February 04, 2009
Using LinkedIn to Find a Job
In a recession, it’s almost foolish not to use every tool at your disposal to job hunt. On weapon that many people don’t use — or don’t use effectively, is the social-networking site LinkedIn, writes Guy Kawasaki on his blog, How to Change the World.
At the top of Mr. Kawasaki’s 10 tips: “Get the word out.” Change your “status updates” on LinkedIn to show that you’re in the hunt, he says.
Then ask friends and colleagues to write you recommendations. “A strong recommendation from your manager highlights your strengths and shows that you were a valued employee,” writes Mr. Kawasaki. “This is especially helpful if you were recently laid off, and there is no better time to ask for this than when your manager is feeling bad because she laid you off.”
He advises using the site’s advanced search function to find companies where people with your skills and background are working. Investigate people’s career paths as well, he says.
Be sure you search and find the correct hiring manager, ideally through someone who knows him or her. But if that’s not possible, says Mr. Kawasaki, you can still use LinkedIn to locate someone in the company who could walk your resume to the correct human-resources person.
Among his other tips: “Build your network before you need it.” No matter how confident you feel in your job, he says, having a strong network is a good form of job security.
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