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Guide to Using LinkedIn for Job Search
The world of job hunting is changing dramatically right now, primarily because of social media. If you haven't been paying attention to social media, and particularly to LinkedIn, you have some catching up to do. You cannot afford to ignore LinkedIn today.
I find many job seekers confusing the intelligent use of social media with a loss of privacy. This is a serious mistake.
An "invisible" job seeker today is one often viewed by recruiters and potential employers with some suspicion because it is rare these days and often it is not a good sign: are you out of touch, behind the times, or using a false name?
In addition, you can be mistaken for someone else with the same name who has done something bad that is visible when a recruiter or potential employer researches your name online. [See Online Reputation Management and Tough Job Search articles for the reasons and steps you can take to manage potential negatives.]
People often reveal far to much in sites like Facebook and Twitter. It is even possible with LinkedIn if you try hard enough, getting carried away with the fun of meeting new people, sharing, and making jokes.
But, LinkedIn is the most "grown-up" of the social media network venues currently available. It is also the most private. Yes, you can still shoot yourself in the foot, but it is more difficult to do with LinkedIn.
And LinkedIn is the most popular site for recruiters by far, as the data below reveals.
According to a 2012 survey by JobVite.com, which provides recruiting tools for many large and small employers, the use of social media for recruiting has been expanding, and the trend is expected to continue:
- Only 14% NEVER review a candidate's social media profile while 48% ALWAYS check the profile.
- 92% of employers planned to leverage the social networks for recruiting, with LinkedIn leading the pack and obviously the majority using more than one of the social networks:
- 93% are using LinkedIn
- 66% are using Facebook
- 54% are using Twitter
- 73% have hired through social media.
- 89% have hired through LinkedIn. (see chart below)
- 49% saw an increase in the quality of hires through social media.
So, investing time in learning how to leverage social media for your job search, and to leverage LinkedIn in particular will be time well spent for you.
Do remember that social networks are only another method for people to connect. You will need more than a LinkedIn Profile. You will need to participate intelligently and carefully to establish a business-like online presence for yourself. Then you'll need to connect with other human beings, off-line, usually to close the deal and land the job.
As with all the social media, technology and the best methods of leveraging technology change often. This section of Job-Hunt will help you stay current with LinkedIn. Be sure to check the other sections of Job-Hunt dealing with social media (on the right) and the rest of Job-Hunt to stay up to date with everything that is going on.
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