I know a lot of you are
struggling with finding work right now. So in an effort to service you, I
decided to do a little research on a lovely online networking tool called LinkedIn.
Some of you may be familiar with it, while others have no idea what I’m talking
about. Don’t worry, I was somewhere in the middle, myself.
According to its website
“LinkedIn is an Internet platform company focused on connecting the world’s
professionals. The LinkedIn Web site launched in 2003 and is the largest
professional networking site in the world with more than 75 million members,
representing 200 countries and executives from every Fortune 500 company.”
Basically, you can connect
with people you know and then you connect with people they know. So let’s say
you found an opening at NBC on the company’s Web site. You sent your resume via
its career section, but for all you know your application went into some big,
black virtual hole. When applying for a job, it’s always best to get your
resume in the hands of an actual person that works at the company you’re
applying to. LinkedIn can help you find those people. And it can even tell you
if you have any friends in common. For example, you have a friend name Jane.
When you search on LinkedIn for people that worked at NBC, you noticed that
some guy name John works there and is friends with Jane. Perfect! So you reach
out to Jane and ask her to introduce you to John. Doesn’t this sound much
better than sending your resume to that virtual hole?
Here’s a great video that
describes LinkedIn in more detail:
So now that you have the
general idea behind the site, it’s time to set up a profile. You’ll want to
fill out the profile completely and make sure to only include “professional”
items. No one really wants to know about your personal interests unless they
relate to the job field you’re in. Also, add a photo—something you wouldn’t
mind a potential boss seeing, of course.
Next, check the profile
settings. Customize the settings according to how you prefer to receive
updates. Maybe you don’t want to receive an email every time someone wants to
connect with you? Profile settings is where you’ll manage all of that. Oh, and
don’t forget to make your profile public. You want the most exposure as
possible.
Now you can start adding
connections! Let LinkedIn search your email accounts for contacts. But remember
to only add people that are relevant. The guy you met at a bar last year
probably won’t help you find a job.
Finally, make sure to keep
up with it. Check your LinkedIn for connections and other messages, as well as
the inbox about once a week. If you’re actively job-hunting, you may want to
check it more often.
Let me know if this helps
you with your job search! Send me a tweet @LorenRidinger.
