LinkedIn tricks for networkers, job hunters and hirers | TIME Magazine
Lisa Takeuchi Cullen is a New York-based staff writer for TIME Magazine. She writes about workplace trends on her blog called "Work in Progress" - a daily look at life on the job. The following tips are an extract from Lisa's post on tricks and tips for networkers, job hunters and hirers (Source: Lisa's workplace blog via TIME).
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Get to know the "advanced search" function.
This is a great and probably underused tool. The page allows you to narrow a search with industry categories and titles, but the most handy search weapon is the keyword search. Say you're looking for a new job in your industry and you want to find out about corporate culture at Apple. Type in "'IT consultant' and Apple" (you can use quote marks to search for a phrase and the connectors "and" and "or"), and you'll get two categories of people who define themselves as such: those in your network of connections, and those in the wider LinkedIn universe.
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Scale the six degrees of separation.
Whenever you view someone's profile, LinkedIn shows you in a handy chart on the right the degrees of separation between you and the person profiled. I, for one, respond more friendly-like to friends of friends, so if I'm going to say whazzup to Steve Jobs, I know it would help if I had an intro from his nephew, who went to school with my next-door neighbor. (That didn't happen, btw. But you get my drift.) -
Check out a person's history.
You can learn a lot about someone on their profile page, if they let you (LinkedIn's "accounts and settings" function lets you set privacy controls). For instance, a little dinky called the "one-click reference" at the top of the page tells you all the people on the network who worked with the person at the company. That's hugely useful for journalists digging for sources, but also if you're expanding your business contacts.... (continued on Lisa's blog)
Check out the other three tips and tricks for networkers, job hunters & hirers on the TIME Magazine post. Topics ranging from seeking answers to raising your online brand capital. Lisa's other posts on workplace, business and society trends include snooping bosses, teen interns and cubicles of the future.
lawton chiles Aug 1, 2007
Thanks Lisa for the valuable info, especially about the Google ranking!
David Kochanek Mar 5, 2008
Take this one step further.
If a job hunter is looking for a position in a particular niche but does not have the "inside scoop," they find it difficult to make headway in that job search.
For instance, if someone were looking for a hedge fund job but did not have that network... First, explore the niche job boards, alternative investment sites and LinkedIn for a job that looks like a fit. Get the firm name (or executive recruiter name) and contact info. Then search LinkedIn for people who are close to that firm. Contact them directly (don't beat around the bush). Learn what you can about the position.
THEN apply for the position armed with more information and potentially a warm lead.
This sure beats just sending in your resume to the firm's online application system (aka - the black hole).
Best,
David
http://www.jobsearchdigest.com/hfsd