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LinkedIn is now considered one of the best online tools to assist your job search, thanks to its user-friendliness and the amount of information job hunters have access to. LinkedIn is the best of both worlds, as it gives you access to both job listings and people that can help you find a position. Some do’s and don’ts that will make your use of LinkedIn more productive include:
- Do be careful with friend requests. Although you have a 50-50 chance of being successful with a request to someone you don’t know at a company you are interested in, it is better to get an introduction from someone they know.
“If I’m trying to meet someone new, if I don’t have my own connection with them, I don’t send them a friend request, but I’ll ask for an introduction through someone that I know,” said Kevin Nichols, President and CEO of KLN Publishing. “That way I am basing my potential connection with someone on a connection that I already have.”
- Don’t use the status update function to talk about your personal life.
- Do complete your profile. This makes it easier for employers to find you and will eventually allow you to nix your regular resume entirely.
“I treat LinkedIn as my resume,” said David Peck, Social Media Strategist at LSF Interactive. “I don’t have a paper resume anymore, I send a link to my LinkedIn profile.”
- Do use the Q&A section. LinkedIn’s Q&A section is a good place to get the information that you need, as well as establish yourself as an expert by answering other people’s questions. This can go a long way toward your branding efforts and the word will get out that you are the go-to person for information that people need in your area of expertise.
- Don’t forget to have real-world interactions with your connections.
“When you meet someone through an introduction online, the onus is on both of you to build a relationship through face-to-face or phone meetings,” said Nichols. “Ultimately, you may need to refer someone to that person, or vice-versa, and you want to be able to say with confidence that you’ve had a positive interaction with this contact.”
Part One: Why social networking is an important tool for effective job hunting
Part Two: How Facebook can help job seekers find employment
Part Four: Tweet, tweet: How to incorporate Twitter into your job search
Poll: Which social networking tool is most useful for job hunting?
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