LinkedIn: don’t just join. Use it.

I know, you are probably on Facebook. (What do you mean, you aren’t on Facebook: the world’s biggest reunion party?)  And I know, Facebook seems more fun than LinkedIn.

But LinkedIn is an incredible app you should not only use, but maximize for professional networking success.

I first learned about LinkedIn back in 2003 at a networking seminar run by Dan Williams of The Networking Community.  I joined, but few other people I knew had joined.  So I was only able to link to a few people.  With a LinkedIn network of fewer than 20 people, I didn’t see the utility of the app, and stopped using it.

My mistake, and I’m now playing catch-up.  Over the past two months, I have grown my LinkedIn network from 44 contacts to over 100, simply by searching for former classmates (LinkedIn makes this very easy) and asking my Facebook friends to link to me.  Some of my contacts have over 500 LinkedIn contacts – they have done a better job than I have of using the program.  Again, I’m playing catch-up.

Why bother with this app?  First, it’s an easy way to keep track of people.  So many of our contacts switch jobs, move, change e-mail addresses… By linking to them, you automatically have access to their current information.  I wish this had existed when I was in the management training program at First Virginia Bank.  People were just starting to get personal e-mail accounts back then, and there was no automated way to keep track of people.  (We all had Rolodexes on our desks – remember those?)  There were 70 new trainees per year, and we all networked through Team FVB, the young managers association.  It could have been fertile ground for a career-long network.  But everyone went their separate ways, and for the most part, we lost track of each other.  This wouldn’t have happened had there been LinkedIn (provided, of course, that we used it).

LinkedIn functions as an online networking database.  You can mine it for information, surf it to find more of your contacts, and network for new opportunities. 

How much of the profile should I fill in? 

All of it.  Get out your updated resume (you have one, right?  one you maintain regularly in case an amazing opportunity comes up?).  Use it to fill in the Summary, Specialties, Experience and Education.  Don’t just list the names of the companies, go ahead and put in your bulleted accomplishments.  Other people are receiving job inquiries, business opportunities and more from people networking through LinkedIn.  Don’t let them have all the fun!

Should I include a photo? 

If you want to increase your contacts, you should.  When I am searching for former classmates or colleagues, it helps when I can see someone’s photo and confirm that I am contacting the right person.  Your photo should clearly show your face, and be as professional as possible.  This is not the place for an artful shot of your foot hanging out of a car window.

What is a L.I.O.N.?

The acronym stands for LinkedIn Open Networker.  This means the person is open to linking to anyone/everyone, even if there is no prior connection.  This really goes against the purpose of LinkedIn, which is to provide online links between people who actually know each other. 

Who should I invite to be a part of my network?

Anyone you actually know: colleagues, former colleagues, former classmates, anyone you know from activities, your friends and family.  Anyone you would consider to be a part of your network can and should be a part of your LinkedIn network.  LinkedIn makes it easy to add contacts by allowing you to upload your e-mail addresses or Outlook contact list and to search via classmate lists.

Tell me again why I should spend time on this.

1. The best time to network is before you actually need to network.  Get your contacts in place now and begin the process of reconnecting.  People are more receptive when you aren’t asking for a favor.  Then when the time comes and you need an answer, a contact, or a job, you will already have your infrastructure in place.

2. The job search landscape has changed in the past few years.  While recruiters are still networking face-to-face, they are also surfing and searching LinkedIn for prospects.  By making your profile complete and public, you essentially show them your resume.  If you are a fit, they can work to make a quick placement – which is a win for both of you. 

3. Check out About.com’s guide to job searching for LinkedIn success stories.

What else should I know?

Ask and give recommendations.  LinkedIn recommendations  provide a way to capture positive feedback for future job references.  This can be hard to reconstruct years later, so it is helpful to document it at the time. 

Here is my LinkedIn profile.  If you know me, please link to me once you’ve set up your profile. 

What has your experience been with LinkedIn?

Using a Headhunter vs Mailing Resumes vs Networking into the Company

The Jobs Guy blogged today about mailing out resumes on your own vs using a headhunter and asked which people have found to be most effective.

I thought “Who the hell mails out stacks of resumes?”  I calmly responded that Option C: Networking was the way to go. 

Here is my response:

People need to remember that headhunters work for companies, not for job seekers. Headhunters may interact with you, but they get paid by the companies. If they have an exclusive with the company, then you can only go with them, but otherwise, you are better off submitting on your own.
If a company has two equal candidates, one coming in independently, and the other via a headhunter who will charge 20% of the first year’s salary, who do you think will get the offer?
Job seekers get frustrated with scattershot resume submission because they don’t see the results.
The number one key to getting the interview is neither sending out resumes blindly nor contacting a headhunter. It is networking. Period.
I have a client who got a hot job at a huge company (not publicly traded). Through networking, he had his resume hand-delivered to the hiring manager by a VP. Started the job a few weeks later.

What do you think?