How to Turn Online Networking into a Job
Guest Post by Steve Gilmore
In today’s web-powered information age, online networking platforms have largely influenced the way that we conduct much of our networking. While the core concept of business networking – to communicate ideas and goals for mutual professional development – has always been and continues to be the same, today’s online networking sites have shifted an important segment of those conversations to the web. In other words: we are still networking for the same reasons and are talking about the same stuff, but nowadays they are making much of our initial contact online.
The growth of online networking as a job search tool can empower you to become better connected and more informed than ever before. Presenting a great personal and professional image online can make you visible to important decision-makers in key organizations and result in career success. That said, with great power comes great responsibility. With online networking, recruiters, hiring managers, and other decision-makers are only a few clicks away from finding you on the web. So your online presence and networking efforts need to be the best they can be – at all times.
While there are indeed several networking sites you can use for job search, not all sites are created equal when it comes to job search success. LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional networking site, is by far the best and most extensive networking site in the world. It has enabled many people to achieve job search success in innovative ways.
With LinkedIn, you can gain opportunities for referrals and recommendations from trusted individuals, including past supervisors and colleagues. You can enable recruiters, executives and HR directors at hiring companies to find you.
Some of the features including within LinkedIn include customizable personal profiles and resume space, company profiles, job search engine, and LinkedIn Groups. Set up your LinkedIn account today at www.linkedin.com.
Don’t just wait around for the right people to find you and get you and interview, find them yourself! Look up companies you are interested in working for, and take note of where there have been recent hires or position changes. That can be a signal that the company is currently open to changes in its work force and is willing to interview.
Drive your job search campaign actively while you are building connections. Search for jobs on the main job search engine or specify positions of your choice using the advanced job search tool.
Join Groups of interests specific to your job interests as many of these groups have internal job boards. Make sure to join your university alumni group, as many of these groups post jobs looking to employ alumni.
Once you have built your network and found the specific jobs you want to apply for, how do you leverage your network to get that job?
- Find out who your LinkedIn connections are in the company.
- Identify key individuals in the company that would be responsible for HR/hiring decisions.
- Request an introduction to one or more key individuals in the company from your closest, most trusted LinkedIn connections.
- Wait for a private message from the desired recipient. Then acknowledge that you have received the response and express your desire to talk further about available opportunities.
You are now well on your way to that interview and that job! Have fun and good luck!
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Steve Gilmore is the Managing Partner at Reach Human Capital, a Career Partners International Firm. A Memphis-based firm, Reach Human Capital assists local clients and provides them with connections on an international level. Steve guides Reach Human Capital on executive coaching, career transition, outplacement counseling for clients, and more. Steve serves the Memphis community with his involvement in the Traffic Club of Memphis, the Memphis World Trade Club, the Memphis Institute of Leadership Education, and Regional Logistics Council. Steve received his undergraduate degree in Business Management from California Coast University.
