It’s not what you know, it’s who you know...
This old adage has never been truer than it is today. The advent of social networking websites has brought about a great deal of change on the business landscape, making employees’ and employers' connections more visible, relevant, and manageable. While they can sometimes be a detriment to your status as a member of the workforce (HR people might get uppity about those Facebook pictures where you’re sucking Jell-O out of a co-workers navel, for example), joining the right network on the right site can launch you from minimum-wage obscurity to the Fortune 500 – or at least give you a nice shove in the right direction.
Since 2003, LinkedIn has been making a name for itself as one of these sites. If you’re looking for a job, chances are that someone in one of LinkedIn’s networks is looking for you. Think of it as online dating, only much, much more lucrative (and carrying significantly less risk of having to change your number and file a restraining order).
Like a dating site or any other online networking tool, your popularity and success on LinkedIn is determined by the content of your profile. Similar to a resume, your profile should be professional and informative enough to show potential employers that you know what you’re doing. Keep in mind, however, that the odds are stacked against you as a new member – that is, unless you take steps to set yourself apart from the crowd. Give context to the information you provide in your Summary, Experience, and Education boxes whenever possible. A lot of employers like to know the “whys” even more than the “hows” and “wheres.” Your page is reflexive of how much effort you put into it, so be as clear and thorough as possible. Interjecting a little personality into your bio won’t hurt, either. Just make sure not to come on too strong.
This means that you probably shouldn’t include a link to that Jell-O picture.
Once you’ve got your profile squared away, building a robust business network is a breeze. You can search for former employers, professors, and co-workers, link up with them, and rack up recommendations. You can also connect with strangers, but be warned: too much unsolicited interaction can come off as unprofessional, even a little creepy. Remember, we don’t like it when restraining orders to come into play.
LinkedIn also boasts a powerful, detailed job search function. The interface is neat and intuitive, so if you’ve used the Internet before, you’ll know where to click and what to do. If not, simply plug a job title into the “Search for” field and hunt away. Of course, more connections and recommendations attached to your name mean a greater chance of walking away with an interview, so consider beefing up your profile before diving in to this feature.
Now that you have the know-how to effectively link yourself in (while avoiding the perils of incriminating photographs and potential litigation), give it a shot. And remember to add me if you ever make it big.
Labels: facebook, job search, job search tool, linkedin, networking, social networking
Posted by Seymour Jobs on 10/24/2008 11:02:00 AM
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4 Comments:
Linkedin is really a job site isnt it? Linkedin was included into the About.com Top 10 job site list but linkedin is still the only social network on the job site list. The newest 3 job sites on the list are-
www.linkedin.com (professional networking)
www.indeed.com (aggregated listings)
www.realmatch.com (matches you to the perfect job)
Complete top 10 job site list here:
http://jobsearch.about.com/od/joblistings/tp/jobbanks.htm
I hadn't heard of LinkedIn until I read this post. Now I understand why a LinkedIn profile is one of the first results when I run a Google search on my graduate friends' names! Time for me to get one.
Love the post and love LinkedIn. I just began using it again recently.
A few weeks ago a scary story from a recruiter prompted me to write - Looking for Work? Dust off Your Online Persona.
Too many college students forget that. I have seen job offers rescinded and distraught grads who can no longer connect with the "friend" who posted the that video of them sucking jello from a navel.
I hadn't heard about LinkedIn until the beginning of last summer. It was all new to me and then everyone started getting one. LinkedIn profiles are an amazing way to network and show what you can do to the people that you know, and may be able to help you in the future. Finding a job is not getting easier with our declining economy, so doing everything humanly possible to get one is advisable.