How LinkedIn Company Pages Can Help Your Job Search

Lindsey Pollak

According to a recent LinkedIn poll, the single biggest job interview mistake people make is not knowing enough about the company to which they’re applying.

With all of the research tools available on the Internet and elsewhere, it is now easier than ever to avoid this mistake. You should always visit a potential employer’s own website first. Then, for additional information and up-to-the-minute insight, proceed directly to LinkedIn Company Pages.

A LinkedIn Company Page is a centralized location to learn about a company’s operations, current news, products and services, employees, job opportunities and more. There are over two million company pages on LinkedIn, spanning a vast number of industries, company sizes and geographic locations.

Where does all of the information on a Company Page come from? The organization itself provides a portion — the company overview, Careers page and Products and Services descriptions. The rest of a Page’s information, including the company statistics and employee information, are based on LinkedIn’s own network data.

This means that on a Company Page you’re getting more information about the backgrounds and career paths of the people who work for that organization. As a potential job seeker, this information provides a guide on what it takes to get hired and succeed at that particular company. For instance, you can learn what universities a company’s employees attended (including who graduated from your own alma mater), what types of employees are receiving promotions and what LinkedIn groups those employees belong to. As you’ll see below, all of this information can help you better craft your LinkedIn profile to attract the attention of recruiters for that company and it can help you find potential referrals into that organization.

To make the most of Company Pages as a job seeker, begin your research on the Search Companies page and follow these easy steps:

1. Find companies that are hiring right now.

First, search for every company on your prospect list. Begin “following” these companiesto stay up-to-date on job opportunities, company news and industry trends. All company status updates will appear on your LinkedIn homepage, so you’ll never miss a new opportunity.

You can find additional prospects by using the search facets on the left side of the Search Companies page. You can search for companies based on location, industry, size, whether they are currently hiring (over 22,300 are hiring on LinkedIn right now!) and how you are connected to that organization. I love this last search option most of all. You can filter a set of results to include only those companies that are hiring AND those where you have 1st or 2nd degree connections. It’s always easier to get a job at an organization where you have support from an existing employee or where a friend can make a personal referral.

2. Make the most of informational interviews.

How do you turn those 1st and 2nd degree connections into opportunities? The best approach is to reach out to request informational interviews from people who work for the companies where you’d like a job. (You can do this directly with your 1st degree connections or through an introduction request for 2nd degree connections.) Write a brief note that says something like this: “I’m very interested in a potential opportunity at XYZ Company and saw that you currently work there. Would you be willing to chat with me for 15 minutes or so and share your experience at the organization? I would be so grateful for your time.”

Most people, particularly if they know you personally or are introduced to you through a trusted contact, will be happy to answer a few questions or share some advice. The trick is to impress them when you’re on that informational call. So, before you speak to anyone for an informational interview, spend at least 30 minutes on that organization’s Company Page to learn about its products, services and current news. The Overview tab of the Page will provide a summary of the company, its recent status updates (the news that company wants its LinkedIn followers to know) and available job opportunities.  (The Overview also provides additional insight into how you are connected to employees at the company through your LinkedIn network and university alumni network, which is great for finding even more people to ask for informational interviews.)

Many companies also have “Careers” tabs on their LinkedIn page, where they share more information about working for their organization, such as videos, employee testimonials, awards and recognitions. Review this information thoroughly so you can ask very specific questions during your informational interviews. For instance, “I read about your company’s new environmental initiative — can you tell me more about how that is working?” is a much more impressive question than, “So, what does your company do?” The more you impress your connection, the more likely he or she is to recommend you for an open job.

3. Learn what it takes to succeed. Read the rest of tip 3 and complete Linkedin article

How Social Media Can Help You Land That New Job [INFOGRAPHIC]

by Sam Laird

Does your job suck? Do you just wish you had a job to begin with? Social media can play a major role in finding that first gig or hopping to a better one.

In 2012, companies are projected to use social media to recruit for more than four out of five job openings. Some 95% of recruiters have already successfully hired candidates found through LinkedIn, while Twitter and Facebookhelp connect job-seekers with employers as well.

Recruiters use social media for a variety of reasons — it saves them money, raises brand awareness and is a good way to target people with specific skill sets. But most of all, recruiters say it helps them find solid candidates who might otherwise never even get on their radar.

So how best to get noticed? Eye-tracking studies have shown that people spend an average of under six seconds looking at social media profiles, meaning first impressions are key. Job titles and profile photos get the most attention, so those are among the most important sections of your page to spruce up.

This data was all pulled together by OnlineDegrees.com, a site that connects students with Internet-based education programs. OnlineDegrees compiled reports from a variety of sources and research organizations — including Mashable — to fill out the picture of how social media can boost your job search. For more, check out the infographic below.

See the Mashable article for the infographic and complete article

5 LinkedIn Job Search Tips You Haven’t Heard Yet

Insightful ways to improve your profile and grow your LinkedIn job search network.

As LinkedIn is the biggest professional social network in the world and is a proven tool for building business, changing careers and landing a new job, you may feel like you’ve already heard everything there is to hear about the social media site.

We’ve seen all the tips before, right? Fill in your profile, use a professional headshot as your photo, personalize your invitations to connect, etc.

But there are a few lesser-known LinkedIn job search tips that can be just as effective as the ones we all know about.

Here are 5 of the more unusual pointers:

1) Take advantage of the less popular profile apps
As popular as LinkedIn applications such as Amazon Reading List and My Travel are, there are some other profile apps, that don’t deserve to be overlooked, especially by the job seeker. One of these is SlideShare Presentations.

What do slideshows have to job searches?

For a start, complementing your CV or LinkedIn profile with a multimedia presentation that illustrates your skills, what you’re passionate about, what you’ve done and what you want to do is going to make you stand out from the rest of the job hunting crowd.

2) Don’t invite connections on impulse
As soon as you see someone you know or someone who’s big in your current or desired sector join LinkedIn, you might be tempted to send them a connection request straight away. Relax—you don’t have to immediately jump in there.

If you know the person, research what they’re up to, to see how their life as changed since you last spoke to them.

If you don’t know them, find out more about who they are—they may not be as relevant to your job search as you imagine them to be. If the person’s profile is public, you can even send them a comment or a question to feel them out in advance of sending that request out.

3) Connect with friends from other social networks
Search on LinkedIn for people you’re already known on Twitter or Facebook. Some people might prefer to keep LinkedIn completely separate from more informal social networks, but if you maintain this policy, you may be missing out on building your professional relationship with existing Facebook friends or Twitter followers.

These are people you already know online—look at their LinkedIn profiles and see if they’re worth connecting with there as well.

Tips 4 - 5 and Complete ResumeBear Article

Create a LinkedIn Profile That Rocks: 7 Tips

Kimberly Weisul | One Thing New

One of the great things about being a reporter is that, quite literally, I learn something new every day. Here's what I learned while researching this story: My LinkedIn profile does not rock. In fact, it may stink.

This is partly because when I filled out my profile, I didn't care. I was a busy freelancer, and wasn't looking for work. But now that Connie and I are running One Thing New, all kinds of people may be checking me out on LinkedIn –-potential readers, partners, reporters, advertisers, anyone. Time to step it up.

Here's how I'm going to do it. And how you can do it too, whether you're looking for a job, trying to find new partners or clients, or heck, running an email newsletter.

1. Customize your URL. This is just common sense, and takes almost no time. Left to its own devices, LinkedIn will assign you a long and incomprehensible URL. To change that, click on "Edit profile," then, "Public profile." In the right-hand column, select "Your URL" and type in a URL that actually has something to do with your name.

2. Personalize your Web site. LinkedIn lets you link to other Web sites or blogs from within your profile. I chose "Web site" and then included the link to One Thing New. Wrong! Instead, choose "other." Here's why: Choosing "other" lets you 'name' your blog or Web site. Instead of a link that just says "Web site," it can say, "Awesome resume help," or "World's best bakery." I simply chose "One Thing New." Whatever works for you.

3. Know your keywords. Recruiters use keywords to search for job candidates on LinkedIn. So why doesn't your profile reflect this? Like me, you probably didn't think about it.

Time to start thinking. Ask yourself: Why am I on LinkedIn in the first place? If your first answer, like mine, was, "I'm on LinkedIn out of some dull but undefined sense of obligation," try asking yourself what, ideally, you would like to get out of LinkedIn. Need a hint? Some 98% of recruiters say they use LinkedIn to find job candidates, compared to 33% who use Facebook, according to a survey from Bullhorn Reach.

If you want a new job, then find a few job listings for your dream job. Pay attention to the keywords used to describe that job. Write them down. If you're looking for new clients, think about the services you offer and how your clients describe them. Look at a few job descriptions, too. Again, write down your keywords.

4. Choose your headline. - Read the rest of tip 4, tips 5-7 and complete Huffington Post article

Is Pinterest The New LinkedIn For Job Seekers?

Meghan Casserly, Forbes Staff

I cover the juggle of work, life and play for smart, ambitious women.

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Pinterest, for the uninitiated minority, is an online bulletin board for “pinning” images you like from around the web. It is also the fastest growing social network since Facebook.

But is it the answer to your unemployment?

What started as an addictive platform embraced by ladies, who commonly posted fashon, interior design and recipes (guilty as charged), was quickly descended upon by companies hoping to gain traction in the new social space that boasted more than 3% of all referral traffic online. That’s more than Google+, Reddit, LinkedIn and Myspace combined. We use the site at Forbes to highlight some of our more visually stunning real-estate and car coverage, as well as to archive some of the awesome photos taken for the issue. Seems about right.

In a post this morning, contributor Erica Swallow warned companies (including ours) against “haphazardly joining Pinterest” without a smart, well-considered strategy. Namely, “posting visually stimulating, marketing-free content” intended for the site’s key demographic of “mature female consumers.” Keep that in mind, she wrote, and you should be golden. I’m with you, Erica. But when theBrazen Careerist told job searchers that the “it-girl” of social media could be just the ticket to landing your dream job, I actually laughed at my editor.

Oh, heck no, I thought. A quick check-in with my own Pinterest feed (boards include: Stripes, Dream Rooms and Foods To Eat), unless I was hoping to land a job at Martha Stewart Living, I can’t see how my keen eye for design and delicious things would pique the interest of a headhunter or human resource executive.

But digging further, it seems my own user habits might be blinding me from all Pinterest has to offer. On his blog, Career Enlightenment, Joshua Waldman, the author of Job Searching With Social Media For Dummies writes that it’s best to consider Pinterest as just another outlet for exposure—and one with an audience of 11 million users and counting. His tips include how to perfect your “about me” section and curate your interests through pins and repins to build your personal brand on the site. On whether it works:

Can Pinterest get you a job? As with any kind of business decision, you have to consider the ROI. In our case, the ROI of social media is landing a job. So: is Pinterest worth it?

In sum: Yes. When you look into the data that’s flying around about the success of Pinterest, leveraging those stats will help get your personal brand in front of more eyes and more people who will hire you for your talents.

More Advice and complete Forbes article 

TweetDeck, Seesmic and HootSuite Help Keep your Digital Life Under Control

Brandon Bailey

The explosion of social media has left many people struggling to keep pace with a torrent of online feeds and updates, from the latest celebrity tweets and friends' Facebook posts to co-workers' blurbs and professional bulletins on LinkedIn. 

But if it seems like there's another trendy social network launched every year to keep up with ( hello Google (GOOG)+), don't despair. Several online tools can help you stay on top of feeds from multiple accounts, post your own messages simultaneously on different sites and, if you want, learn more about particular topics or the people you follow online. 


And here's a little secret the pros know: With these services, you can compose those pithy witticisms when inspiration strikes in the middle of the night -- and schedule them to post automatically at a later time, when more of your friends and colleagues are likely to be online. 

"I think we're all trying to cope with the best way to manage the fire hose, without getting drowned," said social media consultant J.D. Lasica, referring to the deluge of digital updates that threatens to consume our waking hours. 

Three of the most popular tools for managing social media are free. While similar in concept, each may appeal to different users. 

TweetDeck is perhaps the best-known and simplest to use. Seesmic and HootSuite offer more capabilities, including paid versions with extra features for professional users. 

HootSuite in particular has many functions geared toward marketing professionals, although a spokesman said it has a broad base of casual users, too. Seesmic, meanwhile, plans to discontinue some services in coming months as it focuses on fewer products, according to CEO Loic Le Meur. 

For now, all three are available both as Web-based services and as apps for iPhones and Android devices. There are also desktop versions that can be downloaded onto a PC or Mac, but the Web versions can be accessed from any computer without downloading extra software. 

Essentially, each service provides a dashboard that pulls the feeds from all your social media accounts together into columns that you can view on one screen or, on a smartphone, a series of screens that you can access with a touch or swipe of your finger. 

That makes it relatively easy to track all those accounts without opening a different app for each one. You can also set up columns for specific purposes. For example, you can put all the tweets from your close friends in one, or create a search that lets you monitor updates on a particular topic in another. 

In addition, these services let you write an update, attach a link or photo, and post it simultaneously to the accounts you choose. By clicking on the appropriate icons, you can share the item with all your followers, or target only certain accounts. And all three services let you schedule your posts, so you can compose them when it's convenient and distribute them at other times of the day. 

That may sound a bit obsessive for people who just want to chat or share an interesting link with friends. But social media pros like Lasica say it's a good idea for people who need to manage their time: Set aside half an hour for scanning feeds and composing updates, then focus on other tasks during the rest of the day.


Read the rest of the HispanicBusiness.com article

Who should be a LinkedIn LION?

You’ve probably noticed people in your LinkedIn network with LION by their names, and maybe know that it stands for “LinkedIn Open Networker.”

But what exactly does that mean, and who should become a LION?

The basic idea behind LIONs is that open-networkers are LinkedIn users who are willing to establish connections with people with whom they’ve had no previous relationship. In other words: “I don’t know you and you don’t know me, but let’s connect anyway and help grow each other’s network,” as blogger Rob Mendez said.

Essentially, a LION will accept a connection invitation from anyone. Advertising on your profile that you’re a LION is a quick and easy way to grow your number of connections, but that certainly doesn’t mean everyone should do it.

The LION concept is in some regard antithetical to the guiding principle behind LinkedIn. That is, that users should limit their connections to those they’ve known and worked with in real life. (The company didn’t respond to an inquiry asking for clarity around its position on LIONs.)

Aside from boosting a LinkedIn user’s number of connections, the appeal of becoming a LION lies in its ability to help users forge connections with those they’d typically not otherwise know. Think of it as a way to freshen up an otherwise stagnant network.

“The value of networking is really in meeting people you don’t know,” said social media expert Neal Schaffer, of Windmills Marketing, and a LinkedIn user who has nearly 30,000 connections.

Marc Wolbert, a recruiter in the Cleveland area with Kelly Scientific Resources, said he’s been a LION for about a year and a half. It’s helped Wolbert establish a dialogue with candidates for jobs clients are looking to fill, as well as find out about in-person networking events he may not have otherwise discovered.

“It kind of got the ball rolling for some people I’d previously not connected with,” he said. “It’s expanded my realm of people that I talk to.”

No downside there, right? Not exactly. LIONs can get weighed down by excessive amounts of connection requests, will almost inevitably end up with lots of connections of questionable value and open themselves up to connections with unscrupulous Internet marketers who’ve created fake LinkedIn profiles.

“I wouldn’t call it spam, but you’ll make connections that may not be of immediate use,” Wolbert said.

It’s that downside that’s led a LinkedIn power user like Schaffer to remove the LION tag from his LinkedIn branding and disassociate himself with LION groups.

Read the rest of the MedCity article for more advice

The Other Huge Mistake You May Be Making On LinkedIn

Kashmir Hill, Forbes Staff

Welcome to The Not-So Private Parts where technology & privacy collide

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Last week, Meghan Casserly offered up 10 big mistakes you may be making on LinkedIn, from not having a photo to fudging your skill set. But there was one mistake she left off the list: failure to fully connect to your network.

Our “social graphs,” as exposed on various social networks, are becoming unexpectedly important in the opportunities that come our way. Banks areconsidering looking at your Facebook friend list to get insights into your credit-worthiness — on the assumption that birds of a good (or bad) credit feather flock together. Meanwhile, your contacts on LinkedIn may determine which job offers come your way.

There are at least two (unexpected) ways in which your LinkedIn social graph could work on your behalf. With its over 150 million members, companies are increasingly turning to LinkedIn for corporate recruiting. The company now has over 9,000 corporate clients using its recruiting services. One of the recruiting products they offer allows an employer to enter the profile of its dream candidate (who perhaps already turned the job down); LinkedIn does a data dive to suggest candidates with similar profiles.

“Say if you’re looking for a data analytics expert, we have a ‘secret sauce’ to find that person who looks like your perfect candidate but hasn’t already been hired by Google, Apple or Facebook,” says spokesperson Richard George.

One component of that “secret sauce” is your social graph.

Find out more about the secret sauce and the complete Forbes article

How to Power Your Professional Networking Through LinkedIn

Haydn Shaughnessy, Contributor

Documenting the emerging economy

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LinkedIn still seems to grab a lot of people as a recruiter/job hunting site. In reality, it has already become many things. Social network, news aggregator, personal branding platform, networkers’ paradise. This last use interests me. How do the power networkers use LinkedIn, and, do their long lists of connections mean anything outside the ego rub of being very well connected?

It’s important because half of us won’t be in jobs within 8 years. We’ll be part of what Susannah Breslin calls the “gig” economy: small, micro-businesses highly dependent on our personal brand value and our connections for revenue! So online networking is one of those skills that many of us need to learn. We might be enthusiasts or cynics, we might not know what steps to take or we might look down on the very idea of using sites like LinkedIn to boost our personal brand power. The reality though is we all need new ways to convert weak ties into business.

I asked Neal Schaffer about that. Neal has written“Maximizing LinkedIn for Sales and Social Media Marketing” which guides readers through the networking maze. I wanted a few insider tips on being just a little better at (dirty word coming up)exploiting my network. Technical term: converting weak ties into strong.

I put a few questions to Neal via email. Why did he opt to build a LinkedIn network?

NS: “Early in 2008, I found myself looking for a new challenge. The problem was that I had no local network where I was living after spending the first 15 years of my career in Asia. I made the strategic decision to use LinkedIn to create my network, first virtually and then to bring these people into my physical network when I had the chance to meet them or mutual needs arose. And therefore I became an open networker and actively reached out to others that I wanted to build my Professional Graph around.

Now there is one other incentive I had for building out a large network: LinkedIn Search. LinkedIn has changed their search algorithm many times over the years, but early in 2008, search results were always displayed in descending order by number of connections. This meant that, if I wanted to get found for any given keyword, I needed to be better connected on LinkedIn! It was this aha! moment which helped me see LinkedIn as a business networking tool, and I haven’t looked back since then.”

HS: I confess not to thinking about my network as a “professional graph”. I need to put that in my terms. LinkedIn, to me, looks like it is becoming more of a networking environment and networks are really about community.Once you have community rather than just connections, I assume business is easier, so I asked Neal: How would you go about creating a community, or group, on LinkedIn?

NS: “Because this is social media – Read the rest of the Forbes article for the complete interview and more advice