So I'm one of those codgers that sometimes has to be dragged kicking and screaming into social networking. Inevitably, I always give in, and it is a very short period of time before I recognize the inherent value in said software. Myspace was a great tool for my band. It also gave me my first blogging platform. Facebook was more fun and felt more close-knit than the friend-request happy nature of Myspace tended to be. In addition, on Facebook, I wasn't getting spammed five times a day by a concert promoter whose show was bombing and felt by plastering a 72 DPI poster on my page I might buy a ticket.
I heard a couple of months ago before this whole ordeal about LinkedIn. I saw it on one of those daytime tv shows I had happened to catch on a day off. In most cases, if daytime TV offers you helpful job advice, you've got some serious introspection to do. Most TV job hunting tips advocate sage advice such as "prepare for an interview" and "dress for the job" and "proofread your resume." Still, I kept hearing more and more htings about this LinkedIn thing, so I decided to give it a try.
After dinking around with LinkedIn, I didn't find it to be particularly easy to operate, the interface unattractive, and questionable in its point to existence. After five minutes of playing on Myspace or Facebook, you get what its all about. At that point you decide whether or not it's your thing. I filled my LinkedIn profile to about half completion -- being employed at the time I didn't have much motivation to do more.
Well, most 2009 job hunting advice I had been reading all but put a megaphone in my face and said "you need to check out this LinkedIn thing." I finally got my profile put together with a new photo. I recalibrated by summary and work experience to be a little more targeted and focused on the work that I would like to be doing in the future.
But most importantly, I got the point. I still don't think LinkedIn does a great job communicating that point. Most people hear the word Networking and think of a $5 word that involves awkward conferences where you wear a stickum name tag on your shirt and engage in superficial operation. If you don't know, LinkedIn basically is a way to help you develop an "in" at another company. Whether you need that in for sales, job hunting, or any other business to business function, it's a way of leveraging your own network of contacts into gaining more contacts into businesses you wish to explore.
As this job search is going to place an emphasis on working for a good company and less on job responsibilities, which is a change from previous job searches, LinkedIn is probably a little more useful tool. I'm one recommendation away from that 100% completed profile, which promises me 40 times more visibility than, well, something. Once I reach that, which I hope to by tomorrow, I will attempt to report on whether LinkedIn's claim has any veracity.
1 hour mowing lawn (and fixing lawnmower -grrr)
1 hour reading on-line LinkedIn articles
1 hour reading Careerchange articles
Set up appointment with recruiter friend at end of week to discuss career options
1.5 hour auditing LinkedIn profile
2 hours researching career opportunities with plans to apply tomorrow.
.5 hour resetting Careerbuilder, Monster, and Hotjobs profile
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I was searching for some reference about this particular topic, glad that I found your article in google. Great insight.
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