I had a great set of conversations last night and the topic of LinkedIn and questions regarding it's benefits came up. I am convinced that everyone today needs it. Consider it your rolodex (some younger folks may not know what that is). It will house your contacts beyond your next job/company. Why is that important? Because you will most likely need to tap into those contacts in the future, the next time you are laid off or decide to leave a job. It makes sense to start building and nurturing your network today for your use in the future.
But, you say, I am not career-minded, I just work to pay the bills. You too can benefit from using LinkedIn to keep in contact with vendors, suppliers, old co-workers, new co-workers, people you meet networking. The value to you is that it allows you to effortlessly stay "top of mind" with all these people you know by simply updating your status! Wouldn't you look like the company hero if you could find a lower cost solution? By asking for advice or information within your LinkedIn network, that could happen.
I've been searching for free/low cost space for a new training program and I've looked for connections to space within my LinkedIn network. Sadly, this has not yet helped, however, my next step will be to post a discussion in some of the local groups I belong to on LinkedIn asking for their advice on sourcing space and share this question with some of my contacts on LinkedIn too. (I'll let you know if this is fruitful).
Whether you are an active career enthusiast or a job seeker, you owe it to yourself to make sure your LinkedIn profile is up to snuff. I viewed part of Jason Alba's dvd on LinkedIn and found it to be of great help. You can also view his blog where he frequently critiques LinkedIn profiles (such as this post). You can also read his LinkedIn blog. In case you don't know Jason, he wrote one of the first books on using LinkedIn.
Billy, thanks so much for your endorsement of how crucial this tool is, especially in job search.
I don't think the employed worker sees it as critical in many industries, think manufacturing, non-profit, maybe banking, and others where relationships outside of your company aren't as valued.
Aside from legally requiring someone to create an account, there may not be much we can do.
But what you can do each time you attend an event or network with someone who isn't on LinkedIn is tell them how powerful it can be to those who are employed. Check out Jason Alba's blog, I bet he's got a great article you could forward after your meeting with the non-LinkedIn contact. The sad thing is that you can only convince those people who are open to the idea. Much like every other aspect of our lives, don't waste time trying to drag the reluctant, move on to the rest who might be. (Quite philosophic if I do say so myself...)
I'll check some of my research and see if I can find anything. It will be a great posting topic. Thanks a million!
Posted by: Career Sherpa | July 17, 2009 at 07:54 PM
Amen Hannah,
I'm surprised many more people don't utilize LinkedIn. I happen to be in the job search category and find this Social Media site to be essential. I use the site for all the reasons you mentioned and also for motivation. When I feel I've exhausted my search, my LinkedIn connections through there status open 3 4 5 different opportunities I haven't thought of before. Unfortunately my previous employers do not use LinkedIn and can't get recomendations. Do you have any advice for this?
Great post thanks
--Billy
Posted by: Bill Griffin | July 17, 2009 at 05:31 PM