Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

How important is LinkedIn for your job hunt?

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LinkedIn.Chocolates.4278432941_5cb085182e_mDo you have to be on LinkedIn? What do you need to know about this network? These were some questions a reporter asked me, so I thought I’d share the answers with you.
1) So the main thing is the LinkedIn myth. Everyone is on it; everyone says you HAVE to be on it. But why? Should you view LI as a visibility tool? A networking tool? A place to find jobs? All of the above? Or does it depend on your status? Let’s put it in perspective.
If you are serious about your professional, digital footprint (what people will find out about you when they Google your name), you should have a LinkedIn profile. Creating an optimized profile (completely filled in and focused on describing exactly what you offer) will help people find you when they search online because LinkedIn is optimized for search.LinkedIn is all of the above…Statistic show that over 90% of recruiters are using it to source hires. LinkedIn users post jobs, and when you view the descriptions, you can see who posted it and how you are connected to that person or organization via LinkedIn. You can also see how many people have applied for the job via LinkedIn. These tools make it useful as a job search/applying for jobs tool. Many companies will allow you to apply for jobs using a one-click option where you use you LinkedIn profile instead of filling out an application. For these reasons, it’s a good idea to have a profile for job search.LinkedIn is a networking tool for everyone – even if they are not looking for jobs. It’s a place to connect with and keep track of people you meet and people you worked with in the past. Many people find it’s a good idea to build their online network before they need it, because when they may want to rely on their contacts for advice or information, it’s easy to turn to a well-developed network on LinkedIn.I’ve often written that LinkedIn is important for visibility. The issue of it being optimized for search (meaning LinkedIn delivers information directly to Google) is one reason to use it. Some people have no other professional information about themselves online. That said, it’s important to also consider building a more robust online profile and not to rely ONLY on LinkedIn.People should consider having their own, professional website (a social resume) and also use other online tools to help build a robust digital footprint (such as Twitter, Google+ and Facebook).Finally, people can use LinkedIn to demonstrate their expertise. For example, in Groups, people can connect and share their expertise, as well as via updates. When you update your status, you let your network know what you’re thinking about and you can share news and useful information.

2) Obviously, joining any social network isn’t enough. Then you have to know the system, the ins and outs that will give you the professional visibility you want. What are three smart things most people may not realize about how to leverage LI for their goals.

Don’t just “set it and forget it.” Update your status and search other people’s status via LinkedIn’s Signal (under the news tab). You can find a lot of interesting information when you look to see what people are posting and sharing — and people can find what you share, too.

Be sure to include keywords in your profile and in your titles. Think about what words people will use to search for someone like you and add those to your titles, your headline and your descriptions.

A network isn’t useful unless you use it. Join a few strong, useful groups. (Evaluate groups by scrolling down and looking at the “insightful statistics on this group” link.) Choose active groups comprised of the demographics you want to know.

Keep track of how many people are viewing your profile and ask people who do view your profile to connect or otherwise follow up. For example, “I noticed you visited my LinkedIn profile. I hope you agree we have a lot of professional interests in common, and I was wondering if you’d be willing to connect online, and possibly set up a quick introductory phone call to see if there are ways we may be able to help each other.”

3. With everyone trying to Link to you, whom should you accept? Only people in your field? Or maybe it doesn’t matter–since the more connections you have, the more synchronicity there is?

This is a matter of opinion. Some believe you should connect with everyone. Others say “only people you know in person.” Others go with “only if there is a reason.” There are reasons to have a large network, as it puts you in contact with more people and you will access more information as a result of that larger network. Personally, if someone asks for a connection and tells me why we should connect, I generally accept. For example, “I read your blog and enjoy your books. Can we connect?” I don’t personally accept every random invitation, especially the ones that seem to be spam.

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