LinkedIn: How Can It Help My Job Search Strategy?

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It has been said that we learn best from those things which we experience. That should definitely ring true for those of us who are searching in today’s job market. A lot has changed. For example, when was the last time you can remember seeing a large ‘Employment’ section in your newspaper? A great deal of job postings today are not being advertised in print. They are appearing electronically via the www and social media. This major change necessitates we all adapt our job search strategies to include the use of electronic venues.

Become LinkedIn

If you are going to utilize online media in your job search strategy, I would highly recommend considering the use of LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a professional network that provides you opportunities to make connections with other people. You can exchange knowledge and ideas while establishing a network to assist you in your job search. As of February 9, 2012, LinkedIn has become the world’s largest professional network on the Internet with more than 150 million members in over 200 countries and territories.

Like some of you, I was leery of using the ‘new’ social media. I’d heard disconcerting things about how employers were using Facebook to vet applicants. But I found out that LinkedIn is different, because it operates on a more professional level. LinkedIn is not a social meeting place, but instead is a business oriented hub for business networking. Businesses, employers and recruiters are more likely to be interacting with other professionals on LinkedIn making it a more credible tool for a job seeker trying to market him/herself.

LinkedIn is a Tool

I became introduced to LinkedIn almost a year ago at a point when I was becoming frustrated in my own job search. LinkedIn offered me new hope. Because of its viral nature, LinkedIn can be used as a tool to make you stand out in the crowd of other job seekers. This can be very important especially when the majority of activity related to jobs is happening online.

It’s also vital to understand that LinkedIn is not a magic ‘Silver Bullet’ but a resource that can help in your job search strategy. At some point in your search, you will need to bridge from online applications and make personal contact. Using the many features found available on LinkedIn, you can be found, noticed, and possibly accelerate your own hiring. It has been helping me and I’ve been sharing what I’ve learned. I’ve presented an introductory talk on how to use LinkedIn at PRO-NET meetings and now this blog is providing the opportunity to share more. So in the coming weeks, I will sharing how you can set-up a Profile on LinkedIn, and then utilize LinkedIn features to help you Search for Jobs, make networking Contacts, and use Groups to aid you in your job search strategy.

I don’t want you to simply take my word for it because I’m not an expert. Rather, check out LinkedIn yourself. Watch this short video for an overview of what LinkedIn is and how it can help you, http://learn.linkedin.com/what-is-linkedin/  

If you find this series helpful or want to engage in discussion, log into the CBE Blog, http://cbeworkforce.blogspot.com/ or if you’re already on LinkedIn join the ProNet Central Florida Group.

Larry French is a novelist, speaker, editorial writer, and content provider of Science, Social Studies, Language Arts, and Mathematics curriculum. He is now seeking a publisher for his first novel, Time Will Tell, The Awakening which blends his love of history and science and is set during the American Civil War.

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/larry-french/12/213/534