Social Networking:Using LinkedIn for Your Job Search

UJA Federation of NY’s Connect to CareMid-Island Y JCC, Plainview, NY

Tom LassandroNovember 17, 2009

About Me

• Marketing Strategist, Tactician, Manager, Mentor, Student• 20+ years in entrepreneurial, SMB, and enterprise B2B

Technology companies• Expertise in developing and executing go-to-market, lead

generation, and marketing/sales enablement strategies• Competencies – Research, Product Strategy, Program

Development, Sales/Marketing Operations, Channel Management, Online/Off-line Integration

• MENG Member• Contact Info:

– TMLassandro@msn.com– http://www.linkedin.com/in/tmlassandro– http://twitter.com/TMLassandro

Many Types of Networks

• Road — Gets you from one place to another • Computer — Get information from one place to another • People — Open up opportunities from one person to

another

What is a Social Network or Social Networking?

“Online communities of people who share interests and/or activities, or who are interested in exploring

the interests and activities of others.”

Why Social Networking?

• Increasing use of social media to grow your network • Nurture relationships• Strengthen your Personal Brand• Business opportunities• Organizational development• And “Yes” … Get a Job

You Can’t Be Everywhere and Everything to Everyone

Pick Your Networks

What is LinkedIn?

• World’s largest professional network– 50+ million users: 50% US, est. 12% senior-level– Represents 150 industries around the world… and growing fast

• Free w/ options to upgrade• Helps the exchange knowledge, ideas, and opportunities with “trusted”

contacts– Control your professional brand

• Showcase skills & talents• Searchable - so right opportunities & people are found & find you

– Network and reconnect• Past colleagues, business partners, and classmates• Tap into the knowledge, experience, and connections of these networks

– Share your knowledge and expertise• Share and exchange business information online• Ask a question / Answer a questions• Receive opportunities

Ten Ways to Use LinkedIn*

Business Development (1/2007)• Increase your visibility• Improve your connectability• Improve your Google PageRank(?)• Enhance your search engine results• Perform blind, “reverse,” and company

reference checks• Increase the relevancy of your job

search• Make your interview go smoother• Gauge the health of a company• Gauge the health of an industry• Track startups

To Find A Job (4/2009)• Get the word out• Get LinkedIn recommendations from

your colleagues• Find out where people with your

backgrounds are working• Find out where people at a company

came from• Find out where people from a company

go next• Check if a company is still hiring• Get to the hiring manager• Get to the right HR person• Find out the secret job requirements• Find startups to join• Build your network before you need it

*Guy Kawasaki

LinkedIn’s Value Proposition(63 Degrees of Separation)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myGxNhGO4x0

Home Page

1. Navigation/Search2. Summary3. Inbox4. Network Updates

– Your Status– Status Updates– Recommendations– Group Updates (Joined)– Connections Updates (New)

5. Group Updates (not shown)– Discussions– Comments

6. Just joined LinkedIn (not shown)7. People you may know8. Viewers9. Apps10. Events11. Answers (not shown)12. Jobs (not shown)

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The LinkedIn Profile

1. Headline– “Brand” Positioning– Increase odds of

being found2. Snapshot of back-

ground & expertise3. Commitment level;

Quality vs. Quantity4. Tell A Story5. Key “Searchable”

Phrases4.

5.

LinkedIn Profile - Experience

1. Online Resume– Tell A Story– Key “Searchable” Phrases

2. Recommendations– Getting

• Request through LinkedIn • Ask outside of LinkedIn• Give recommendations

– Giving• Specific and professionally

value-add• Do not expect reciprocity• Be honest and genuine

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Best Practices – LinkedIn Groups

• Establish new relationships by joining industry, professional, alumni, and other relevant groups

• Strengthens and extends your existing network of trusted contacts

• Connect & share common experience, passions, interests, et al.

• Additional resource - linkedingroupsdirectory.com/

• Top 24 for Job Search*A Job Needed - A Job PostedAbout.com Job Search and CareersCareer Change CentralCareer Rocketeer / Career Launch NetworkCleanTechies Around The WorldConsultants NetworkCorporate Recruiters. #1 Group for Corporate Recruiters.E-Recruitment Group (Post Jobs/Resumes)Executive SuiteFinancial Services Career CenterIndeed.comJibberJobber.comJob Interview MasteryJob Openings, Job Leads and Job Connections!Job SearchJobAngelsJobsDirectUSALinking The LaidOffLooking for a job?MBA Highway MBA & Recruiter NetworkRenewables Job MarketResumeMaker Career NetworkStar:Candidate for HireThe Talent Buzz

*Susan Ireland's Job Lounge

Best Practices - Connecting/Communicating

• Send InMail– Private message– Paid feature

• Get introduced...– Message to Introduction– Message to Connection– Interests?

• Add… to your network– Colleague– Classmate– We’ve done business together– Friend– Other– I don’t know “x”

• Forward profile

Best Practices – People/Job Search

• Search by keywords, location, name, job title, company/tenure, school, industry, groups, network, experience, function– Target companies– Competitors of target companies– Be creative – associations,

schools, bad spellings, etc.– Boolean queries

• LinkedIn is partnered with SimplyHired

• Leverage contacts to find recruiting/hiring manager

Answers

• Enhance your personal brand

• Gain key insights• Nurture

relationships• Develop an

Answers strategy

Companies• Profile• Specialties• By Connection

– Current Employees– New Hires– Popular Profiles

• Related Companies• Key Statistics

– Top Locations– Headquarters Information– Headquarters – Industry– Type – Company Size– Website– Common Job Titles– Top Schools– Median Age– Gender

Applications

Personal Brand Collaboration Key Insights Presentation

Events Amazon Reading List

Blog Link

Box.net Company Buzz Google Presentations Huddle Workspaces Slideshare Trip It Wordpress

Social Networking & Security

• Raises potential for abuse—State of Internet Security, Websense– Dynamic nature of content– Ability to create and post content– Trust

• Effective use of Internet Security Options (i.e. anti-spam, anti-spyware, ant-virus, and firewall protection)

• Greater corporate presence social-networking– Evaluate risk vs. reward– Rules of Conduct– Social Media/Networking Policy Guides

Connecting on LinkedIn

• “Know,” “Trust” & “Nurture”• How are you going to grow your network?• What type of relationships?• Start somewhere!• Easy to disconnect

When?

• How much time to spend on this?– 2 minutes a week, or– 2 hours a week, or– 2 days a week, or– All the time (wrong answer)

• It depends on YOU and your NEEDS

Why Social Networking/LinkedIn?

• Grow your network • Nurture relationships• Strengthen your Personal Brand• Business opportunities• Organizational development• And “Yes” … Get a Job

Resources• 7 Secrets to Getting Your Next Job Using Social Media (Dan Schawbel,

http://mashable.com)• How to Change the World by GuyKawasaki - http://blog.guykawasaki.com/

– Jobs.alltop.com– Linkedin.alltop.com

• Jason Alba, Author– Netshare Experts Connections “LinkedIn & Facebook Essentials for Executives: Using Both

Platforms as Professional Networking Tools,” 3/2009– I’m on LinkedIn – Now What???– I’m on Facebook – Now What???– JibberJobber.com

• The Internet Strategist from Inc.com, Maisha Walker• Twitter for Business, Twitter• Other

– Groundswell - Charlene Li & Josh Bernoff– Never Eat Alone, Who’s Got Your Back – Keith Ferazzi– The CEO of Me – Tom Peters– The Long Tail - Chris Anderson– We Got Fired - Harvey Mackay

Other Types of Social Media/Social Tools/Content Sharing Sites

• News Alerts – Google, Yahoo• Webinars• Podcasts – iTunes• Events - MeetUp.Com• Website/Blog (Yourname.com)• Job Search – ResumeBucket, VisualCV

About the Presenter

Tom Lassandro is a multi-disciplined marketing executive with 20-plus year’s marketing—product, channel, and operations—experience. His expertise is in creating and executing B2B go-to-market and communications strategies that raise awareness, increase lead generation, and sales acceleration. He has built collaborative relationships and driven revenue and profits for technology start-ups, mid-level, and Fortune 500 organizations.

TMLassandro@msn.comhttp://www.linkedin.com/in/tmlassandrohttp://twitter.com/TMLassandro

Presentation will be available on LinkedIn (Slideshare) and sent via e-mail on request