Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Linkedin - Job Tool or Facebook for Adults

So you want to find a Job.  Maybe you are out of work or looking to change positions, either way I am going to discuss just one of my favorite Social Sites for Professionals looking for employment, Linkedin.  As with any job search, do not limit yourself to one method.  This is just one I happen to find very useful for looking for relevant employment, as well as a long term tool for future employement.

Now some people will say it is just a Facebook looking site.  I call it, Facebook for Professionals.  This site is all about your connections.  Connections with those you went to school with, worked with, met at a trade show, or wherever.  The point is to connect and build connections.  You ask why?  I will show you why in just a little bit.  Let’s begin with Getting Started, creating a profile.

Profile
When you create your profile you want to build an online resume.  Remember basic resume rules apply; this online resume should resemble your ‘paper copy’.  Dates, accomplishments, and all should be the same.  If not, you need to fix it.  Add all the schools you attended, places of employment, and any specialty skills you possess.  Don’t forget to add a picture.  It is helpful for putting your name and face together.  I suggest a picture in a professional setting wearing professional attire.  Now I have seen some where the person is on the beach or at a party.  Let’s just say again, this is a Professional site where you are posting your professional information.  You want to be taken seriously. 


Create your URL
Update your URL from the one that Linkedin has suggested.  Do this by choosing Edit Profile from the Profile Menu.  In the first block choose edit at the end of Public Profile.  On the Right side under "Your Public Profile URL" choose customize your public profile.  Give this some thought. Make it professional. 

Connections
After you have added your Education and any schools you have attended, you can now start to connect with people you attended this schooling with.  This is important, all of your connections are important.  I can not stress the levity of this. 

Do the same with each place of employment.  Search people by the companies you have worked.  Add every person you know.  You can also search for people you know but haven’t worked with.  Be careful of just adding random people, it is not suggested and does not really help you if you do not know them is some way.  I added pastors and close personal friends.  Always be on the lookout for new connections.  When ever I go to a business meeting, or trade show, conference, training or any professional outing I meet people and request them to connect with me on Linkedin

Recommendations
After you have connected to people in your past and hopefully present.  Ask a few that you worked closely with if they would give you an online recommendation of your work at the particular employment or schooling.  These are usually short, precise and give a basic view of your work ethics and skills.  Be prepared to reciprocate. 

Groups
This is one of the most important features, right behind the connections.  Join groups where you have an interest.  Let’s say you are an ‘Oracle’ database professional.  Then I would join groups like:
Oracle Jobs
Oracle Connections
Oracle Senior DBA’s
You get the point.  Join job groups that pertain to your interests.  Join local community groups.  A lot of these groups post jobs online that you may never see unless you belong to the group. 

Participate in the group discussions.  I find these extremely helpful.  Even if you think you are an advanced user there are always time you need a second opinion.  Offer advise, help on questions, basically interact.

You will meet a lot of connections through groups if you interact.  Also, reading the group posts are a great way of staying current even if you aren’t using a particular technology at the moment but have in the past.  I get a lot of information from my groups. 

Companies
Follow Companies you are interested in.  These may be places you have worked or would like to work.  Or even just those you admire.  Companies post jobs, and if you follow you have an easier path to see when these are posted. 

Recruiters
Recruiters are your best friend.  Remember, they are trying to help you secure employment.  They succeed when you do.  It doesn’t help them to submit you if they don’t think you are a fit.  Connect with them.  When you receive an email from a recruiter, find them on Linkedin and connect with them.  They post jobs on linked and the more you are connected with the more jobs you will see.


Conclusion
Now I know this is just an overview of Linkedin and it should not be your only means of looking for employment.  It should be an important tool.  You will find that your connections are just that, connections to someone or some company that you would not have without them.  For instance, you are connected to “Bob” from your last job.  You are interested in Company “C” for employment, they have an opening posted.  “Bob is connected to the HR manager at company “C”, a 3rd degree connection for you.  You can not contact this person yourself, but through “Bob” you can request the connection and ask for him to connect you two together.  This is one way that connections are helpful.  I will go into more depth later on about connections and my own personal job searching and procurement using Linkedin.

Make sure to get your profile to 100% completeness.  

I hope you enjoyed this article and it was helpful, and if you are looking for employment, Good Luck.


Social Techie

Monday, December 5, 2011

My first Blog. What to expect....

Thank you for reading my first blog.  Hopefully it is now far into the future and you are looking back at my previous posts thinking "Wow, this blog has really come a long way".

I plan on blogging a lot about how Social Technology is used today for a variety of reasons.  I myself use a lot of  Social Sites.  I have used Social Sites to find Jobs, find the "love of my life", connect with lost Family and Friends, buy and sell items, and much much more.  In our Social Society today it is to our advantage to use all the Social Sites we can to obtain our objective.  I will explain how I use each Social Site, the Pros and Cons of each and what to expect out of them.  My goal is that we will all gain some useful knowledge along this journey.

I am sure that sometimes I may venture outside the world of Social Sites and blog about my personal life, family, pets, or whatever is prevalent at the time.  Please bear with me, I will get back to the topic at hand.

Social Techie