Social Networks

by Mark Andre

Social networking on sites such as Facebook and MySpace can provide job search information--after all, having a network of friends and acquaintances online can only help put you in touch with someone who might be looking for your particular skills and pedigree.

There is a particularly effective site called LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/) that offers at least six helpful methods toward finding a great next job:

1. Business-oriented social networking (what one first thinks of) –lets you build a network online. You post your profile (basically it looks like your resume), and invite your business acquaintances to link with you. LinkedIn uses the paradigm from the six degrees of separation theory and allows you to see the profile information of the people with whom you are directly linked. You can also see the profiles of those linked to your links, and the third-level of separation too. In that way, the network of people, friends of friends of your friends, with whom you can interact grows large indeed.
2. While the official advice from LinkedIn is to link with, and accept links from, only those with whom you have an existing relationship and trust, there is good reason to step outside that boundary at times. After all, it does take people we don’t know to bring new opportunities. There are some “ueber-networkers” who have built up massive networks; if you link to one of these super-connected types (for example, Mike O’Neil of Integrated Alliances in Denver), your own network, by extension, grows by leaps and bounds. A number of recruiters on LinkedIn accept links freely, as it benefits them to have as many direct contacts as possible.
3. Recruiting: As mentioned, recruiters join LinkedIn for the access they get to the motivated early-adopters who have made the site a success. When they search to fill a position, they can scan the profiles of anyone in their network for the particular combination of skills required.
4. Company research: After your network has grown beyond more than a handful of links, you’ll be able to search on nearly any company name and find someone who was either (a) employed there currently, or (b) formerly employed there. In some cases, you can find the person who last held the position you want to apply for. LinkedIn gives you two means to contact these people with questions--either you can ask your intermediary links to make an introduction, or you can send a message to them directly. You get five of the latter messages with a basic account on LinkedIn, and have to cough up some cash to buy more after those are used up. Yes, LinkedIn is free for the basics, but they do offer a few levels of premium membership that provide extras (good for someone in recruiting or in sales).
5. Job board: LinkedIn has its own job listings. There are positions on LinkedIn posted directly by the hiring manager (who would be a LinkenIn member), and these may be exclusive to LinkedIn.
6. LinkedIn Q/A: Members pose questions to the LinkedIn membership about a number of business/technology topics. If you provide an answer that is voted “best” then you earn the designation as having expertise in that area. This can help you stand out to recruiters, and besides, it’s a great ego boost.
7. Groups: There are a growing number of groups for those with shared backgrounds and interests: professions, conferences, non-profits, global workers, networking itself, and company and university alumni. Joining up with these groups allows you to find people you have something in common with and with whom you can subsequently network and link.

It is free to sign up at LinkedIn, and it takes thirty minutes or less to get your profile organized. Adding recommendations from people you’ve worked with rounds out your profile. Tweaking your profile and adding to your connections is a work-in-progress, of course. It’s an organic process, building a network, just as it is in the real world. But with LinkedIn it goes a good bit faster, and it is surprising how far and wide your reach will extend after just a few months climbing the networking curve.