Left out on LinkedIn: How can I use LinkedIn more effectively?

photo credit: Mario Sundar

Yesterday on Twitter, a bright, ambitious new grad-to-be confessed she wasn’t finding much value in LinkedIn for her entry level job search.  She asked for advice on how to get more out of it.  Well, here we go.

To be honest, I’m not certain that LinkedIn will show huge short-term payoff for an entry level candidate.  The main limiting factor is that your LinkedIn network is a reflection of your real life network, and a new grad’s network likely consists mainly of classmates, professors, and potentially your coworkers and managers from internships if you’ve had some professional experience.  If you were interested in or were able to get a position from a company for which you were an intern, you’d likely already be there.  And the rest of the group isn’t really in a position to hire you or recommend you for an opportunity.

So, if you can’t expect that someone in your network will hire you in the short term, why devote time and energy to LinkedIn?  One major advantage is that when someone moves, switches companies, or otherwise changes their contact information, you can still find them.  And if you want to get systematic about your networking, which I highly recommend, LinkedIn provides an organized way to keep track of your contacts.  LinkedIn is about a long-term commitment to cataloguing and building your network.

So, if you’re just getting started on LinkedIn, or just getting started in the work world, how should you use LinkedIn to your professional advantage?

1. Make sure your intentions are clear. As long as you’re job hunting openly, i.e. not employed elsewhere, be sure your profile reflects it.  Check the box that says you’re open to job opportunities.  Include the fact that you’re looking for a position in your professional headline.  Use your status line to remind people of your job search.  Help LinkedIn help you stay top of mind for your contacts.
2. Sell yourself! Use your profile to show who you are as well as what you’ve done.  Give your profile a voice.  It should be closer to a cover letter than a resume.  If you were going to market yourself to a potential employer, what would you say?  How can you stand apart from every other profile?
3. Convert your real life contacts to LinkedIn. Fully catalogue your personal and professional contacts, identify which you want to connect with, and invite them to connect.  For an explanation of how to easily build your LinkedIn network from your existing contacts, including potential pitfalls, read more.  Then, every time you meet someone that you want to build a networking relationship with, ask if you can stay in touch, and work to convert them to a LinkedIn contact.
4. Capitalize on LinkedIn groups. If you’re a member of a professional organization, check to see if there are LinkedIn groups for that organization (click “Groups” in the left sidebar and check out the “Groups Directory.”)  Then, look for other groups that fit your field and interests.  There may be a group for organizations you belonged to in college, for alums of particular universities, or for those interested in particular fields or industries.  Once you’ve joined a few groups, subscribe to updates via email or check them regularly for activity.  Watch for opportunities to make connections.
5. Participate in discussions. Groups have discussion boards where members will pose questions or promote themselves.  When someone asks for expertise or resources, share what you know.  Consider doing research to answer a question you don’t know.  Networking is about providing value, and if you consistently provide value, you will get noticed.
6. Use the LinkedIn job board. Posting jobs on LinkedIn is free, so many companies are taking that opportunity to get the word out about openings.  Visit the Jobs board often (click “Jobs” at the top of the page) to make sure you’re seeing these positions as they are posted.
7. Use the JobsInsider to help you get your foot in the door. A great tool that LinkedIn offers is the JobsInsider, which loads in a browser sidebar each time you browse a job opportunity.  The JobsInsider automatically identifies people in your network that work at the company that originated the job posting.  If it’s about who you know, this tool helps you figure out who you know.  To download, scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and select “JobsInsider” next to “Tools.”

There’s a lot more to being effective on LinkedIn than just this, but this is a great start to building a long-term LinkedIn presence.  Embrace LinkedIn as a part of your networking strategy, and see what opportunities it brings.

Related posts:

1. HowTo LinkedIn #2: Write a killer headline
2. Job search tip: Finding the hiring manager, Part 3
3. HowTo LinkedIn #4: Your professional experience
4. Job search over 50: Unique challenges, unique opportunities
5. HowTo LinkedIn #1: Creating your unique URL

Tagged as: brand, Career, effectiveness, job boards, job change, job hunt, job search, linkedin, networking