Thursday, February 07, 2013
Networking Tips for Linkedin
Online social networking sites such as Facebook, Blogger and other blogging venues, and Linkedin have revolutionized the way we connect, stay connected, and reconnect with colleagues, family, friends, co-workers, clients, and acquaintances. Now, more than ever, we are able to maintain to some degree many more relationships that normally would be incredibly difficult to continue given the nature of our busy personal and professional lives.
The most popular business-oriented social networking site was launched in May of 2003 and currently has more than 200 million users, LinkedIn's virtual population is larger than the entire country of Brazil. Nearly 60 million users alone reside in the U.S. 39% of members are in hiring roles and listed as managers, directors, owners, chief officers, and vice presidents. It’s essential to take this form of career networking seriously and to use it to your own advantage.
Jason Alba, Founder of Jibber Jobber and the author of I’m on Linkedin – Now What?? provides excellent guidelines for maintaining professionalism while using LinkedIn to network with others throughout the job search process and beyond.
Complete your profile and make it professional. Your profile represents you and the work you do to not only those you know,, but also those you’ve never met before and these people just might hire you. Therefore, it’s important to complete and personalize your profile and keep it up to date. It’s a really nice touch to add a professional picture and complete as many of the settings as possible. Be sure to personalize you’re the public profile feature. This is the function that gives you a personalized Linkedin URL that you can add to your resume.
Use the privacy settings wisely. Be conscientious about the information you share publicly. You may want to allow general information be seen in the public setting in case a potential hiring manager views your page, however, it’s advisable that you not share everything publicly.
Invite and accept invitations from people you know. You’re sharing quite a bit of information about yourself and others you know. Be sure to invite only those you trust will not use exploit this information.
Keep it personal. When you invite someone to connect using Linkedin, avoid the generic introduction and customize it somehow. If needed, remind the person how you know each other. Personalize it even more by asking relevant questions such as, “Are you still planning to run a marathon?” that indicate your interest in them and their goals.
State your intentions. Don’t be shy about telling your connections why you’re inviting them into your circle. If you’re looking for a job, tell them, and spell out clearly what you are looking for and how you think they may be able to assist you.
Have an attitude of gratitude. Express your thanks for assistance in the past and willingness to help you out now. Send a formal thank you note in the mail, give them a call, taken them to lunch, or send flowers. Do whatever you can do to make sure they know you appreciate them and their help.
Reciprocate the favor. If someone has helped you in the past or present, do what you can to help them in their career path by sharing contacts and resources you know of that may be helpful to them
Nurture and grow your network. Don’t be afraid to invite contacts who’ve never used Linkedin before, but be sure to explain to them what it is and how it will benefit them when send you the invitation. Don’t just use Linkedin to reconnect with colleagues and for job search purposes. Nurture these relationships by continuing your connections via phone, email, and lunch.
Share and share a like. I’ve encountered a few individuals hide their connections. While I can understand that they may not want potential references to be tapped without their knowledge during a job search, it seems rude to me to connect with others for their connections but not to share their connections. The purpose of using Linkedin is to connect, if you are unwilling to share your connections, don’t invite or accept invitations. If you feel that it’s really important to hide your connections during the job search process, do it for a short time.
Know thyself. Linkedin users vary on their comfort levels of friendship and acquaintanceship. Some users only invite people they know really well and some will connect with just about anybody. While it’s best to connect with those you trust will use your information and contacts tactfully, assess yourself first to determine your intentions for Linkedin. If you are in a serious job searching mode, you may need to push yourself to expand your networking efforts beyond your typical comfort range. However, if you find yourself inviting everyone under the sun to join your network just because it makes you feel popular. Check in with yourself to determine your actual intentions of use and comfort level with the individuals you’ve invited in or intend to invite.
Do it the old fashioned way. When you wish to communicate with someone through one of your contacts, avoid using the Linkedin function for this. It’s more professional and efficient to call or email the person you know directly and ask for an introduction than go through Linkedin. It adds both a personal and professional touch and is quicker because Linkedin users often don’t keep up with their Linkedin accounts on a daily or even weekly basis.
Don’t forget the strength of weak ties. In 1973, sociologist Mark Granovetter coined the term “The Strength of Weak Ties”. Basically, this means that in the networking world, our first ring of contacts rarely help us find new job opportunities because they tend to have the same information and resources that we do, however, it’s the second, third, and beyond ring of contacts, the contacts who know your contacts, that can be rich with untapped information, resources, and job leads. In this sense, it’s important to tap into these rings of contacts that are not as close as first ring contacts, even if it means you’re stretching beyond your typical comfort zone.
Get to know the people who know people. In his book, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, Malcolm Gladwell describes people who have special gifts that can be of great assistance to those of us in the job search process. Connectors is the term Gladwell uses for people who have a special knack for bringing people together. These are the folks who tend to quickly accumulate hundreds of contacts and thrive on knowing as many people as they can. They love knowing how people know each other through different connections. Mavens are individuals who love to collect knowledge and tend to have the inside scoop about marketplace trends and job opportunities long before the rest of the marketplace. Identifying and connecting with Connectors and Mavens can simplify and shorten your job search process and they usually enjoy sharing connections and information.
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