This is a guest post by Sandi Vidal, Executive Director of Christian HELP Foundation. If you’d like to be a guest writer here on Jobtrakr, we would love to have you. Just follow these guest writer guidelines.
As part of my job, I do some employment counseling with professional job seekers. One of my first questions to them is “are you on LinkedIn”. So many times I have heard no, or yes, but I don’t really see the point of using it. I have to say to them you are missing a big opportunity to get connected with your next employer.
LinkedIn is one of, if not the most powerful networking sites out there. Unlike Facebook which tends to be very personal, or twitter which is mostly one sided, LinkedIn gives you an opportunity to have a resume online (even if you have a job), connect with people you want to know and who can help in your search, and has research tools at your fingertips.
Recommendations are another great benefit of using LinkedIn. In a time where references are hard to obtain, recommendations can help you build your case to a hiring manager.
To fully maximize your presence on LinkedIn, make sure your profile is kept up to date and error free. Use it in resume format to highlight your skills and accomplishments. Upload your address book and make connections.
Take the time to personalize the requests you send out to increase your likelihood of being connected. Join groups in your field or areas of interest and participate to add value. Commenting and “liking” are always encouraged. Post relevant articles to engage the other group members and help you to be seen as a subject matter expert.
When applying for jobs though LinkedIn, you can see who is connected to the company, and who is also connected to you. Through your connections, you can ask for facilitated referrals to the decision makers. This can open up doors for you. Employers can also reach out to you.
LinkedIn can also be customized to add in applications such as slide share, your blogs, or other relevant information that would make you more appealing to employers. On the flip side as with all social media, be careful about what you put on your profile. A link to your YouTube videos with your college buddies might not be a good bet.
Websites and social networking sites are only as good as the user makes them. The site will not do the work for you, but used correctly can increase your exposure and help you to make connections and land your next job.
Sandi Vidal
Sandi Vidal is the Executive Director of Christian HELP Foundation, a non-profit devoted to equipping and empowering job seekers in their search. She has over 15 years of recruiting and HR experience including recruiting for Fortune 500 companies.
May 12, 2012 at 1:24 PM
This is an excellent article because it is practical and therefore extremely helpful! Thank you for sharing! I’ve posted several articles about LinkedIn that would actually compliment this article.
Angel recently posted How to Research for Developing a Meaningful LinkedIn Network
May 7, 2012 at 9:02 PM
I don’t know of a single person in my entire network (70+) who has ever landed an opportunity through LinkedIn. I myself have applied dozens of times through LinkedIn to no avail. I’ve been out of work for almost 2 years and attempted to establish an online support network for myself through it. I even blogged about my failed attempts to find work, posted data about unemployment on a regular basis (somewhat similar to jobtrakr). The end result? No one cared. In fact, the opposite was true; the different groups I joined collectively defecated all over my posts or simply ignored them, offering no solutions, leads, etc.
So, to sum it up; LinkedIn: No solid leads, no inquiries and no support.
January 19, 2012 at 9:53 AM
Great article that is so very true. One thing to add might be about etiquette when networking with a new contact. Asking someone to join your network should be done in a professional manner and personalized each time. I often get many request to join someone’s network who I have no previous knowledge and they use the formatted request. I take time to craft a personal note to every invite I send out so that it shows respect for the person your sending it to and also ensure I high number of accepted connections
January 19, 2012 at 12:35 PM
Great points Aleic.I want to network as much as the next person, but if I don’t have an idea as to who you are or how we’re connected, I may ignore that invitation. LinkedIn can open a lot of doors if used properly.