Accelerate Your Search™ Now

Using LinkedIn Continued …

In additional to just being active online LinkedIn can helpful to you offline as well. The odds are you will have an interview if someone hires you.  Most, yet not all interviews are face-to-face, LinkedIn and other social platforms can help you be more effective and better prepared for a first meetings or an interview.

On Thursday, Maria Elena Duron, CEO (chief engagement officer) of Buzz to Bucks posted ”LinkedIn: More Effective Personal Meetings?“  and she shared several good reasons why LinkedIn may well be the best social networking site to help you connect, engage and have more effective personal meetings.  Enjoy reading Maria Elena Duron’s post and share your thoughts.

How are you using LinkedIn to help you have more effective meetings? Share your tips.

Do you have a question about using LinkedIn during your search?  Look to the right and sign up for next Q & A session, join the next session and ask your question.

LinkedIn Continued …

A few weeks ago a friend called to ask if she could share my name with someone seeking information on using LinkedIn, my reply was sure.  Interesting and as usual, the best part of those types of connections is they are fun.

It is a chance to talk to and meet someone new, and learn something new which I love to do.  Maybe it leads to work, other new connections, or an interesting relationship.  One just never knows what or where being open to an opportunity that presents itself, will take you.

In this case, at least so far the opportunity has lead to an interesting conversation and a point to ponder – What and how do I use LinkedIn for …?  The caller was engaging, focused and did not waste time, great qualities in my book.  Yet, this one call has prompted me to really think about a question I get at least a few times a week – How do I use LinkedIn for my job search?

There is not a single answer.  There are many good books, blogs, videos, workshops, seminars, forums, and the list goes on covering the topic.  My best guess is the ways and the “how” to use LinkedIn for a job search are unlimited.  At least, if you are open to the possibilities and opportunities that could be presented to you.  Google offered 151,000,000 hits on the question in 0.22 seconds!

No, I am not being flip.  LinkedIn is a tool, not unlike a car. If you know how to drive and you have a license to drive, and access to a car – how do you use the car?  To go places, to get things, to have fun.  That list too goes on and on.  Maybe the question is – how do you want to use the car?  

My point is this – learn how to use LinkedIn and then change the question – How do you want to use LinkedIn in your job search? or to build your business? or to hire great employees? or … ?

If you can drive, have a license, access to a car that is in good shape, well maintained and some fuel, you can go just about wherever you want.  That is great.  If , but it you never get in a car and go places you will never know how far it can take you, or how to drive in different places or conditions.

In my view LinkedIn is much the same as a car, or any other tool needed to get the results you want.  Learn about LinkedIn, understand the rules of the road, decide what you want (make and model that is on brand for you), how much you are willing to invest, (don’t forget to look at the cost of not using LinkedIn too), clarify the why using this tool is the best for the job (if it is), decide where and when you will use it, and then go for a drive!

Travel, go places, experiment, and see where it takes you.  Be open, share, and discover how LinkedIn can work for you in your job search.

LinkedIn is an ever changing tool.  Assess where you are, decide the results you want, create a plan, execute the plan and adjust as needed.  That is one surefire “How” to use and to leverage the power of LinkedIn to accelerate your search.

How are you using LinkedIn?  Have a comment, tip or thought?  Post it below.

Do you have a question about your search or using LinkedIn?  Look to the right and sign up for next Q & A session, join the next session and ask your question.

Do you need a personalized plan for your search?  Contact me I will see if I can help you. 

If you are new to LinkedIn you may have questions on where to start.  Here are tips for getting starting with LinkedIn.

LinkedIn and Personal Branding can be great tools to help you in your job search.  LinkedIn can help you be seen by those who need to know you, find you, and get to know you better.

Using Groups and LinkedIn Answers are both solid ways to reach a target audience.  Each feature provides interactive ways for you to be seen and heard by your target audience.  As you engage in a group dialogue or a business conversation with peers, group members you showcase your knowledge you can answer questions and become seen as an expert by answering the questions of others in your field, industry or area of interest.

Be sure you cover the basics and have a solid foundation before you move to advanced features and apps.  Think about your brand, communicate your unique value and be consistent.

Here are the pillars for your foundation:   Name, Headline, Photo, Your Personalized URL, Experience, Education, and Summary.  The first five (5) are critical to getting started.  You can set up your account and in a professional manner and begin connecting with others after you have these areas set up as your foundation.

Don’t forget about your account settings.  Many in the career field will also recommend you upload your text résumé to your account to save time.  That is not a recommendation I make, but do it if you are in a rush and speed to market is more important to you than quality.

Now get busy, offline and make a list of those key people and centers of influence that you wish to invite to join your LinkedIn network.  Once you have the list, take time to reach out to them, tell them you have joined LinkedIn and ask if they would accept an invitation from you to connect?  Then send a personalized LinkedIn invitation to you initial list of contacts and centers of influence.

Again, this method is not the easiest or fastest one for adding LinkedIn connections.  It is a method sure to enhance your relationships and strengthen your network as you build your list of connections on LinkedIn.  If speed or just amassing large numbers of connections is more important to you than the quality of the connection or the relationship, you can simply allow LinkedIn access to your email addresses, and send all of your email contacts who also have a LinkedIn account, a generic invitation to connect with you on LinkedIn.

You have your LinkedIn foundation set, this tool in place and initial invitations sent.  Next you can focus on other features to leverage LinkedIn to accelerate your search.

Do you have a question about your search or LinkedIn?  Look to the right and sign up for next Q & A session, join the session and ask your question.

A week from Thursday is my favorite holiday – St. Patrick’s Day! 

The celebrations have changed over the years.  I rarely wear shorts on St. Patrick’s Day, as it is still too cold in New England for shorts in mid-March, and my networking reach is far beyond J Patrick O’Malley’s, but you can bet I will be networking, enjoying the day and hope you will be too.

In the days of JPats, I tracked contacts with paper and ink, I had no real strategy for networking, or managing my career,  there was no LinkedIn, or online relationship management systems  – WOW – what if there had been – who knows?

For those of you are in the Boston area, next week you can tap into one of my network contacts, Jason Alba at one of several events.  In other areas connect with Jason’s blog as he speaks throughout the US and internationally.

Mark your calendars, register, and go hear Jason Alba speak.  You will be glad you did.

Jason gets career management.  He was an IT Manager who got laid off in 2006.  Jason is street-smart, has great stories, an engaging smile and like so many, he figured out career management is critical.     

Our connection, Don Huse at Venturion introduced me to Jason Alba.  Jason is the author of three books, and someone I looked to for update to date information on relationship management systems, LinkedIn, and other social media.  He is also a certified personal branding strategist – yet another connection!  We are also talking about his returning to New England in the early fall, but don’t wait till then to connect with Jason Alba.

Do you have questions?  Contact me.

There was a time when you could sit on the sidelines and not incorporate social media into your job search with little impact, however many including me believe that time has come and gone.  Social media is a now a mainstream way of connecting and conducting business online.   You do not have to like social media, but you do need to understand that it is part of business and here to stay.

Many businesses are increasing their use of social media for marketing and recruiting.  It may not be your favorite marketing choice or the way you prefer to discover opportunities nor may and you enjoy participating in social media, but it is a facet of the internet that continues to grow, and to become more and more important as a business tool and the way business is done.

Are you still holding out, hoping you will land a job without having to jump into social media or having to learn more than one social media platform?  Ok, I get it. 

But the truth is as the use of social media grows, you should at least consider how you could use it, and create a strategy to become familiar with the different social media platforms.  As you do so, you can decide if and which social media platform is best to use it to achieve your goals.

Here are a few questions to ask:

Could a step into social media to add value to your career?

Would social media create or improve the experience a potential employer would have with you?

How much time are you willing to dedicate to any a social media platform you use now and when you return to work?

Currently there are about 15 million unemployed persons in the US, and there are more than 2 billion product marketers, businesses and consumers that use the internet each and every day. To stand out among that level of competition, you need a plan to succeed. 

What is your plan?

Will you look at what it takes to accelerate your sucess in 2011?  Will you step up, step out and truly shape your world and the perception others have about you, your brand, your career, your business and your industry?  Or will you leave that and your success to others?

If you have decided to be serious about your personal brand and are looking for some solid resources here is a list good list, 50 Excellent Blogs to Help You Build Your Online Brand.

Take a look at your personal brand and how it can help you accelerate your job search, your career and your success in the new year.  If you have questions about how personal branding can help you accelerate your success join my Q & A calls and learn more or read some of the 50 Excellent Blogs to Help You Build Your Online Brand and take action.

Small consistent actions will accelerate your search, build your brand and help you create the success you deserve.   How did you accelerate your search today?

Recently, a former client called to share an experience and ask what I thought.  He was interviewing candidates for a newly created position in his division and called one of his top candidates to clarify some data as he prepared to check references on each candidate.

The candidate had only listed the LinkedIn Public Profile address for each of his references and when called for detailed contact information the candidate responded with “I suggest you go to LinkedIn read all my great recommendations, then if you feel you still need to talk to my references Send InMail and find out if they have time to talk to you, or check with your trusted connections and see you can introduce you to my references.  I look forward to reviewing your offer soon …”, then the call ended was a pleasant good-bye.

Somewhat taken aback by the response from the candidate, my former client had paused to ask himself several questions.   Was he behind the times in how LinkedIn was being used?  Was this candidate just a poor match for the job and the organization with this approach?  Should he invest time in checking the references of this candidate?

What do you think?

How does this differ from your approach?

Are you still attempting to learn the rules of the road on LinkedIn?

On Friday, Andrea J. Stenberg shared a great story in her post,  “LinkedIn Invitations – Why hitting I Don’t Know This Person is a bad idea”. It is a post worth reading and thinking about before you select the “I don’t know this person”.

The rules on of connecting on LinkedIn and the rules of connecting via other social media sites are important and can make or break you in business.  Do you know the “rules of engagement”?

Almost weekly, I see people fail to connect at networking events, social gatherings, or business meetings because they don’t know the rules, don’t understand the nuances of connecting with others or simply don’t think about the consequences of their actions.  Do you need to brush up on these skills?

Play to your strengths, learn the rules and help others learn what you know.   You’ll be surprised at the benefits and the connections you’ll make.

In early December 2009,  Kristin Burnham, Staff Writer for CIO.com in the article 5 Ways to Get More from LinkedIn in 2010 provided tips on how to get more from LinkedIn in 2010.  She noted that using five features could help you gain more from LinkedIn.  Ms. Burnham recommended participating in Groups, finding and connecting via Events, using the Advanced People Search for seeking new connections, discovering relevant trends about companies of interest, and seeking Recommendations to enhance and validate your profile.

All these are solid tips and helpful suggestions, as I talk to those who use LinkedIn and get results I always ask “What do you do and what features to you use?”  I find that the specific features vary from person to person, however the common thread among those who get results is that each person has a specific strategy for using LinkedIn and how much time is spent using, connecting and researching via LinkedIn.

One savvy user,  who has landed four (4) interviews via LinkedIn connections since mid-November told me that it took him about 20 days to figure out the best ways to use LinkedIn.  Then he could connect with those who could hire him and make the most of all the company information available via LinkedIn.

He noted initially he spent a couple hours a day just learning what information was on the site, setting up his profile and inviting connections.  Then he decided on a plan with clear action steps.  Now he uses LinkedIn less than a couple hours a week with great results.

Do you have a plan for using LinkedIn?

What is working for you?

What results are you getting?