If you are out on the job market and badly in need of a job, it’s very important for you to use every advantage you have. Letting potential employers out there know that you exist and that you have a set of skills at your disposal is extremely vital. It’s as important as going for an interview because let’s face it, if these possible employers do not know about you, you are not going to get hired, period.
There are a number of ways to go about this procedure of letting others know of yourself. You could stick to the traditional way of going to job interviews or you could print a million copies of your resume and send these out to possible companies that might want to hire you. You could even post an ad in the paper informing people of your abilities and educational attainment. All of these methods are fine and dandy but in this modern age, one of the best ways to get a job and get it quick is to use the Internet.
There are a variety of paths open to you along this highway, there are the many sometimes schemy job boards, chatty trade publications, and of course the sometimes humorous craigslist. You can also add your network of friends on Facebook to that list but one avenue that offers a unique way of getting employed is LinkedIn. Our focus for today will be how to maximize your chances of getting hired by knowing how to maximize this surprisingly simple yet powerful system of connections called LinkedIn.
You mentioned that LinkedIn is a simple system of connections. Is LinkedIn as simple as that?
LinkedIn is indeed a simple system of connections. To put it simply, it is you, the job seeker, linked to your friends who in turn might possibly be connected to the person who would want to hire you or who might have another friend who would be interested. So this system is a powerful tool and this complex maze of individuals and connections located in and around the world might be your best break yet. Knowing how to get connected to that particular individual can prove to be a career in itself, IF you don’t know how to go about it.
Knowing how LinkedIn works is by far the best method to finding what could possibly be your dream job and this should be your first and top priority when you start using LinkedIn. To add to this, LinkedIn is comprised of about thirty-five million registered members. This number is made up of some of the most successful men on the planet and they freely divulge what they do, what they have done in the past and where they are located at present. So LinkedIn is not simply contained by the phrase ‘a simple system of connections’.
Tell your network about it and if they could find it in themselves to be sympathetic and get the word out for you, then this is all the better.
Experts in LinkedIn say that the best way to find employment is to tell your network and get the word out that you are in search of a position. Looking for a job should not be an embarrassment and the more people know about your need the better. If you can request those in your network to further spread the word out of your job search, then all the better. The more people know, the better your chances will be of soon finding employment.
Give a clear description of your skills. Firemen put out fires while farmers do the farming.
Remember to brush up your profile. I’d hate for you to be passed over for a possible interview just because you neglected to state all the relevant information that could have made you the best candidate in a whole group of job seekers.
Ask your network of individuals to give you a recommendation.
A strong recommendation is a compelling thing on any application. You should try to get one from your manager even if you’re getting laid off and if you were the manager and you’re getting laid off, it would be wise to get recommendations from those who worked under you. This will give your application credibility and so make it more attractive.
Find someone on the inside. Nothing beats beating all the bureaucratic barriers that could stand in the way of a perfect job.
If you’re able to reach someone on the inside of a company that might possibly have that dream position of yours, then do so. The search engine of LinkedIn allows you to search out any type of job you want and when the results come up, closely check the results that are no more than two degrees away from you. This second degree connection could be the sweet spot you’ve been looking for because it means that you know someone who knows that specific person who posted the job. This is the best possible position you would want to be in. Asking your friend to be introduced would be the next logical step and the individual who posted the job will be expected to be very receptive as there is an unwritten recommendation in that introduction.
Get those lifesavers ready before the ship starts sinking.
One of the best advice anyone can give you is to prepare for the worst and the way this recession is going, you can’t be more prepared. So start building your network of connections before the worst happens! Don’t wait for the bottom of the bucket to fall off before making these vital connections that could eventually mean job safety for you.
Use LinkedIn right and you’ll be sure to find the best position for yourself. Just don’t forget to follow these basic steps to getting there and when you do, don’t forget to share these steps to someone else who might be in some dire straights.
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