Month: March 2013
LinkedIn Members Who Grow their Networks are 30% More Likely to Find Jobs
The co-founder of LinkedIn, Reid Hoffman recently published his new book “The Start-Up of You”, see a book review here.
One idea is what they call “I-We” – how the power of your network out to the third degree magnifies your individual capabilities. It used to be “who you know”, now it’s also “who the people in your network know”. That’s the strength of “I to the We” of your network.
LinkedIn have kindly sampled some data for us:
- The average LinkedIn member has access to over 9,000 people via their 2nd degree network
- That’s connections in over 6,000 companies in 130 industries via 2nd degree connections
- The most connected users have access to 200,000 companies through 3 million people
- As your professional network grows, so do your career opportunities
LinkedIn Improves Its Search
Following in the footsteps of Facebook, which recently overhauled its search, LinkedIn on Monday announced a revamped search with auto-complete, suggested searches and other enhancements.
The search is now streamlined as well, so you no longer need to search for companies, people and jobs separately. “Now, all you need to do is type what you’re looking for into the search box and you’ll see a comprehensive page of results that pulls content from all across LinkedIn including people, jobs, groups and companies,” LinkedIn’s blog explained.
Among the new features:
- Auto-complete: LinkedIn will suggest options for what you’re searching for. Suggestions will improve the more you search thanks to a smarter query intent algorithm.
- Suggested searches: As LinkedIn explains, “now when you type in a search term such as ‘product manager’ you’ll see example search queries for people or jobs related to product manager as well as a preview of top results to help you find what you’re looking for in one click.”
Find a Job on LinkedIn: 7 Ways to Fix Your Profile
by Michael Estrin
Using LinkedIn for 30 Minutes a Day
By Michael Cohn
10 Tips For Finding Your Perfect Job Fast With LinkedIn
By Dan Sherman
How To Find Your Perfect Job With LinkedIn
So, here are my 10 best tips that I share with my LinkedIn coaching clients to get you on your way.
1. Optimize Your Profile
What kind of job do you want? Whatever you are seeking, make sure you put those keywords in your profile. Think about it…how does a hiring manager search for candidates? He puts in the job title he is looking for into the search box. So make sure you have your desired job title in many places on your profile so you come up high in LinkedIn searches.
2. Use A Professional Photo
I’ve worked with many job candidates looking for executive positions who have a casual photo on their profile. To me, that is a big Fail! Save those shots for Facebook. LinkedIn is a professional networking site and you want to look your best. Dress according to how much you want to get paid. If you understand this, then get a professional headshot down at your local photographer studio. A pleasant smile will also go a long way. No one wants to hire a sourpuss.
3. Fill Out Your Profile 100%
By completing your profile, you are 40 times more likely to come up in LinkedIn searches. Besides that, it shows that you are taking LinkedIn and your job search seriously. LinkedIn has prompts that show you how you are doing and what you need to do to get to 100%.
4. Grow Your Network
I can hear you saying, “But I don’t want to connect with people I don’t know!” Sorry Charlie. If that is your mantra, LinkedIn will become virtually useless to you. Most job seekers come to me with about 100 connections. That means you’ll have a network of about a quarter million, and just a fraction of the 200 million people can see your profile. Do you really want a new job? Start connecting with everyone and anyone.
5. Use Your Summary To Create An Ad
Your summary section in your profile is a great place to tell employers what you can do for them. Be sure to spell out all the benefits you bring to the workplace. How can you make them money? Save them money? Make them more efficient? Don’t be shy; tell them the benefit of hiring you.