Using Linkedin and your job search:

Linkedin is beginning to replace CareerBuilder and Monster. That said, how can you use it to your advantage?

As someone who has spent the last 7+ years as both a recruiter and a career coach, I cannot recommend Linkedin enough. The first thing that I do as a recruiter when I am looking to fill a position is to immediately do a search on Linkedin. There are a few key things that I look for when doing a Linkedin search:

1)   Does the person have a complete profile, including work history and a picture?

2)   Does the person have 1 or more, strong recommendations from reliable Linkedin sources? Having recommendations on Linkedin is essential. If you cannot provide a supervisor reference, at the very least you should have a peer reference.

3)   How hard is it going to be for me to connect with this person,

-       ie. Does this person clearly list their email address on their public Linkedin profile? YES! You can do this by choosing to make your contact information public in your settings or by listing your email address as part of your name on your profile. See my profile on Linkedin as an example.  I recommend listing a personal email address as opposed to a professional email.

-       Is this person connected to 50 groups? If you are connected to groups it is much easier to connect with people then if you are not. Linkedin allows its non-paying members to connect to up to 50 groups. I recommend each person on Linkedin connect to at least 50 groups.

4)   Does this person list at the bottom of their profile that they are interested in “career opportunities” or “job inquiries?” If the person does not list this on their profile, I might be more reticent to approach the person to begin with.

5)    Does this person list their current company? As a last resort, if the person has a complete profile, with recommendations, says they are interested in career opportunities, but they do not list an email, at the very least I can try and reach them at their office if they have their current employer listed.  Some recruiters may abuse this by aggressively trying to recruit someone from their current job. For me, I use their business number to call and network with the person and find out how we can be a resource for one another.

If you are looking to change jobs, and do not already have a Linkedin profile, PLEASE put one together as soon as possible. Many people I know of are landing interviews and job offers due to their Linkedin profiles. If you follow the above recommendations, you will be much more likely to be approached by a hiring company or recruiter regarding your dream job!