow members whenever help is requested. Seek out fellow members who you believe are a solid match for your career search and/or who you can help. Remember, groups and their members, like all networking, rely on mutual reciprocation. 

3)      Answer Questions! Displaying your expertise on topics such as Job Search, Mentoring, Management, etc, provides hiring managers with insight into your capabilities and mindset. Try answering at least one question each week, more if possible.

4)      Review your 1^st Connections connections on a consistent basis and, after providing a Value Proposition that explains the mutual benefit, ask your 1^st for an introduction. Many LinkedIn users continue to rely solely on their 1^st connections for assistance/guidance, while ignoring the 2^nd and 3^rd level.

5)      Keep an eye on the LinkedIn notices that come to your inbox. Watch who is connecting to whom and what your colleagues are doing; it provide insight into which individuals you should be connecting with.

6)      Pick up the phone and call connections! Invite them to lunch or coffee! Get together for a drink! See a movie!  Networking is, by no means, a 2-dimensional phenomenon; it requires contact on as many personal levels as possible to flourish.

 

While these tactics cannot ensure success in your career search, LinkedIn job seekers report a higher degree of contact and/or job opportunities as a result of these methods. 

THE BLACK HOLE
BY SCOTT CHASE
scott@burkeandchase.com 

Well you must be wondering, especially if you are new to the job search, what is the “Black Hole”? Quite simply, it is the database, desk, or other repository that your resume goes into when you submit it through any on-line site. That being said, why would anyone want to do this? I don’t think anyone knows better, heck, I did not know better until I was introduced to the ETP Network. I sent hundreds of resumes into the black hole with only limited success. I now know better, here is my experience on how things have changed for me.

 

I will start out with an actual experience. I applied for the particular job; it was a good match for my skills, through the company’s website. I included a targeted resume and a cover letter. Weeks went by, and nothing, no phone call, no contact whatsoever from the company, so, I moved on. The posting disappeared from my searches, so I thought it was filled.

 

Then, another couple of weeks after I last saw the posting, it reappeared again. Same posting, just with a new posting date. At this point, I now know the ETP 7 step job search system (www.etpnetwork.com see my article in the Feb. issue of the Lamp Lighter for more information). Instead of submitting it to the black hole, I went to work using the system. I still had my targeted resume, so I moved on to finding an advocate within the company. The search on Linkedin was disappointing. I did not have any contacts in HR or in the department where the position resides. What to do? I went to the website of the company, and started poking around there website. After spending some time looking around, I was able to not only find HR recruiter names and contact information, but, I also found names and contact information for the people in the department I was trying to get into. I then started to call and e-mail the HR people and some of the people in the department I wanted to work in. The next day, I received an e-mail from the hiring manager for the position. He stated that I could send him my resume for his review. At the same time, the recruiter for the position also sent me a note that they have my resume on file and will contact me if I am a match for the position. (I now know they got my original resume and this proves a point about the “Black Hole”)

 

I finally got my resume looked at by the hiring manager. I also got an interview and a second interview this past week. It goes to show you the power of NOT letting your resume go into the “Black Hole”.