This is my third installment in a series of posts on the basics of using Linkedin to network with recruiters or hiring managers, so that you can be contacted about career opportunities. In part one I talked about the importance of leaving a way for someone to contact you. In part two, I covered why you should put career details in your profile, and gave some ideas of what you may want to include. In this post I want to discuss how adding connections and joining groups can help you advance professionally.
Adding Connections:
There are basically two schools of thought. One says “you want to connect only with people you know”, and the other says “you want to network, meet new people and interact on a professional level”. Either motive for Linkedin is ok, but the latter is the best way to participate if you want to be contacted about career opportunities and grow professionally. My connections have referred job seekers, have given me advice on a vast array of business topics, and much more.
I feel connections are the main reason to be on Linkedin. The two things I want to say about connections are:
- At the very least you should connect to anyone you interact with professionally: coworkers, clients, teachers, members of associations you belong to, etc. The reasons to be connected to these people should be obvious. Many people get jobs because of “who they know”.
- Do not fear that someone will see your connections and conclude that you are working with a recruiter, or talking to competitors, and get you in trouble at work. That fear is baseless. Your connections are only visible to your first level connections, and you can control whether or not your connections are able to view the people you are connected to, although they will always be able to see shared (mutual) connections. The way to do that is to click on the “settings” link on the upper right of every Linkedin page. You will see a heading “privacy settings”, click on “connection browse” and a page will open where you can set your connections visibility. Don’t forget to click “save changes”!
Groups:
Short and sweet, there are literally groups for everybody: alumni groups, company groups, trade groups, sports groups, the list are never ending. Join a group that matches you professional interests. Belonging to a group gives members access to contact almost every group member directly through email; there is an option some take that blocks communication, but most people don’t choose it. This means belonging to a group allows a hiring manger or recruiter (that belongs to the same group as you), a way to contact you! There are many other great reasons to participate in groups, but joining groups can definitely help you make connections, that could help you find a job or grow your career.
If you truly are interested in getting contacted about career opportunities, you truly need to spend a little time and add some connections and groups to your Linkedin profile. Here is a link to an older (2008) article by Jason Alba about “The Value of Growing Your Linked in Network”; it also contains many other good articles on Linkedin and social media. That’s a good place to start if you want more details than what I am providing here. Good luck!
This post written by John C. Burzynski aka cyBURsleuth
