This from career coach, Lindsey Pollak:Join LinkedIn and use it every day. Many recruiters, headhunters, small business owners and corporate hiring managers are now recruiting through LinkedIn, so make sure you are taking advantage of every aspect of this social networking site. First, set up a complete profile including keywords an employer might use to find someone like you. Join professional networking groups on LinkedIn to build your connections and become part of conversations about industry news. Scour other people's profiles to look for companies you may want to apply to, job titles or professions you didn't know about, professional organizations where you might network and people with similar interests who might be willing to offer you some job search advice.
Linkedin is a great resource that really utilizes the power of small in your job search. Take it in small steps, finding one person you know and linking to them will lead you to more people to make a connection with. If your friend's aren't hiring at least one will know someone who is!
ReplyDeleteNice post, thank you!
ReplyDeleteLinkedIn definitely requires continuous effort to maximize its potential. I must admit I haven't quite engaged in it myself because I really want to take care of it well.
ReplyDeleteAlas, there's so many things to think of nowadays in personal branding; we've got the LinkedIn, the blog, the MySpace, the Facebook. In the last century, it was revolutionary to get your name broadcasted by major trade journals and industry publications. Now there's all this -- is this really a step forward?
I say that in jest. I've seen some people expect overnight miracles from LinkedIn and its brethren. It's so misleading, this instant publishing technology. I'm slowly yet surely seeing it's actually a strange twist on delayed gratification. I've heard some people abandon LinkedIn because it didn't get them a job in 30 nanoseconds or less. I think it's more about putting profiles out there that lead to some real connection if not today, maybe 30 months from now.