Are You LinkedIn to Social Media?

Are you LinkedIn to Social Media? This actually might sound like a stupid question, but if you are a job seeker and you’re not using LinkedIn, than you are probably spinning your wheels in your job search. You know that old saying you are only as strong as your weakest link… Well if you are not LinkedIn and you are a job seeker, than “you are the weakest link, goodbye.” Ok, so I like game shows, moving right along.

It is critical in the Social Media world to be connected. The stronger your network, the stronger you can become as you navigate the hiring process. Welcome to part 5 of my series on Social Media & Your Job Search. I want to discuss the importance if LinkedIn. Ignore my reference to the weakest link above and follow along with me for a moment. LinkedIn is a resource for job seekers. It is free, unless you decide you want to pay for premium services. You decide if you want to buy. I believe you can get a lot of traction from the free services available through LinkedIn. So get out there and get your profile done and start linking up with others you may have lost touch with over the years.

Let me share two things about LinkedIn that I believe can make a difference in your job search. The first thing, as you begin to network and connect with people, from recruiters to decision makers and everyone in between, you begin to penetrate organizations in a very unique way that didn’t exist prior to 1999. If you are Linked into the right people you can pass some of the traditional barriers erected by organizations to ward off potential job seekers in the past. If you are Linked into the right person, you may get to skip the automated application process, at least initially. You might actually get to meet and speak to the hiring manager without having to be an invited guest, go through two to three interviews and hope you’re still in the running. LinkedIn helps you move past some of those obstacles and allows you to rub shoulders with as many people as you dare to reach out to.

Second, LinkedIn is gives you an opportunity to share your knowledge with others. It provides opportunities for you to become a strong link to others, to help respond to questions and answers and become a contributor to the larger community. The beauty of it is you never know who you will meet as you reach out to help others. In my humble opinion, this is one of the most powerful ways to connect with people. BE A RESOURCE! I am not actually shouting, but I want to emphasize this point. As much help as you believe you need in your job search, can you stop for a moment and invest time to help someone else? As I mentioned in part 4 of my series on Social Media & Your Job Search – Social Media & You, you will reap what you sow. If you determine that you want to help others in the larger community of LinkedIn, it will come back to you in unexpected ways that will help move you forward in your priorities.

There is so much more I could share, but I just wanted share two points tonight concerning LinkedIn and your job search. If you need some help getting started with LinkedIn, check out my series on LinkedIn – LinkedIn Review. More to come on my series on Social Media & Your Job Search!

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