Worksearch guide to Linkedin

Social networking be it LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and so on has been considered a force to be reckoned with in Business Development, Marketing, Sales and of course Worksearch. In one sense it all depends on how you enter the arena, you may hear a lot of talk about Facebook and Twitter and feel I must get in on the act. A random person you meet sends you an invite to join, hence a little weariness. Or you decide to jump on the band wagon and use these tools to your advantage, fully committed from the outset.

Using social networking sites allows you to leverage all the other activities you are using in worksearch, sites such as Linkedin allow you search contacts in companies and industry sectors. It also allows people find out a little bit about you. It is now considered the norm, before an interview or meeting that either person will use search techniques to find out a little more about the person they are meeting.

Here are my top tips for using LinkedIn in Worksearch

So what is Linkedin -according to their website

"LinkedIn is an interconnected network of experienced professionals from around the world, representing 170 industries and 200 countries. You can find, be introduced to, and collaborate with qualified professionals that you need to work with to accomplish your goals."

* LinkedIn has over 48 million members in over 200 countries and territories around the world.
* A new member joins LinkedIn approximately every second, and about half of our members are outside the U.S.
* Executives from all Fortune 500 companies are LinkedIn members.

1) Build your profile - take your time and complete to 100%, think of this as your online CV. Use a good quality professional photo. If you are in worksearch, state this as your current position, who you are, what you do, how well you do it. Use your story telling skills in the summary, not bullet points.
2) Use the status update often - let people know what you are doing and who you would like to talk to, this can save a lot of shoe leather and shaking hands at networking events
3) Build quality contacts - the search function can help you locate people you shared schools, clubs, universities and companies with. I found someone who was a couple of years ahead and we have connected and helped each other out. Remember your search can be confined to "Ireland" only.
4) Do something to warrant a recommendation, don't just ask randomly of your contacts
5) Be a Groupie - online networking groups relevant to your industry or if you are looking into new sectors provide insight into who is credible, what are the key talking points and may allow you to share your expertise
6) Keywords - make sure your profile contains the key search words for your type of work
7) It's not about you - invite, connect, follow up, stay in touch, introduce, answer questions, give, give, give

On a personal note, I have set about building a profile online, blogging, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to start with, one word of caution. Just like a shark, you need to keep moving, content (air in the sharks case) is key to keeping things alive.