This is another phase in the evolution of online job search, and, if you were paying attention, you knew it was coming. It has arrived!
Candidate “Sourcing”
Monday, I took “social media sourcing” class. ”Sourcing” is a phrase that’s been using in the online recruiting world for a few years. Basically, it means searching for good job candidates using many different tactics, rather than posting jobs. Sourcing as a recruiting speciality developed for 2 simple reasons:
(1) The deluge of unqualified applicants in responce to online job postings, and
(2) A widely-held belief in the employment world that “passive” (i.e. employed) candidates are much better hires than “active” (i.e. unemployed or employed but job hunting) candidates.
Best Job Posting Solution: LinkedIn Groups
What was most remarkable about the class was the bottom-line recommendation that the BEST place to post a job is NOW through LinkedIn Groups. It’s free for employers and recruiters, and it’s very effective (which probably means it won’t be free for long).
This doesn’t mean that the job boards are dead. It just means that you really can’t stop your job search with the job boards, and that wasn’t a smart strategy in the past, either. But, now, only using the job boards is a recipe for failure.
Post your privacy-protected resume on the usual suspects: Monster, CareerBuilder, HotJobs, and appropriate niche boards. Recruiters, employers, and (BEWARE!) scammers will find your resume and contact you. Just be sure to protect your privacy so you protect your identity, family, and job (if you are employed).
Joining a LinkedIn Group
Go to your LinkedIn account (if you don’t have one, start it NOW!).
Near the top of the navigation on the left, below the “Home” link and above the “Profile” link, you should see a “Group” link. Click on that link and you’ll come to the Groups homepage where you can search for individual Groups to join. Pick the ones which would have the most interesting people and information in them, and ask to join.
LinkedIn will allow you to join up to 50 Groups.
Most Group owners will want to review your request before approving it, so you may have to wait a few days before you’ll have access to all the Groups you want. Recommendation: don’t apply for any that you don’t qualify for – it just annoys people and probably builds bad karma.
Finding the Jobs
Once you’ve successfully joined a Group, go to the Group page where you will find many useful sections:
- Jobs -
Click on the “Jobs” tab to find job postings, but don’t be discouraged if you don’t see any there. - More Jobs -
Click on the “Discussions” tab on the Group page to see what people are saying. Often, jobs will be posted in this section, usually as a Discussion. - Who’s Who -
To the far right on the Group’s page, on the same line as the tabs, you’ll find a link to “Group Profile.” Clicking on this will reveal how many people belong to the group (remember that biggest isn’t always best), who owns it, and also your 1st, 2nd, (etc.) Connections within the Group.
For More Information
For more information on leveraging LinkedIn, visit Job-Hunt’s Social Media and Job Search section.
Good luck with your job search!
(c) Copyright 2009. Job-Hunt.org All rights reserved.
About the author…
Online job search expert Susan P. Joyce has been observing the online job search world and teaching online job search skills since 1995. Susan is a two-time layoff “graduate” who has worked in human resources at Harvard University and in a compensation consulting firm. In 1998, her company, NETability, Inc. purchased Job-Hunt.org, and Susan has been editor and publisher of Job-Hunt since then. Follow Susan on Twitter @JobHuntOrg.
Email This Post
Loading ...
If you already have a job and a LinkedIn account, check your Settings or be careful about which LinkedIn Groups you join – in most cases, joining a group will appear in your contacts’ “Network Updates”. So if you’re linked to your boss and join the “Job Seeker’s Network” Group today, it may show up in their network updates tomorrow. (Hint: when joining a group, you can opt out of having it display on your profile.)
Good point, NiceGuyTed!
If you didn’t take care of that issue when you joined the group, you can remove a Group from your Profile at any time later.
Go to the Group home page (when you are logged in to your account), and:
1. Click on the “More” tab, which is to the right of the “Jobs” and “SubGroups” tab, on the right end.
2. Select “Settings” from the drop-down menu.
3. In the “Visibility Settings” at the top of that page, click in the checkbox for “Display the group logo on my profile.”
That should uncheck the the box and remove that Group from your visible Profile.
Thanks for the great info. I learned a few things about LinkedIn that I didn’t know.