Why & How to Use LinkedIn as a key part of your job search strategy

What is Social Networking While the term can mean any interpersonal interaction, it has come to mean the use of the Internet to connect with people, anywhere, at any time. There are sites that emphasize the “social,” & those like LinkedIn that emphasize “business relationships.” Several sites, like LinkedIn, have incorporated a twist on what used to be called “multi-level” marketing, originally designed to sell products & earn monetary percentages of those within your “down chain” network who made sales. In the social networking context, you are able to reach the contacts that your first level contacts make, as well the next level of contacts, 2 generations away from you. This compounding of numbers can generate a large network of contacts that you can communicate with on any subject.

What LinkedIn is not It is not another version of Facebook or Myspace –Without care these sites can do your career search harm (non-professional behavior indicators – reasons for screeners to delete you from an application process) (think sexy or wild party photos) –Google yourself. If you find something that is unflattering to your career do whatever you can to remove it from the web. It is not a waste of time It is not frivolous

Why use LinkedIn? Like career fairs, recruiters, on-line applications, etc., it’s one more approach to job hunting. In this economic period, we need to pursue every method. Recruiters use LinkedIn to source candidates. Wouldn’t you want to be on their radar? It enables you to stay in touch with those you network with in the physical world. –It helps cement the relationship

Profile of LinkedIn users Anderson Analytics study – 2008 –Nearly 60% of users have incomes of $93K or more. –People with lots of connections tend to make more money, according to the study - those with incomes between $200-$350k were seven times more likely to have at least 150 connections than lower income users. (I’m not validating these numbers or assumptions, just sharing them.)

How do you begin LinkedIn? Sign on at LinkedIn.com, provide your address & a password. Create your profile –Customize to market yourself & present those skills you want to highlight –Customize to show the fuller you by connecting to groups that help a paint a picture of you that you choose –Customize by establishing links to your own site, notable items about you on the net, etc. –Change the last portion of your LinkedIn profile from an alphanumeric sequence to your name, with a numeric after it, if necessary, to make it more professional in appearance. E.g.

Use of a photo in your profile If you use one, make sure it’s a professional one, not a party shot. Using a graphic instead accomplishes little. Pros –It will definitely help the viewer remember you from networking events or previous LinkedIn mail transmissions. It’s the equivalent or a real world, tangible (warm & fuzzy) connection. We help remember each other by our faces. Cons –Our society is full of biases, sometimes recognized, sometimes beneath the surface. They can include race, age, sex, weight, and even attractiveness. Ultimately this is a very personal decision you have to make. On age, you can leave off some old jobs and the year you graduated college, but other biases are less easy to work around. Think the issue through and do what feels right for you. You don’t have to use a photo.

Utilize your LinkedIn profile link By clicking on your LinkedIn profile link anyone can be brought to a slightly abbreviated version of your LinkedIn profile, & subsequently click on your full profile, if they choose. –Put it on your business card –Use it on your resume & cover letters –Use it in your signature block

Using LinkedIn groups (Pick your strategy) Strategy A – Join groups with a large number of members –This will boost your network quickly. Strategy B – Join groups that reflect your different interests –Presents you as a complete person. Strategy C – Join groups that reflect what you would like viewers to see to mold their perception of you. –Presents you as you would like others to see you. Be aware of the new LinkedIn limit of 50 groups.

Using LinkedIn groups (cont) Discussion groups –Post & answer questions –Develop recognition among your peers –Utilize the multitude of opinions available from around the world to help gain a macro perspective to local issues.

How can you improve your visibility on LinkedIn? In the “Question” area find your area of expertise, look for questions that you’re comfortable with, and answer them with as much care and generosity of your time as you can. Get previous supervisors, peers, &/or subordinates to “recommend you.” This is definitely needed to build your profile to 100%. The former helps label you an “expert” and the latter helps substantiate what you say about yourself, giving third party reviewers more comfort in accepting what you present.

Recognition as “Expert” To become an Expert on LinkedIn you answer posed questions. If your answers are deemed to be the best answers by the person who posted the question, that person designates you as an Expert. Repeated occurrences leads LinkedIn to designate you as an Expert. Recruiters are able to utilize the “Expert” designation in their sourcing efforts. This helps the recruiter become more comfortable in sending your resume to clients.

What can you do on LinkedIn? Search for people who work in the company that you have targeted and engage them in conversation – company culture, intro for an informational interview, leads on company research to enhance your interview. Talk with people who left a company you’re interested in and try to get the reason they left or some insider information. Remember, everyone has different values & hot buttons, what upsets John may roll off Tom’s back.

What else can you do on LinkedIn? Reconnect with people you haven’t seen in 20 years Engage your peers in subject matter focused blogs Find recruiters Talk to people in other countries about cultural differences & similarities

Quality versus Quantity discussion Quality – connect only with those you know & trust –Pros – Messages you send can be quality enhanced by having your contacts praise you, along with your message to a recruiter, potential hiring manager, or other company contact. –Cons – It’s slow to develop your network in this manner. Quantity – connect with as many people as you can –Pros – Develop your network quickly –Cons – You have to rely on strangers to pass your messages along, …. or do you? (paid account upgrade alternative)

What is a “LION” One acronym, two translations, same meaning –Leading International Open Networkers –LinkedIn Open Networkers The meaning is clear: –Individuals who self identify themselves, usually in their own LinkedIn name “title,” do so to convey the fact that are willing and eager to accept invitations. They may still self-police the incoming requests, but in general their purpose is to build their network quickly, accepting most invitations. They want to network aggressively.

A Blended Approach Like good scotch, a blend of the quality and quantity approach can help you achieve the positive aspects of both approaches. –Pro – You build a large network in a fraction of the time –Con – You have to “ rely on the kindness of strangers ” You’ll find that 90% of members want to help each other, either for karma or graciousness If your network is large enough, you can attempt contact with many people in one company, increasing chances that one will respond to your request, even if they don’t know you or your contacts.

Adding connections There is a degree of peril when inviting connections that you do not know personally. On the receiving end of a LinkedIn invitation the recipient can choose any of the following: –Accept invitation –Archive –I don’t know (your name) If your invitations receive too many “I don’t know (your name)” responses, LinkedIn may cut off your ability to acquire new connections. Accordingly, always include some language in your invitation similar to “… if you are not interested in connecting with me, please click the archive button, otherwise I will be penalized and not be able to connect with great people like you.”

OK. Profile built, network building, questions answered, recommendations sought, you finally get to 100% profile build position. Reality check: –The profile can be built in a day –Being really aggressive you can build a big network in about 6 to 8 weeks –Getting old contacts to recommend you can be slow –Maintaining your network can take as much time as growing it, if you choose to. There’s a train of thought that you need to maintain your network even when you’re reemployed, because that state of being may not last as long as it used to last.

Every day LinkedIn activity Get Linked with everyone in all of the organizations to which you belong. Ask your phone book contacts to join you. If one of your organizations has a “group” on LinkedIn, connect to it and participate in the discussion area.

Every day LinkedIn activity (cont) At EVERY networking event, at the end of your discussion with a new connection, ask them if they are on LinkedIn & would they like to connect. If they do: –Send them a LinkedIn invite & ALWAYS customize it, referencing where you met them and any details of your conversation to help them remember you. –To cement the relationship further, after they accept, send them a thank you note. In the note, ask them if they know anyone, in or out of LinkedIn, who might be able to help you in your job search. By not asking them for a job directly the request is less threatening and conveys less pressure.

Business Intelligence on LinkedIn Premise: either because you have an interview or you want to prepare a job assault on a particular company –Go to Search “People” Type in “company name” or “company name + geographic location” –Go to “Companies” Search industries Get company specific information & information concerning your contacts who have left or joined the company

Business Intelligence on LinkedIn (cont) When you’ve found one or more person who work(s) or worked for the company that you’ve targeting, send them LinkedIn mail, either through your connections, or directly, if you’ve paid to upgrade your membership. As politely as you can, ask about their company culture, the style of management, the formality/informality of the organization, or any other piece of information not available through internet research. The more research you have on your target company the better your ultimate interview is likely to go.

LinkedIn as part of your self promotion strategy The career hunt has become more difficult in this economy. With employees turning over, on average, about once every 3 years, your mindset has to adjust. –Networking must be done all the time, not just when you are “in transition” –Recruiters are using LinkedIn as a normal part of their business – shouldn’t you be too? –If you develop a web site, use LinkedIn to help drive professionals to it, and promote it.

LinkedIn as part of your self promotion strategy (cont) Use the new LinkedIn side applications –Amazon book list – helps add a color commentary of your different interests, presenting a more well rounded you. –Google Presentation – post some of your white paper/Power Point work –Miscellaneous Apps for sharing and monitoring data

Time Management LinkedIn is a wonderful tool. This presentation focuses on its use in a career search. It’s also useful for establishing warmer cold calls. It’s great for gathering business intelligence. It’s great to stay connected with people as you move from job to job, or from state to state, because people want to maintain their connections & network. However, in the case of career search, it is only one tool. LinkedIn & on-line applications should take no more than 20% of your job search week. The rest should be spent on meeting recruiters, going to networking events, & hopefully interviewing, in the physical world. A blended strategy is the most successful approach. Consider doing most of your LinkedIn work after normal working hours, so it doesn’t interfere with live opportunities.

Good Luck Job Hunting! Feel free to send me a LinkedIn invite: