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Check out my new website for The Imagemakers, Ink! LLC. We provide comprehensive career transition services from resume writing, developing marketing materials and search strategies to coaching on social media, interviewing and negotiation techniques.
Linda Lupatkin, Career Counselor, Coach and Consultant
Last week the University of Colorado announced it would be closing its School of Journalism. Among the reasons cited by board members, the rapidly changing technological landscape, a dynamic media marketplace and the Journalism School’s failure to adapt. In other words, the program is no longer relevant in today’s market.
This begs the question, are you relevant? Are you embracing today’s technology and harnessing its power both on the job and if you’re in the midst of a career transition. If you’re not, you’re missing the boat.
There’s a world of opportunity and it’s just a mouse click away. Every day I talk to clients who fail to comprehend the incredibly useful tools that are available to them on the Web. I have to educate and advocate on the usefulness of the Internet and in particular social media. Tools like LinkedIn, Twitter and Google alerts can dramatically reduce the time of your job search.
For some, they’ve signed up with LinkedIn, built a profile and then say nothing’s happening. Well, that’s like joining a gym, hopping on the exercise bike and then not pedaling. Just putting your profile on LinkedIn is not enough, the next step is fully utilizing its capability… expanding your network, using advanced searches to find companies in which you’re interested and then reaching out to your contacts to network into those companies.
With Twitter you can follow companies and see if they’re doing something that will create an opportunity for you. For instance, if the company posts that it won a new contract, that means it may be expanding what better reason to reach out to that company, regardless of whether they have posted openings or not.
You can use this same technique by setting up Google alerts using key words and the specific geography you may be interested in targeting. The majority of people land positions by utilizing these creative approaches to mine the unpublished or hidden job market rather than by relying solely on advertised job postings.
The Web is not just about job boards and your job search shouldn’t be either. In today’s competitive market you need to have a comprehensive approach fully utilizing the tools available to you on the Internet. In other words, if you want to succeed in today’s job market, or even in today’s world, you must remain relevant.
–Linda
Linda Lupatkin, Career Counselor, Coach and Consultant
What is LinkedIn and why should you as someone looking for a job be on it? First some background. LinkedIn.com was launched approximately eight years ago, on the fifth of May 2003. As of May, 2010 it had more than 66 million members and has dominated the business social networking arena.
But why should you care? Because it’s a potential database of future employers and future business associates and did I mention, for the base level the membership is free. One of the main benefits of using LinkedIn is to network to new relationships and contacts. It enables you to expand your network exponentially, to find those people that are once or twice removed from you, or for them to find you.
I have a client who was looking for a position as VP Sales. Following my advice, he paid close attention to companies in the news and by doing so he discovered a company that was preparing to launch a new product. (Following a company on Twitter can also be a good source of information, but that’s for another Blog post). My client determined the company could use his sales expertise, plugged the company into the Advanced search on LinkedIn and found he had a connection to the company through one of his own contacts. He arranged for an introduction, set up a meeting and voila, the company created a position for him.
It’s not only a great way to find and get introduced to people as you network for new opportunities, but it’s also a way for the people who do know you and your work to recommend your services. Those endorsements become part of your profile, enabling anyone viewing your profile to see your outstanding recommendations and references.
LinkedIn is very easy to use. First sign up by building your profile using basic info about schools you’ve attended and companies for whom you’ve worked. Not only will this information enable former colleagues to find you, it allows recruiters who mine LinkedIn for candidates to find you as well.
Once you’ve set up your profile invite people you know to connect with you. LinkedIn facilitates this by letting you import your address book. In addition, you can run searches for former colleagues by inputting companies you’ve worked at or schools you’ve attended.
Now that your profile is set up and you’re well connected, use the various tools that LinkedIn offers to gather intelligence. For example, you can follow companies, use the advanced search to get connections into a company or garner more information about the executives and employees at the company. LinkedIn also has a jobs section where you can look for published openings.
You can also join groups and participate in discussions, thus displaying your expertise on pertinent topics. If you want to get really fancy, embed your Twitter or Blog into LinkedIn, but be sure you’re keeping your Tweets and Blog posts professional.
There’s a world of opportunity available and it’s only a click a way. If you’re on the job market, LinkedIn is an essential tool in today’s competitive environment and if you’re not on it you are truly missing out on a worldwide web of opportunity.