It is amazing to me how many people I meet who are not on LinkedIn.  To them LinkedIn is just another social connection point, like Facebook, which they usually have.  Having Facebook seems like enough for them, why have another socializing site?  The response to potential candidates was felt worth sharing in case you have contacts that are still not on LinkedIn or lack the understanding of the difference between Facebook and LinkedIn:

Since it first went online in 2003, LinkedIn has become the business-related social networking site of choice with a membership of 135 million professionals worldwide. Originally intended as a way to foster and create important business contacts, the site has evolved into one of the most important recruitment tools on the Internet, but like many tools it’s only effective if you know how to properly use it.

For job candidates, the public nature of LinkedIn allows for an unprecedented insight into the creation of the perfect resume. While hundreds of books have been written on the subject, no greater resource has ever existed that allows people to not only find out how other people compose their resumes, but helps them find real world examples that actually got other candidates the specific positions they’re applying for.

This research is important, since the public nature of LinkedIn that makes it possible to study other people’s resumes also means your own is similarly up for review. On a site devoted to forging and maintaining contacts, the last thing you want to do is appear sloppy and unprofessional. Having a resume up on LinkedIn is crucially important, but it can be a huge mistake to just throw one up for the sake of it being there. You must take the time to ensure that it is the perfect resume for the position you’re looking for or else it could very well end up working against you.  Keep in mind how people will search you.  Do an advanced search and look at the key words that can be searched – use these effectively to be found for what you want to be found for!

Once you have crafted that perfect resume, it’s important to remember that it alone won’t impress potential recruiters. LinkedIn, like Facebook, allows its members to create their own profiles, which can be used as another way to promote your hire-ability. Depending on the position, recruiters may take notice of specific details of your profile you might not have thought important.  For example, if you’re applying for sales positions, recruiters might take a look at how many contacts you have listed in your profile, as that is a position highly dependent on the ability to form connections. Ignore that aspect of the site and they may assume you lack a crucial quality they are looking for. On the other hand, having too many listed contacts can have the same effect as having too many “friends” on Facebook—it causes visitors to become suspicious about your ability to nurture important relationships, when it’s apparent that quantity is more important to you than quality.  Also very helpful is LinkedIn’s ability to generate lists of second and third-degree contacts. These are lists of folks who you’ve not had contact with, but who share connections with people you know. With a little networking and some referrals these second and third-degree contacts can become legitimate connections that can help you find out about unadvertised job positions most candidates won’t have access to.

Beyond resumes, LinkedIn is also a great way to research which companies feel like the right fit for not only your qualifications, but attitude and personality as well. By visiting the profiles of current and former employees of a company you can easily gage its temperament and corporate climate and decide whether or not it’s one you can thrive in.

For all of these reasons, it’s clear that joining the LinkedIn social network is beneficial for anyone interested in finding the right job or a new step in your career. It’s easy to do and with just a little research and work can dramatically improve the results you’re looking for and increase the chances of being recruited…better yet contact a recruiting specialist directly.

Simplicity would suggest, if you want a job done right, ask a specialist.

Darryl

Executrade -Your Recruitment Specialists