Using LinkedIn to Find Employment

By Larry French

At some point in your life you may have to make changes that are totally outside your comfort zone. I know because I’ve been living it ever since I was laid off. That event in my life is what prompted me to embark on the job search journey that lead me to learning about LinkedIn.

As I’ve stated in previous articles, LinkedIn is a tool that you can use in your own job search strategy. When I first began my job search, I went about it the same way I did more than 20 years ago. But then I realized things today were different. Newspapers weren’t posting employment ads like they did in the past. Any advertised job opening notices were pretty scarce. I also found that I could send out hundreds of resumes and never get a response. The search methods I had once used weren’t working in our current market place. I had to get updated.

Adapt or Stay Unemployed

Except of Lindsey Pollak Linkedin Blog Post

I got out of my comfort zone and started looking into the resources of the CBE and PRO-NET.  In that effort I began seriously exploring what LinkedIn was and how it might help me in my own job search strategy. I’ve learned a lot in over a year. I’ve been using LinkedIn as a tool to get myself back into the job market. Being an educator it naturally was only a matter of time and I found myself sharing what I had learned. That’s how this series of articles came about.

The foremost thing I have learned in this present job market is that it is possible to be successful in your job search. It’s a process that takes effort and learning, but is is possible. So, now that I’ve acquainted you with some of the basics of LinkedIn, it’s time to begin looking with detail into some of its functions. Here again, you can find some good information out there on the www and on LinkedIn. Check out this LinkedIn blog post about the LinkedIn Job Search function, How LinkedIn Company Pages Can Help Your Job Search by Lindsey Pollak, April 5, 2012, http://blog.linkedin.com/2012/04/05/company-pages-jobs/

Also go to the CBE One-Stop Employment Division website at http://www.onestops.com/newindex.asp and check out the resources, such as the Job Seekers and Customized Services tabs. Schedule an appointment to meet with one of the staff to discuss your job search strategy and begin re-inventing yourself. Find the CBE Blog link and also check out the other articles posted to help you in your job search.

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