Daily Career Connection

Guest Post by Robert Hellmann

LinkedIn, accessed for free at www.linkedin.com, enables users to keep in touch with and expand their professional network, get introductions to others outside their network, and join groups of professionals organized around industries, professions, and associations.  Recruiters routinely use LinkedIn to scan profiles for viable candidates.

LinkedIn has become essential to conducting an effective, productive job search! I hear from clients almost every day about how they got an interview or informational meeting via LinkedIn.  Below I’ve included a few success stories culled from my clients’ experiences, to help generate ideas on how you can use LinkedIn.

• Ellen was interested in working at Apple Computer as a Process Improvement executive.  She conducted an “Advanced People Search” by clicking on “Advanced” next to the “People” search box on the upper right of her screen.  She entered Apple as the company name, and selected “current” for currently employed at Apple.  To her surprise and delight, she found that an old classmate she was connected to via a LinkedIn Group worked at Apple in a related area.  She emailed him directly—and ended up eventually with an interview.
• Armando was searching for a senior level position directing a marketing analytics group.  He conducted an “Advanced People Search” using the word “Marketing” in the job title, selecting “Current”.  He saw that he was indirectly connected to a Chief Marketing Officer through both a LinkedIn Group and a mutual connection.  Using the LinkedIn system he got introduced to that person through their mutual contact, and they agreed to meet.  This meeting led to a series of interviews and a job offer.
• Ted was moving to Philadelphia, and wanted to see which firms could use a “PeopleSoft” programmer.  He did a search for contacts in the Philadelphia area using the keyword “PeopleSoft”.  The results helped him to develop his list of firms in which to focus his search.
• Ursula was interested in researching the field of Organizational Development.  She joined a Group called the “Organizational Development Network”.  This Group’s discussions were lively and informative.  She was able to get answers to a range of other questions, and contributed to the discussions where she could.  New contacts she made via the Group led to several informational meetings.
• Chad updated his LinkedIn status to mention his job search—he wrote “having meetings with executives in the for-profit education industry to discuss business development”.  One of his first degree contacts saw this update in her weekly LinkedIn email digest, and emailed Chad—“I forgot about your background, you should talk with a colleague of mine!”  This interaction resulted in an interview, and indirectly, a job offer.
• Susan wanted to research potential employers who would value her degree in History.  So she conducted an “Advanced People Search”.  She entered the keyword “History” and found numerous opportunities she never would have thought of, including working for a policy think-tank, the History channel, a website, and many others.  In addition, she found contacts at these organizations.

All these clients had a solid presence on LinkedIn first, before using it to get these results.  I recommend that you first build your foundation as well before reaching out.  My book Your Social Media Job Search contains a detailed guide on how to get the most out of LinkedIn.  Below are a few ideas excerpted from the book:

1.    Create a powerful LinkedIn profile:

• Write your profile (as you do your resume) for the specific audience that you want to reach, that is, the people who could hire you.
• Use the phrasing and keywords that will resonate with your target audience.
• Include the impact of what you did, not just your responsibilities.
• Your profile should not be a laundry list of everything you’ve done. Instead only include the experience that applies to your job target, and exclude or minimize experience that doesn’t.

2.    Build Your LinkedIn Network

• LinkedIn’s primary value is its ability to both keep you “connected” with your 1st degree network (those you connect with directly), and get introduced to your 2nd and 3rd degree networks. Try to get at least 90 first degree connections initially.
• Only allow into your network people you know in some way, even if only briefly.  Networking is about maintaining relationships over time.  Create a network that you can stand behind, and who will stand behind you.

3.    Join LinkedIn “Groups”, by doing a “Groups” search using keywords from your job target, professional associations, or educational institutions.  Join groups that have at least one of the following features:

• A lot of employed members, ideally at organizations in which you’re interested.
• Active, thoughtful discussions about topics relating to your job target

About the Author

Robert Hellmann is an adjunct Instructor at New York University School of Continuing and Professional Studies teaching Career Management courses and a Five O’Clock Club Career and Executive Coach. He is also the author of the book Your Social Media Job Search, which uses client case studies to show how social media can help jobseekers get results.