Author Topic: Using Linkedin to get a new job.  (Read 6023 times)

wealthviahealth

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Using Linkedin to get a new job.
« on: March 27, 2015, 04:21:43 PM »
Have any of you used linkedin to both find and "network" your way in to a new job.
I haven't used linkedin for this purpose yet so I am not sure on what is deemed proper etiquette for reaching out to people
you dont know yet.

Seems like it could be a good tool for getting on a company's radar prior to submitting a resume/ the formal application process.

What has worked for you?

GueroKC

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Re: Using Linkedin to get a new job.
« Reply #1 on: March 27, 2015, 05:17:12 PM »
I think it really depends on your field. I have known friends who have found jobs via LinkedIn, but all of them were in software except one (she was in publishing and it was an executive level position).

As a software dev, I get multiple messages from recruiters per day. I've had friends in less in-demand fields that have more lackluster results.

Spork

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Re: Using Linkedin to get a new job.
« Reply #2 on: March 27, 2015, 05:31:52 PM »

I'm old.  Even being a bit of a curmudgeon, because I'm old I have lots of contacts.   I have successfully used this to find jobs for others -- in other words: to match one of my contacts to another.  I haven't used it successfully to find myself a job.  (The only time I have tried, I had moved geographic areas and didn't have any contacts, so it was of little use.)

I have zero linked in contacts that I don't know personally and I have never used linked in to reach out to someone I didn't already know.  I have gotten a ton of (what I'd call) spam and/or link requests from folks I don't know and I just silently delete them.

I tend to think of linked in as a business-world mechanism to keep in touch with contacts.  If I can't recommend them (or they me) I would think the etiquette would be to not contact them via this mechanism.  I know others probably don't have such a strict networking rules.

mozar

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Re: Using Linkedin to get a new job.
« Reply #3 on: March 27, 2015, 06:09:18 PM »

I sometimes get requests from people who went to the same school I did. They want me to put them in contact with the hiring manager at my job. Unfortunately if you are looking for jobs my hiring manager probably has already seen your resume and isn't interested. I use linked in so that recruiters can contact me. When recruiters ask me if I know anybody who is looking they mean they want someone with the same or better credentials, and those people have no interest in leaving their job, or are in contact with their own recruiters. You could try finding the company's recruiter through linked in and try to connect with them. Some recruiters list jobs on their page.

Melody

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Re: Using Linkedin to get a new job.
« Reply #4 on: March 27, 2015, 06:24:13 PM »
I'm like spork, I use my network to keep in touch with people from my old job. I am planning to tap my network to see if I can line something up in a new geographic location (I have few people I used to work with/for who are influential in the business communities of places I want to work. I get a lot of requests from recruiters but don't accept them unless the recruiter sends a message. If they have explained their value proposition, and I think we could be helpful to one another then I will offer to meet up with them...
For randoms I send a polite message explaining that I only have people I have met personally in my network. If the person looks like they might actually be a useful professional connection, they get the same message with an invite for coffee. I work in a field where there are very few people doing exactly what I do (a highly specialised type of accounting) so I actually am interested in meeting those people and exchanging ides.

Ynari

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Re: Using Linkedin to get a new job.
« Reply #5 on: March 28, 2015, 12:52:49 AM »
Unfortunately if you are looking for jobs my hiring manager probably has already seen your resume and isn't interested.

This is what gets to me so much when people recommend job hunting on LinkedIn! It really doesn't seem like a useful tool for entry level or otherwise inexperienced hires. It probably works differently for those with in-demand experience, though.

I spoke with a career counselor at my school and she recommended using the alumni tool to find graduates in my field. But 1. My school doesn't have a lot of graduates in my field, 2. you have to have a "premium" account to see most people's names if you don't have a lot of contacts in the first place, and 3. most alums aren't in a position where they can influence the hiring decisions enough to matter, and the most they can do is say "Have you applied to the listing on our website?"

BlueHouse

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Re: Using Linkedin to get a new job.
« Reply #6 on: March 28, 2015, 03:59:39 AM »
I use it to keep in touch with business contacts that aren't close enough friends to keep in my social contact list. I also keep my resume somewhat updated on it. I'm an independent contractor and I've landed two side gigs without looking or trying and I've referred countless people for great opportunities that I cannot pursue. 
I also don't accept invitations from people unless they are in my direct line of work. There is no value to try to make a lot of connections and I won't link to anyone who has more than 500 connections. 
My house painter wanted to link to me. Why? No idea   Not useful, but I will link with people in my field whom I've not met yet. I've also had people approach me at conferences who recognize me from my pic on linked in.
One of the most useful features of linked in for me is the groups. I belong to one which is the biggest source of industry information and all the biggest players are on that group. I also started and am owner of three groups, each dedicated to a specific but popular software product used in our field. I just called them user groups and make them open to anyone.  At one point, one of the companies whose product is used hired a "social media" marketer and I reached out to her and made her an administrator of the group. It actually lent me more credibility. I'm pretty sure my name comes up in search results because I "run" these linked in groups. I do zero to participate in them. I also have a linked in group that I astarted as a study group for a certification in my field. anytime someone is searching for that particular certification, my results are returned as "owner" of the group.
I don't find work through recruiters though. I find work from line managers who have to fill a contract, usually quickly. Both of the jobs I've won from linked in were based on keyword searches and the fact that I run the certification study group.

Edit: tl;dr:  my lesson is this:  as with anything else, create some value, even if negligible, and then others will find value in you. Good luck
« Last Edit: March 28, 2015, 04:01:59 AM by BlueHouse »

couponvan

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Re: Using Linkedin to get a new job.
« Reply #7 on: March 28, 2015, 07:10:44 AM »
I used it to find my current job.  I took 5 years off raising kiddos, but am in a special area of accounting.  When I wanted to start back part time, I looked for local job postings (we moved across country) and saw one I thought was perfect only full time. Before submitting anything on line to the company I used LinkedIn via a connection I knew who had a link to the company I was interested in. I ended up with 2 job offers in 2011 off one resume because the connection also shared it within their company.  (I was extremely lucky.)

This year, I paid the favor forward and helped a LinkedIn connection with gaps in their resume get hired. They never would have made it past step one without the direct handoff to the decision maker.

nienajadly

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Re: Using Linkedin to get a new job.
« Reply #8 on: March 28, 2015, 07:24:27 AM »
In any networking situation, you never want to first meet someone and then "hey, can you give me a job?"  I read an article once that explained that networking is about relationships.  Relationships are not about what you can do for me but about learning about each other and helping one another if we can. 

I do contact people at times that I've never met IF we have something in common (a person, a credential, etc) or if they are at a place in their career I'd like to eventually get to.  I always include this information when I contact them and I find that most people are willing to accept and be helpful if they can (especially if it's an easy thing - information, advice, etc.).  That being said, I try to offer information to my contacts if I see something they might find interesting or useful. 

I also use LinkedIn to get background on people I've just met through my new company.  We're a HUGE company and I work remotely so many of the people I talk with I never meet in person, just over the phone.  As I come across new people through work that I connect with or will continue to work with quite a bit, I check on LinkedIn to see if they're on and then try to connect there also.

If I did need to find another position, I would tap my networking contacts but only ones I had an actual relationship with.  I actually had a new network contact (without me asking) think of me for a part-time coding instructor position for another contact he knew.  I had contacted him through LinkedIn because he was a professor at a local college that teaches medical coding and is also a speaker at various events.  These are things I'd love to do eventually and it is really interesting to meet someone local who already does it.  I went on the interview but it didn't work out (too much on my plate right now).  The other contact and I now know each other and agreed that if the situation changes, it would be a terrific benefit to both of us.  I never would have encountered these people except for LinkedIn even though we live in a 20 mile radius of each other.


Daleth

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Re: Using Linkedin to get a new job.
« Reply #9 on: March 28, 2015, 07:37:48 AM »
I think it really depends on your field. I have known friends who have found jobs via LinkedIn, but all of them were in software except one (she was in publishing and it was an executive level position).

As a software dev, I get multiple messages from recruiters per day. I've had friends in less in-demand fields that have more lackluster results.

I know a lawyer who got an in-house counsel job on LinkedIn.

Joel

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Re: Using Linkedin to get a new job.
« Reply #10 on: March 28, 2015, 09:20:52 AM »
LinkedIn is critical in the accounting industry. I'm involved with recruiting and there's events where I may meet 50 students, when the kid emails me to follow up after, you can bet I search LinkedIn hoping to remember what they look like.

For an experience professional, it is how recruiters reach out. At this point in my career, I usually get multiple inquires a week, and several colleagues have been successful one they were ready to look for a new position.

Like someone said though, I think it depends on the industry.

neo von retorch

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Re: Using Linkedin to get a new job.
« Reply #11 on: March 28, 2015, 09:27:37 AM »
I've gotten most of my last several jobs through LinkedIn, though in some cases, I reached out. There were a couple companies that interested me, and I'd follow the owner, connecting on LinkedIn, following their Twitter, liking the company page on Facebook, and it worked. The owner himself met up with me and set the interview process in motion (note: this happened multiple times). That being said, I'm a certain kind of software developer that is in high demand, so your mileage would vary. Each of my more recent positions on LinkedIn have little essays talking about my experiences and accomplishments while I worked at those companies. Alternatively, of course, I get lots of contact from recruiters (that found me on LinkedIn), but I found my current job through one, and I love this job, so that can be a good thing!

wealthviahealth

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Re: Using Linkedin to get a new job.
« Reply #12 on: March 28, 2015, 04:33:30 PM »
Would it be viewed as weird to reach out to a higher up at a company/ division I am interested in and express interest in learning more about their
corporate culture/ experience at the company? Essentially expressing interest and getting on their radar without asking for them to help me/ look at my resume or anything like that.
More so a "soft" ask or inquiry to open the lines of communication.


 

mozar

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Re: Using Linkedin to get a new job.
« Reply #13 on: March 28, 2015, 05:42:51 PM »
If there is a way to contact them without asking them to become a connection, maybe.

Genevieve

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Re: Using Linkedin to get a new job.
« Reply #14 on: March 29, 2015, 02:02:37 PM »
My husband used LinkedIn to get his job (post Ph.D., so no contacts) in a different field. He used LinkedIn, alumni networking, his personal contacts, and Googling as a way to identify people to ask for informational interviews.

There's a right and a wrong way to do informational interviews. Do NOT ask for a job. Ask to learn about the company/job. Make sure to do your research ahead of time so you don't ask stupid questions. If you can, give back in some way. I have experience with writing/marketing, so I always offer to look something over if they want it.

Sometimes people will offer to pass your resume along. In my husband's case, most people get jobs in the industry through outside recruiting or campus recruiting, so his opportunity came when someone passed his name along to a good recruiter. Sometimes recruiters can be a total waste of time. In his industry, it's not.

I am restarting my own job search and I'm following a similar method of networking.