Category Archives: Networking

Job Search, Networking

Using LinkedIn to find a job

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I’ve mentioned a couple of times now (see this post and this one) and its a really great tool not only to keep in touch with old work colleagues and keep apprised of whats going on in your industry but also to find a job.  LinkedIn’s job search should complement whatever you are currently doing to find a role via other online tools.

The greatest advantage and feature of LinkedIn (aside from the fact that some hiring managers use it exclusively so this is the only place you would be able to find that specific job) is the fact that you can get your existing colleagues and friends to act as your references and based on your “links” to the job/company in question there is quite a good chance that you can be recommended for the role by someone already working in the company.

In the current market, any advertised job posting can generate hundreds (if not thousands) of applications from potential candidates.  By using LinkedIn however you are able to get a referral from someone that already works in the company and this could possibly make a huge difference to your chances.  LinkedIn takes the traditional formula of networking and modernizes it in a perfect manner.  Keep in mind that studies have shown that 60-80% of all jobs are sourced purely through word of mouth – with that being said, having a way to make yourself visible to a larger market is bound to improve your hiring potential.

Step by Step –
  • Log in to LinkedIn and create an account.  Upload your CV/Resume and indicate all the companies and roles you’ve had in the past.  Find all the contacts in your previous roles and add them to your network (sorry, went through this really fast, but I will go through this in greater detail in future posts).
  • Now that you have a network in place, you can start searching for jobs that are close to you.
  1. Click on Jobs -> Find Jobs
  2. Click on Advanced search (under the Search Button)
  3. Fill in the fields on the next screen but make sure that you sort by Relationship
  4. On the next screen, you will be presented with a list of relevant jobs based on the criteria you have selected previously.  Underneath each role, however, is the phrase “See people in your network who can help you get this job”.  Click on this link and you will see people that are currently in the company that is hiring for that role.  Each layer of your network is given a number so if you see a “1” for any of these names then that means this is someone you know and have in your direct network.  A “2” would be someone that knows someone that you know – that is, you share a common contact.  Each subsequent number indicates a person that is that much further away from you.  Remember, with the LinkedIn search you can actually search for a specific company or a specific region to narrow down your search even further and you can even filter by the relationship.
  5. Once you have found someone that can help you, the next step is initiating contact.  If they are in your direct network that’s fairly easy as its a simple email from within LinkedIn.  If however they are removed from your direct network by one or two steps, you would need to get a referral from someone that you know.  LinkedIn

makes this easy also however as they give you a list of people in common that you share and you simply have to ask someone you know to refer your application onwards.

  • Once you have established contact with the person inside the company that has the job, its a simple matter to get additional details of the role, the name of the hiring manager, details about the company etc… With this information in hand, you can then personalize an application for the role and either have your internal contact forward it on for you or have it delivered directly to the hiring manager.  Aside from the fact that your application has been delivered from or via an internal resource, the personalization itself will make your application stand out even more!
Whether or not you are invited to interview for the suitable positions you’ll apply for using this process; your response rate should be higher than if you just apply blindly to a job. Best of luck on your job hunt!
Hiring, Job Boards, Job Search, Networking, Recruiters, Websites

The Job Search

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OK, unfortunately, its that time of year again and you need to get your name out there and start looking for another job.  Now, this might be for any of a variety of reasons and we’re really not going to worry about that here.  What we are going to discuss however is some good tools that you can and should be using to ensure that you are promoting yourself correctly and that you are looking in the right places for your new role.

First Question – what do you do now and are you happy?  

Sorry, I know it seems a little bit redundant, but you need to ask this one as so many people just go from job to job without doing what they enjoy.  Considering you are spending 8+ hours a day there and over 40 hours a week – it really makes sense for you to seriously think this one through.

If you are not happy with your current career – perhaps it is time for a change?  Think about schooling options and time away from the workforce in relation to your bills.  Assuming that you can afford to do it, get the relevant training you need so that you can progress forward in your new chosen career.  Remember for a lot of us, our job is just something we “fell into” after school – more often than not, it has no relation to what you studied, so this is your chance to do it right from an adult point of view!

One thing you should obviously consider is that whatever new career you start, you will be starting at the bottom.  Just keep it in mind and don’t expect to immediately be at the same level you were previously.

Hows your CV/Resume?


Make sure you have a professional looking version of your CV available.  There are many free templates available on the Microsoft Website itself that are a good starting point if you have not built anything at all yet.  Here are some links to some good ones – but check the site itself for even more:
Now if you recall in a previous post, I mentioned the fact that when first creating your resume do not worry about page length.  The most important thing is content and information.  You want to think about having a “master” version of your CV that you can tailor specifically for the job that you are applying for.  So your master version could be 10 pages in length, but the tailored version once you’ve gotten rid of the jobs/roles that are not relevant and shrunk down the wording and font would be 2 (or 3) pages.


Advertise yourself – 

OK, so assuming you’re happy with your chosen career and you have an appropriately formatted CV to show the world, you need to get your name out there.  There are probably three main ways to do this and to be honest they are all somewhat interrelated.
Job Search, Hiring & Firing


Networking

Even though job search networking is one of the most successful ways to find a new job, it can sound intimidating and sometimes seems a little bit scary. It doesn’t have to be.  At least 60% – some report even higher statistics – of all jobs are found by networking.

The thing you have to keep uppermost in your mind is that your Job Search IS a job!!  You need to treat it as such and ensure that you assign some time to do it right.


Develop contacts – friends, family, neighbors, college alumni, people in associations – anyone who might help generate information and job leads – although you are not selling a product, you are selling yourself and that’s how you should think about it..  Contact everyone you know. You may be surprised by the people they know.   Make yourself pick up the phone and call.  Networking isn’t a process of making cold-calls to people you don’t know. It’s talking to people you do know or asking them to introduce you to others.

Email is a perfectly acceptable way to network as well.  Keep your message brief and to the point and be sure to check your spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Formal networking works too – try going to a business social or an association meeting or event.  You’ll find that many of the participants have the same goals you do and will be glad to exchange business cards.


 Job Board

Now there are lots of different Job Boards that you can find and use.  One of the most popular ones of course if Monster.  In addition to Monster, you will find many that are specific to your country or region and I will try to cover most of the bigger ones for the US/UK and Canada over the coming months and years.  However, another International tool that is definitely worth looking into – especially as it ties into the Networking topic mentioned above is called LinkedIn.


This site is different as it is very similar to social networking sites like Facebook and others, but it is professional in nature.  Your work friends and colleagues will be your networking contacts here and these are also the same people that through their own network will assist in getting you a new job.
The main reason that companies are using LinkedIn is to find passive job candidates. Another reason why companies are using LinkedIn, is because referrals from their employees are highly valued because they typically have a higher success rate (hence the popular “employee referral bonuses”). LinkedIn helps companies leverage the networks of their employees.

 

It’s also important to note that LinkedIn has reached a point where it’s almost unprofessional not to be on LinkedIn. There are members from all 500 of the Fortune 500 companies. LinkedIn members comprise 130 different industries and include 130,000 recruiters.

Recruiters

Your third option in your Job Search is Recruitment firms … now, don’t think of this as your last option as they should not be … they are simply another arrow in your quiver and should be used in conjunction with the other two methods already mentioned.


Try to ensure that you target recruitment firms in your chosen sector vs. general recruiters as the specialists are most likely to have an opening in an area that you are interested in.  I’ll try to cover some of the better/bigger ones in the next little while, however finding a recruitment firm is probably best done through Google and other search engines.