5 Tips for Using LinkedIn During Your Job Search

by Maureen Nelson, M.A., GCDF, CPRW

Don’t overlook the role that LinkedIn can play in your job search! Here are five tips for maximizing your use of LinkedIn.

1. Follow a company. You’ll get updates on who in your network moved where. While it's interesting to see the "New Hires", more important is where they came from, as these might point toward openings at their old company. A company's "Recent Departures" list also lets you know of openings.

2. Mine new contacts for even newer ones. When someone connects with you, look through his or her list of contacts. View the profiles of those that intrigue you, and reach out to a few. Personalize your message, with starters like these:

• “I see you also have Cool Careers for Dummies on your reading list – isn't it a great resource?”
• “I see we have eight shared connections. We must move in the same circles. Let's make it easier and link directly.”
• “I see we both attended Chaminade University in Hawaii. Let's link, since we're both alumni.”
  LinkedIn allows people to put up so much content – including groups, reading lists, blogs, and Twitter streams – that it's easy to find a common reason to connect.

3. Connect with highly visible people. Search terms like "speaker," "author," "trainer," or "expert." These people often have thousands of connections. When you find one in your field (or a related one), search for him or her on the web to find something he or she has written, and send a thoughtful comment. If you get a good response, follow up with an invitation to connect, but don't pester the person if he or she ignores you. These well-connected types are very busy people, so make sure to respect their time.

4. Connect to "interesting" people. Search on an unusual interest of yours to see who else has it. You might get ideas about career direction, or a contact might give you a job lead. Imagine you're a medical assistant who likes dancing. A search on "flamenco dancer" brought up this title for one person: "Medical Doctor, Wellness Expert, International Speaker, Life Coach, Author, & Flamenco Dancer." You could reach out to say, "Wow, another person in health care who loves flamenco!" It's a long shot, but life is made up of such coincidences.

5. Leverage weak links. I once got an interview by sending a message through LinkedIn to one of my contacts, with whom I was only loosely connected. Not only was she someone I'd never personally met, but I'd turned her down for an interview! (I got a job offer elsewhere.) A year after our initial connection, I was job searching again, and noticed she was connected to someone I was targeting. It was gutsy of me to do, but I felt I had nothing to lose, so I contacted her. She forwarded my resume, and I got the interview.

Final Thoughts
These strategic tips should help you expand your reach on LinkedIn. But don't wait until you're a job seeker to make connections. It’s important to nurture your network before you need it. And remember, always follow up and thank people for connecting!

Maureen Nelson is the Oakland PIC’s manager of adult career services. This article is copyrighted by Quintessential Careers. Read the original article at http://www.quintcareers.com/LinkedIn_job-search_tips.html. Reprinted by permission.