Are you Linkedin?

Keeping up with the latest gizmo, gadget, pick up line, catch phrase, or internet sensation is hard work!  If you’re old like me (read: somewhat past my prime) you may even question the relevance of spending time keeping up with the latest this or that when it’ll be gone by the time you brag to your friends about being hip enough to know about it.

You probably have a Facebook page.  They’re so mainstream now even my “I can’t figure out how to work it” mom has a Facebook page!  You probably have email and the majority of US households have personal computers, or several.  You may even have a smart phone.  But….are you Linkedin?

Tip of the Day

A Linkedin profile is an absolute necessity for job seekers!

If you’ve never heard of Linkedin before, it’s like Facebook but used only for your professional contacts.  In a nutshell, you build a professional profile which closely resembles your resume and then search out “contacts”.  Contacts are people that you have worked for, or with, in the course of your career.   You can also gain contacts by networking, volunteering, or mentoring.  Once you have them, you can then ask your contacts for recommendations. (which are similar to but are, by far, more effective than professional references.)  You can also find jobs and post updates like promotions, job changes, certifications / degrees achieved, or new skills acquired.

The most important function of Linkedin, however, it that it gives you

the ability to efficiently research not only the companies that you’re interested in working for….

but the decision makers that already work there!

These days employers put up virtual or literal barriers to keep job seekers from knowing who they are because HR departments and recruiters don’t want to be inundated with phone calls and emails.  The most common way for companies to do this is to place “blind” ads in newspapers or craigslist.  And even if you do know who the hiring company is it is also quite common for companies to force job seekers to “apply online” via their website.  This process is tedious and often takes hours!  Both methods are impersonal and frustrating for those of us that seek to stand out in the literal crowd of applicants.

So….how DO you stand out in a literal crowd of applicants?

Go to Linkedin.com and do your research!  Who is the manager for the department that you’re applying for?  Who is the human resource manager?  How many of their employers are on Linkedin?  Do you know anyone who already works there?  Do you have any contact in common with someone who works there?  Or better yet…do you have a Linkedin recommendation from a contact who is also a contact with the hiring manager at the company you’re applying for?

A few weeks ago I wrote a Pulitzer prize winning cover letter to the new V.P. of a retirement community management company I was applying for.  I mentioned the growth of their industry and how interested I was in applying my specific skill set to addressing their challenges.  My professional mentor, who had given me a Linkedin recommendation, was also a contact with the V.P. I had addressed the cover letter to; and I included a short excerpt from it into the cover letter itself.

After I dropped off the cover letter and resume (I did NOT mail it, a process which is also referred to as “cold calling”) my mentor then called the V.P. to mention my interest in the position and emphasize how well suited I was for his company’s needs.

Unfortunately, the position that I applied was put on hold and the company is no longer hiring.  (crappy luck, if there ever was any!) If and when they re-open the position, however, the V.P. told my mentor that I’ll be the first person they call!

I may not have a job (yet) but I KNOW that I’m on the right track and that employers appreciate candidates who go the extra mile, do their homework, and stand out.

You don’t need stilettos to stand above the crowd (see my previous blog post “What NOT to Wear”) or facial piercings to get noticed!  Using online tools like Linkedin to do your research and gain valuable professional connections will go a loooooong ways in landing you your next perfect job!