How to Use Social Networking to Find a Job
Dear WCF,
I know that connecting with as many people as possible is important in my job search. I’ve joined LinkedIn to expand my contacts, but I’m still not sure how to use social networking in terms of finding a job. Any suggestions?
Thanks for your help,
Job Seeker
Dear Job Seeker,
The power of networking doesn’t lie in how many people you know but how well those people know and like you. The real secret to turning network contacts into a support system you can count on for advice, encouragement, and opportunities lies in creating relationships that are mutually beneficial. Here are some specifics on how to make your LinkedIn contacts work harder for you:
Profile
A linkedIn profile isn’t just a resume. It includes what you’ve done, what you’re currently doing and what you want to do in the future. You can write it in the first person like a letter to a friend or use the third person for a more formal tone. Make it as complete and impressive as possible to potential employers, recruiters, and colleagues. Remember to include a photo that could appear comfortably in an annual report. (This is a site devoted to BUSINESS so no shots of you with a lampshade on your head please!)
Invitations
Inviting people you don’t know well to join your network is usually counterproductive. Building professional relationships takes time and effort that’s best spent on people you know and like from school, work, and even other activities like camp, church, or community service groups.
LinkedIn makes the invitation process very easy, but please make an effort to individualize your invitations for each and every invitee. You probably shouldn’t invite them into your network just yet if you aren’t able to write a personalized invitation. Remember, once someone is part of your network you’ll not only be able to keep up with their activities just by logging on to your home page, but they’ll have access to your contacts and will be getting alerts every time you post an update, get or make a recommendation, or join a group.
Recommendations
The more recommendations you have on LinkedIn the better — especially from previous employers, colleagues, professors, and mentors. To make it more likely they’ll agree to your request, write a recommendation for them first. Submit your recommendations with a personal cover note explaining how much you’ve benefited from and appreciate their guidance and support. LinkedIn will automatically ask the recipients if they’d like to reciprocate and recommend you in return. If they haven’t recommend you within two weeks, send them an e-mail and ask them to do so. (Since you’ve already done them this service they should readily agree.) In your notes, remind your would-be references of any special projects you worked on or accomplishments you achieved while you interacted with them. This will make writing a good recommendation easier for them and more productive for you.
Introductions
One of the major benefits of online networking is being able to ask people you know to introduce you to their contacts. LinkedIn not only simplifies this process, it can help deepen your relationship with your first tier contacts. For example, when someone from your network has sent on your request for an introduction, send a thank you e-mail immediately. Send another e-mail to let your contact know the success of their efforts as soon as you hear from the person you’ve just been introduced to. Of course, if you actually get a job through such a connection, why not take your benefactor out for lunch as a thank you? Saying thank you for any “gift” encourages the giver to repeat the action. On the other hand, neglecting to thank someone may make them wonder why they bothered.
Groups
Participation in any of LinkedIn’s many groups is a great way to expand your network and connect to job opportunities through both individual members and postings on the groups’ job boards. Asking intelligent and provocative questions, offering links to interesting and pertinent articles and Web sites, and responding to questions effectively are all wonderful ways to make a positive impression on your peers.
To find the best groups for you, consider those that your professors, employers, and mentors list on their own LinkedIn profiles. If they find these groups worthwhile you probably will too, and belonging to the same organizations will strengthen your professional relationships with them while meeting other like-minded people.
e-mail
Relationship building takes consistent attention and thoughtfulness and e-mails make it easier than ever to do this. E-mail your core Linkedin contacts a short message about what you’ve been up to every six weeks or so. This could include passing on articles or URLs of Web sites that your correspondents might appreciate. Make these messages as much about them as they are about you because a personal relationship is just that – not a direct response campaign! You should also do this with people outside your LinkedIn network as well. Admittedly this takes time and effort, but that’s why these relationships will grow in value – now and in the future.
It’s great that you’ve already signed up for LinkedIn, but don’t forget Twitter offers tons of relevant job search conversations and helpful links. You might also opt to create a professional presence on Facebook. Get a bit more acclimated to networking on LinkedIn, and then see where social job seeking takes you!
Hope you find these suggestions helpful and good luck with your job search.
Yours,
Wendy
