Kathy Robinson runs TurningPoint Career Consulting, working with mid- to executive-level job seekers who need help marketing their talents, finding interesting opportunities, and getting results in their job search. As a former HR executive, she’s seen the way that LinkedIn has changed the entire process of recruiting, for good. Read more success stories from our users here.

As a career coach, LinkedIn has proven to be a killer app for job seekers whom I counsel, with its immediate access to contacts, groups, events, and thought leaders.

The first thing I ask clients do is optimize their profile, then connect to as many relevant connections as they can, even if they’ve only worked with a former colleague briefly but have a trusted relationship. Other tips? Participate in groups.  Don’t just connect “to” people, but connect “with” people, letting them know what you’re looking for and turning a LinkedIn invitation into a longer conversation.

That’s the approach that worked for one of my clients Christine Midwood, a talented technology program director and product manager. In addition to networking with most of her real world professional connections on LinkedIn, and joining groups, she researched LinkedIn for company information and potential connections before applying for any jobs. She saw a dramatic difference in how many phone interviews or offers she got from traditional online boards (5% response rate) versus online and offline networking (31% response rate). During her search, she made a weekly goal of 3 meetings with her connections, to learn what might be happening in the job market. When she saw a job posting for what is now her current job, she looked up and connected to a former coworker through LinkedIn, who introduced her to the hiring manager. (connect with your former colleagues here)

As Christine found, LinkedIn’s power goes way beyond a profile and some contacts. For example, if you’re interested to know how people broke into a certain field? Look up their backgrounds on their profiles, and find out “how they did it”.

I can’t imagine the job search process for my clients today without the power of LinkedIn, can you? Share your experience in the comments below.

Have a LinkedIn experience you’d like to share with us? Submit your story here.

Kevin Nichols is a Sr. Litigation Paralegal, President & CEO of KLN Publishing, LLC.  He’s also a columnist for The Globe Newspapers in the East Bay, and he writes for various publications nationwide.  As an active LinkedIn user, Kevin also moderates two LinkedIn groups, one of which he used to pull off a networking event for free. Check out his experience below. You can also find other stories from our users here.

LinkedIn is the premier social networking site for business professionals. It is the most consequential tool that I use to reach my business goals. As the moderator of the Downtown San Francisco Networking Group, I organize monthly and quarterly events for professionals who work downtown to network to create business opportunities for them.  I am personally concerned that a large percentage of our group is unemployed due to the economic downturn, some for almost a year! So, I decided to organize an Employment Symposium that will focus on improving resume writing skills, interviewing tips, how to prepare for, how to dress for, and how to follow up an interview. Because these individuals are unemployed, cost is of paramount concern. Skeptics suggested that this may take at least 3 – 4 months to plan and cost thousands of dollars.  Here is how I have use LinkedIn to organize this event for free in a month, like I have done for all of my previous events for my group.

First, I needed a location that could hold at least a hundred people comfortably so I updated my status indicating such. Within minutes, a colleague – Janine Mixon, Dean of Student Affairs at Golden Gate University – said that she might be able to get me space for no charge. Through my networking group, Janine introduced me to her colleagues David Javate (Assistant Director of Sales) and Ami Readdy (Recruiting and the Associate Director of Business Career Coaching), who both agreed to allow us to use their facility for free, provide resource materials, career guidance and placement information, etc. as parting gifts, assistant with obtaining panelists and with completing the planning.  After another status update, I obtained two businesses that agreed to sponsor the food for the event. Finally, upon searching through my LinkedIn contacts, I have leaned on my Fortune 500 recruiting contacts to donate their time by being panelists / facilitators. The moral of this story is, “Use your network to make the impossible, possible”.

Have a LinkedIn experience you’d like to share with us? Submit your story here.

[Ed. note: Today's post features Sean Lindo, community manager at Box.net, who describes ways of making your resume stand out from the crowd. The Box.net application on LinkedIn, along with the rest of the inApps on LinkedIn can be found here]

Let’s make a bet. A safe one. I’m sure there’s more than a few of you out there that have spent hours, even days crafting the perfect cover letter and polishing your resume for a group of prospective employers, only to never hear back from any of them.  You swear you knocked it out of the park, but you just didn’t get the response you were hoping for. The reality is that there were at least a dozen other people that did the same thing and thought they knocked their resume and cover letter out of the park too.

Whether times are good or bad, getting that extra edge has always been important. You may have the right experience, degrees and attributes, but when employers have stacks and stacks of resumes sitting on their desk, you need something that’s going to make you stand out, especially these days. Writing great cover letters and resumes are a good start – an essential one, at that. But how can you go beyond that?

Showcase your work with Box.net and LinkedIn

One of the great things about LinkedIn is that you can show and tell so much more about yourself. Potential employers and connections can read recommendations about you, what your interests are and other details that are tough to fit into a standard cover letter and resume. Using Box.net’s Files app for LinkedIn, you can showcase what makes you and your experience unique – you can showcase your work.

In case you’re not familiar with Box, it’s a service that lets individuals and businesses store and share all kinds of content online. Besides standard files like Word documents, Excel sheets and PowerPoint presentations, you can store creative files, digital photos, videos, audio files…anything you want. This is where you should take a moment to let your imagination and creativity run wild. No matter what field you’re in, you can upload it to Box and share it right on your LinkedIn profile for the whole world to see. Share things like:

•    Illustrator and Photoshop files to display a creative portfolio
•    Writing samples of white papers, product brochures or press releases you’ve authored
•    A comprehensive archive of professional photography you’ve put together
•    Audio files of commercial jingles or voiceover projects
•    Digital movies you’ve created or video testimonials from your best references
•    Coding samples to show off your awesome programming skills

That just scratches the surface. If you think about all the work you’ve done, chances are you can share so much more of it than you thought. And you can do this easily just by uploading content to Box, putting it in a designated folder and sharing that folder on your LinkedIn profile. Get the Box.net Files app here.

As the Community Manager for Box.net, I use the Files app to showcase some of my work at Box – podcasts I did when we launched our iPhone app and links to interviews and articles I’ve been a part of for various Box launches. It’s the kind of thing I could never do on a resume and cover letter.

This goes the other way too. When I was interviewing candidates for a marketing opening at Box, a few candidates mentioned pieces of information they learned from my profile and referenced some of the files I posted in my own Box portfolio. It impressed me how much research they did ahead of the interview and how detail-oriented they were. Those points were not lost in our internal candidate discussions.

Again, it all comes back to what makes you stand out. You might have the same degrees, professional background and skill set as the competition. But no one has this – your body of work. Showcase it proudly.

[Ed. note: This belongs to our series of posts featuring tips for recent grads from LinkedIn users. Mitchell Friedman is Director of MBA Career Services at the University of San Francisco. You can find him on LinkedIn or you can also follow him on Twitter.]

You’re graduating, and can’t decide what type of work you want.  Don’t fret! Here are some tips to help you get into action:

* Act as if you know what you want. Find a way to connect to an opportunity, whether it’s the function, company, industry, or location. Your desire will inspire you to make contacts, develop materials, and apply for jobs.

* Consider every job an opportunity to learn, if not about specific responsibilities then about the organization or industry. Your ongoing challenge is to clarify what you like and dislike, a process that may take some time. Moreover, you never know when or where an experience may come in handy.

* Recognize that any job is not your life, won’t last forever, and you don’t have to choose the “perfect” job your first time (or even second or third times, for that matter). A year in a job may seem like an eternity, but (in most circumstances) won’t kill you. At the same time, you can participate in professional organizations and pursue other non-work interests with the possibility that such efforts will yield future work options.

* Develop a plan A, plan B, and even a plan C for your job search, based on your interests. In other words, always have a backup plan should your first (or second) choice not work out. Who knows, your plan B job may evolve into a plan A job — or may even become what you truly want to do!

Check out the rest of of our posts featuring tips for graduating students here

Check out the rest of of our posts featuring tips for graduating students here

[Ed. note: This belongs to our series of posts featuring tips for recent grads from LinkedIn users. Paul Carpino is Employer Outreach and Internship Coordinator at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. His ten year career in the Hospitality Industry includes management, production supervision, concept and menu design, along with creating the food service program for one of the largest athletic clubs in the nation.]

How do I use the power LinkedIn? Let me count the ways!  When you return from an event/mixer with business cards, quickly invite your contacts to join your LinkedIn Network. After returning from an interview, invite the interviewer to join your network. Read a good book or just returned from an awesome event? Post it through the “Updates” feature.

Students and recent grads, the “New Job Seekers” are using new, creative strategies to find jobs and launch their careers.  Here is a brief guide to help you expand your reach, build your network and seek out that new job:

1. Invest in professional looking business cards and create a title such as, “Entry-Level Candidate, Human Resources” or “Management Candidate, Hospitality.”

2. Include phone and email, physical address is not needed. Leave your cards with contacts, stuff them in your bill-payment return envelopes. Give them to friends / family to hand out for you.

3. Send an announcement email to the appropriate connections your contact database informing them what job you are looking for or update your LinkedIn status.

4. Be flexible to taking a position related-to, but not exactly in your career field: Hospitality goes to Theme Parks, Office Building Concierge or Fast Service Food.  Finance / Accounting / Management goes to Federal Government or Non-Profits.

Check out the rest of our posts featuring tips for graduating students here

[Ed. note: This belongs to our series of posts featuring tips for recent grads from LinkedIn users. Bruce Biskin, PhD is a career planning and assessment expert, and senior associate with Delaware Valley Career Solutions. He also co-administers a job/career resource wiki in Bucks County, PA]

It’s almost May and graduation is right around the corner.  A year ago, many college juniors were expecting to be popping the academic bubble and taking the next step toward independence–and some have. But the short-term job outlook is more uncertain for many others and stress-levels are beginning to ratchet up. So what can you do to kick-start your career?  Here are four tips.

1. Remember that jobs are still out there. The “perfect” job rarely is waiting just for you, but good ones are there to be found. Focus less on a particular job or career path and more on your marketable skills. If you are stuck in a rut and need help, check in with the career services center at your college and get help before you graduate. Or hire a professional career counselor or coach to help hone your job search skills and support you through the job search process after you graduate.

2. Keep networking. Use your network to find the best possible job for you. Web-based professional business networks such as LinkedIn are great places to find out about companies, make contacts, ask questions, and get yourself known. [Not a member? Get started at the LinkedIn Grads Guide] But don’t ignore other virtual networks like Facebook and Twitter–just make sure there’s nothing embarrassing or unprofessional there. Let your trusted contacts know you are looking for work. And certainly use family and friends not in your virtual networks. And speaking of family….

3. Use your family network wisely. The boundaries within families are not always seen the same way by students and their parents. The better you know yourself, the easier it will be to draw what you need from your family to continue to grow as a responsible adult. As much as possible, take charge of the process parameters, be willing to negotiate, and avoid being too compliant or defensive. If you and your family collaborate without falling into destructive familial roles, your family can be a great source of support and job possibilities.

4. Consider service options. Non-governmental organizations, some federal and state agencies, federal service programs like AmeriCorps, and the armed forces will be getting direct and indirect economic stimulus support in the next fiscal year. If you consider continuing your education later, you can earn support for graduate school and possibly forgiveness on some educational loans through AmeriCorps and military service programs. You can also learn transferable job skills that should make you a more attractive job candidate when your service is completed.

Check out the rest of of our posts featuring tips for graduating students here

[Ed. note: This belongs to a series of contributing guest author posts from LinkedIn users. Heather R. Huhman is the entry-level career columnist for Examiner.com, career expert for the Careerealism Twitter Advice Project, job search expert for Campus Calm and author of the e-book “Gen Y Meets the Workforce: Launching Your Career During Economic Uncertainty"]

For every open position, employers receive hundreds—and in some cases, thousands—of applications. As a result, they search for any and every possible way to narrow down the selection. “Cookie cutter” cover letter? In the trash. Only one previous internship when the position requires “one to three”? Moved to the bottom of the stack. Typo? You can forget about it.

You get the idea. So, how can you make your application materials stand out?

1. Proofread, proofread and then proofread again. It’s not enough to just spell everything correctly and use proper punctuation. You also have to make sure you haven’t left in another organization’s information from a previous cover letter. Have a friend or parent review every document before you hit “send.”

2. Find an insider. Do you have a contact at the organization and didn’t know it? Perhaps a friend of a friend works there. Anytime you have someone who can either personally hand your résumé to the hiring manager or allow you to use his or her name in your cover letter (first paragraph—right up front), you have a leg-up over your competition. Using LinkedIn’s company search or advanced people search is a great way to figure this out. Other options include Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites you frequent. You’d be surprised at the depth and breadth of your network, and there’s nothing better than having someone the organization knows and trusts, recommend you.

3. Determine the hiring manager’s name and contact information. Nothing’s less exciting than reading a “Dear Sir or Madam” cover letter. You’re boring from the start, and probably already have found your way into the “circular file.” You have a number of options here. First, again, is checking LinkedIn and other social networking sites. Second, you can call and politely ask the receptionist for this information. Do not, particularly if the job ad says no calls, ask to speak with the hiring manager—just get his or her name, title and if they’ll provide it, direct e-mail address. Finally, conduct a Boolean search in Google. Using the organization’s name and a combination of either “hiring,” “employment” and/or “jobs” will likely give you a name and title.

4. Go beyond the organization’s Web site. Whether you’re in the application stage or you’ve been invited to interview, it’s important to know as much as possible about the organization. The corporate web site or blog will likely be helpful, but you shouldn’t stop there. Use Google News to uncover recent articles about the organization and its products, services, leadership and clients. Services like Glassdoor.com can help you determine the organization’s culture. Find out what bloggers are saying about the organization with Technorati. Once you have all this information, you can definitively explain why you are the best person for the job—why you fill a need or solve a problem the organization has.

5. Create an online portfolio. At the end of the day, employers today seek results. So, show them what you’ve done—before they’ve even considered inviting you to interview. On LinkedIn, the SlideShare Presentations, Google Presentation and Box.net Files applications allow you to upload files in various formats. Alternatively, there are numerous other free sites to showcase your work, including VisualCV.

Check out more tips for graduating students here

[Ed. note: Kristen Fischer is the author of Ramen Noodles, Rent and Resumes: An After-College Guide to Life. She works as a copywriter from her home office in New Jersey and writes regularly about what she calls “the after-college” at her blog.]

If you’re a little frightened to enter the working world in today’s economy, you’re not alone—many grads find the financial climate intimidating. But the key to landing a job in these tough times is to press on with your job hunt, and get a little creative, too.

Create a strong marketing platform. Instead of fretting over what’s on CNN, arm yourself with a strong resume. If you’re not getting jobs, the economy isn’t solely to blame. Make sure you’re putting out a strongly written, error-free resume and that you practice interviewing with a friend or family member. Today’s job applicants can’t just present themselves; they have to sell themselves. So dazzle each cover letter and interview with concrete examples of why you are the best person for the job. No experience? Think about transferable skills.

Explore new careers. When job hunting, recent grads need to get over the fantasy of immediately landing their dream job. This is smart advice regardless of the economy. Consider something outside of your major. For example, an English major who wants to be a journalist can apply at newspapers and magazines and consider jobs in copy writing, editing or teaching. With the economy the way it is, sometimes having a job that’s not spot-on is better than having no job at all…just make sure it provides a solid foundation for your career.

Limit job-hunting time. Certainly you should devote time and energy—and use every resource—to get a job. But everyone needs a break. Hunt in spurts and take a rest when need be. And limit your exposure to dismal media reports. Everyone knows the job market is difficult; don’t let the doom-and-gloom news deter you from success!

Read other LinkedIn blog posts featuring tips to grad students here

[Ed. note: This belongs to our series of posts featuring tips for recent grads from LinkedIn users. Kelly Lux is a career development specialist and certified career and transition coach with experience in several areas of the working world including corporate/manufacturing, elementary and higher education, state government and retail.  She currently provides services to alumni and students of Syracuse University with a focus on mentoring, networking and social media, and job search strategies and tools.]

I have recently spent a great deal of time in my office talking to students who are very confused about what their options are after graduation.  The problem is, they are limiting their options before they even get started. Students think that 1) major = job, 2)  job boards = job, and 3)  NYC (or Chicago, LA, you pick) = job.  I’d like to address these three myths.

1) Take a look at the profiles on LinkedIn and see what people really do with their majors.  A quick review of profiles for people in marketing & advertising revealed degrees in creative arts, sociology, business administration, economics and journalism.  Do some searching and see what people with your degree are doing.  Remember that as you search for jobs, the more you open yourself up to possibilities, the more you increase your chances of landing a job you that you really want.  Where might you be able to apply the skills you have learned in college? Where can you combine those skills with your interests?  Answering these questions will help you come up with some options to check out.

2) I can’t tell you the number of students I’ve met with who have told me that they have applied to everything they can find online and they aren’t even getting a response…nothing!  I ask what else they are doing and inevitably they look at me blankly, like there’s something else I should be doing?  Online job boards have done a very good job with their advertising and therefore students think that they are the keeper of all jobs.  Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you can get a job without talking to people (OK, some can, but not many).  The true value of your LinkedIn network is the opportunity to connect with these people offline, live, either on the phone or in person.  Find people who are doing what you want to do and ask them for 5-10 minutes of their time. Search out people in the companies you are interested in and do the same thing.  You will yield much better results than throwing your resume down the black hole of on-line job boards.

3) This is my favorite and probably the hardest thing for students to wrap their heads around. THERE ARE JOBS OUTSIDE THE TOP FIVE CITIES IN THE COUNTRY!  In fact, there are good jobs in places like Austin, TX, Kansas City, MO and Salt Lake City, UT. Consider checking out a place other than where millions of other students are heading to at the same time you are, especially now when the big cities have been hardest hit by layoffs, increasing your competition exponentially.

Try to look at your job search as a treasure hunt, where you have to dig to find clues to the best route to take. Keep a vision of where you want to end up and don’t worry so much about the exact steps you will have to take to get there.  Just keep in mind that your first job after college is not the biggest decision you will ever have to make in your life, it just seems that way.

[Ed. note: This belongs to our series of posts featuring tips for recent grads from LinkedIn users. Dr. Susan Bernstein is an expert on career reinvention and renewal. As the founder of Work from Within , she helps high-achieving professionals to get clear and confident about their career direction through her speaking, writing, and coaching.]

One of the best pieces of career advice I ever received was, “Stop looking for a job. Start looking to meet people.”

During my first year in the MBA program at UC Berkeley, I was at an informal “consumption function,” our ritual Friday afternoon drinking in the courtyard. I met the wife of one of my classmates and discovered that we shared an interest in applying technology to human resources issues. She told me that her group at Intel wanted to assess different technologies, but no one had the time for such analytical work. I suggested an approach to the research, and she said, “Hey, maybe we could make this your summer internship!” I was thrilled. All of Intel’s posted summer internships were in the finance function, so I hadn’t even considered applying to the company. I’d uncovered an unforeseen positive opportunity.

If you’d like to uncover unforeseen positive opportunities for your career, here are some suggestions:

1. Take LinkedIn beyond just an online tool. Set up phone and in-person meetings with people who can be helpful to you. First, do some detailed keyword searches (for example, “HR” and “technology”) and then narrow your results by geography so you find people within reasonable driving distance from your zip code. Then, find those who are most helpful and send them requests to meet for informal phone and in-person (even better) meetings. Tell them about what you share in common and ask if they would be interested in sharing ideas so you make it mutual.

2. Additionally, look at the “Groups and Associations” on the profiles of people you’d like to meet. Find the local chapters of those organizations and attend their meetings, so you get face-to-face contact with real-life people who can talk to you about their work, the industry, the trends, and so on. See and hear and shake hands with actual people, especially in informal settings, so you can share a smile, build trust, and learn things you’d never find out by simply sitting at your computer. I also suggest using Meetup.com and Twitter to find other venues to meet people.

3. Get curious. Instead of asking people, “Do you have a job for me?” ask them “What’s the biggest problem you or your company is facing?” That’s how you start to uncover problems that you might be able to solve. Then you can offer to work on a project that leads to full-time employment. With some people you might not find a problem you can solve for their organization. Still, you’ll learn more about what’s happening in the world. Look for patterns and trends, and envision where your expertise could be useful.

4. Leverage your new contacts. For each new person you meet, ask, “Can you please suggest at least two other people I who could be helpful to me?” Because most people want to be helpful, they almost will almost always share at least one additional contact. Keep following the trail of others who share your interest.

5. Stay in touch. After you meet these people, send a personal note of thanks and personalize a note that invites them to join your LinkedIn network. Post updates on LinkedIn about your discoveries, including links to people you’ve met, companies you’ve discovered, or new products or services you find along the way. Your new (and old) contacts will be able to see your updates and it gives them a reason to stay in touch. And of course, when you land a project or job, send out a big note of thanks and an update on your coordinates to the people who have been helpful to you.

Even today, while I’m self-employed, I still make it a point to meet at least one new person a week — usually in person, but sometimes by phone. I simply follow my curiosity or my need to learn or discover something new. Over the past five years, I’ve met over 250 new people, many of whom have shared advice, ideas, contacts, and even fantastic friendships. I’m constantly asking about people about the problems they’re facing. The question brings us closer and often opens up opportunities where we both benefit.