A Tip on a Best-Kept LinkedIn Secret: The Benefits of Joining Groups

For those of you who have been beating the bushes and are discouraged because you are seeing the same jobs everywhere you look, if you have not already done so, sign up for as many groups as possible (you can now join 50). LinkedIn now allows "Open Groups" and also offer "SubGroups" that do not count against your total limit of 50. Using Groups may be one of the most critical uses of your time and if done diligently, will be key in your job search efforts.

1) Uncover hidden jobs: Employers and search firms post their jobs free on LinkedIn groups. The competition is lower as many jobs are not widely advertised elsewhere (or at all). This is especially true of contingency search firms who operate on 100% commission and are trying to keep their costs down. LinkedIn or other social networking sites are often the only way to spread the word about open jobs.

2) Access to many more LinkedIn Members: When you join a group, you have the option of de-selecting a box that allows other group members to contact you. Most of those who join groups do not UNclick the box. This has a two-fold benefit:

a) When you do a search by people or company, you can freely send in mails to other group members who have not UNclicked the box. These in mail messages also allow you to write slightly longer messages (as opposed to "Get introduced to others"). In addition, if memory serves, you can only get introduced to up to five new connections at a time.

b) Those in your group show up as 1st degree connections. This may be a flaw on the Linkedin system, but if so, it provides an advantage.

c) It is easier to connect to those already in your group. Carefully do so by referencing that you share a group. Be mindful that it is better to do this after you have shared something in common such as attending a group function or commenting on the same discussion. BEAR IN MIND THAT LINKEDIN ONLY ALLOWS 5 "Don't Knows" BEFORE THEY SANCTION MEMBERS.

d) The more members you are connected with (in your Connections Tally), the more searches you will turn up in. When employers and search firms do searches, in addition to searching on keywords (those in your headline, in particular), since Linkedin only returns 300 searches at a time (unless those searching have a premium membership for which they pay and receive more results), the more people you are connected to, the greater the potential for the results you desire.

3) Some groups offer networking groups (phone or local face-to-face meetings) that may prove to be useful in your job search. At a minimum, you can connect with others who are in transition and make valuable friendships.

4) You can start a discussion and establish visibility and credibility as a subject matter expert.

5) Free Advertising: You can also start a discussion to promote yourself and spotlight some of your key skills. (This can be used IN ADDITION TO your own status update bubble on your profile--another free commercial)

6) If you see a discussion about a job opening, you can reply privately to the employer/search firm that posted it. Even if the job is not ideal, you can leverage the opportunity to introduce yourself for future opportunities. Again - more exposure.

TO JOIN A GROUP:
Click on "Groups," then "Group Directory," then type in relevant keywords to find groups that are geared toward the career you are in, the career that you are hoping to be in or other groups that will provide you with the right networking ideas and/or people. Good luck!

Leveraging Conferences, Trade Shows and Other Job Search Ideas

In this competitive job market, perhaps more than ever before, it's simply good business practice to maintain and build upon your professional network. This sounds like a "no brainer," but many job seekers have been caught off guard now that they are unexpectedly in transition. They have had to jump-start their efforts to build their network and/or reputation in the industry ... sometimes both.

ESPECIALLY if you are not employed, it is a good idea to attend industry conferences and tradeshows, as well as regularly-scheduled industry/organization events. Doing so will not only help your psyche, but will help you keep pace with regulations, competitive offerings, and other market drivers that shape and affect your industry. In addition, such events provide job seekers with an excellent opportunity to remain highly visible and network and promote their capabilities. In fact, many who are in transition are now doing volunteer work at such organizations, which enhances their skills, builds their reputations, and boosts their pipeline of reference sources. In a best-case scenario, it may serve as a stepping stone for the next great job!

In terms of other activities that can help with your job search, check out Linkedin or ask your network of friends and family of they know of someone in the industry who may actually be in a role similar to one that you are ideally seeking. If you cannot find someone in a similar role, identify someone close enough to the job that they have a peripheral understanding. Offer to meet them for coffee. It will be worth the cost of treating them. Each time I've networked for job-related reasons, I've gotten good tidbits of information, even if it did not ultimately lead to a job, itself. I also enjoyed the networking experience and have kept up with many of those I have networked with in the past, and vice versa. In many cases, I've reciprocated over the years. THAT'S what it's all about. I believe you can never know too many people.

In terms of guarding against transitioning into industries that may be a "fad," I also think that using the Bureau of Labor Statistics to see evidence of where the jobs/industries are going (shrinking or growing) is a great way to gain insight.

Also, to get you to take action in a more structured way, make a "To Do" list. My grandma always told me to "Write it down on paper." In her experience, memorializing fleeting thoughts crystallized them, resulting in a clearer sense of what needed to get done and provided a visual map of the order in which to best tackle such steps. In addition such a list serves as a checklist; and for most people, crossing things off your list will likely give you a sense of accomplishment. There are even some statistics that demonstrate that you are more likely to follow through if things are solidified on paper!

Candidate “Chatter” – Questions Asked & Answered

Here are some responses to questions I've gotten from candidates recently:

How effective is networking – really?
Just over a year ago, it was estimated that 61% of jobs were landed through networking. For me, that was hard to believe as many of the jobs I’ve landed, I found on the Internet. When I thought about it, though, many of the recent ones were gotten as a result of relationships with people who opened doors or kept them open, in terms of giving me a glowing reference.

Today, newspaper ads are regarded as antiquated dinosaurs, and even the most un-technically-savvy are turning to the Internet to post jobs. Also, recent estimates are that 70-75% of jobs are gotten as a result of networking. This is not to say that candidates are not finding and applying to jobs on the Internet. However, networking with others who can get a candidate’s resume (or better yet, a candidate!) in front of someone inside of that candidate’s target company provides them with a much-needed edge.

Resume Formats: Many candidates have asked me about functional resumes vs. traditional formats. My “take” is that it depends on many factors, key among them:

1) Whether you are trying to change careers or industries or are returning to the workforce (which may require repositioning your skills or de-emphasizing periods of unemployment).
2) Whether your resume is/is not getting a good response rate.
3) How adept you are at positioning/marketing yourself relative to the job or jobs you are after.
4) Your skill at selecting the right action verbs to make your resume more powerful (If interested, request my verb list -- organized by skills categories).
5) Your ability to position your accomplishments in a compelling, result-oriented manner. I look for the "wow factor" in a resume, meaning, the ability for that resume to get the person reviewing the resume to say "wow" two to three times. I subscribe to the statistic that relates to things setting in/being memorable in groups of three. (If you listen to many radio spots or TV commercials, a number will be repeated three times. If this holds true, if you can get the resume reviewer to (even subliminally), say, “Wow!” three times, you will get a call. It's always best when possible to not only state WHAT you've done, but to state what the impact was (HOW or WHY it made a difference.). If your resume is not achievement based, then chances are that it reads more like a job description that anyone in that job before could have written. The lesson? Change your “So, what?” statements into “Oh, wow!" ones.
6) If a resume is MORE than two pages, it would be prudent, to consult a competent professional who can critique resumes. Most persons reviewing resumes these days are looking for very specific keywords and/or accomplishments. (When possible, ensure that your resume contains the very words they have placed in their ad/posting. Some employers use keyword searches to review resumes or keyword and/or parsing software. There are varying stats on this, but most experts say that the average time spent reviewing a resume is as little as 13-17 seconds. Hint: Aside from extracting keywords from the posting you are applying to, look at similar jobs. You will note that some employers/search firms actually disclose the key words right on the posting! What could be easier?!! (The analogy of shooting fish in a barrel comes to mind.)
7) If you have difficulty catching typos or other grammatical errors, it would be prudent to have others you trust proofread your resume or get a professional to review it. Aside from spell check, a good technique to catch typos is to read your resume backwards, so that typos stand out. The human brain likes to mentally “fix” typos, so it is very easy for errors to be missed. In addition, try to keep your bullets and form/sentence structure as consistent as possible, as it makes your resume more fluid and assists those reviewing it, making the review process more pleasant.

Hope these tips help. Have other questions? Please write to me at marissa@employerandcandidateconnection.com. You can also request a copy of my verb list.

How To Find a Job on Twitter; Help for the "Twitter Challenged!"

Employer & Candidate Connection on www.linkedin.com

In this job market, it's important to explore all avenues and deploy a multi-pronged approach to uncovering hidden jobs. Check out this link and let us know what you think:

http://mashable.com/2009/03/13/twitter-jobs/

3/13/09 Article by Sarah Evans

For this and other career-related tools, tips, resources, open positions, or to post your resume for any period of time, please sign up to the Employer and Candidate Connection group on linked in at: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=2201572&trk=myg_ugrp_ovr