Dear J.T. & Dale: I’m an executive with a multinational firm in the process of closing its U.S. manufacturing facilities. In anticipation of further restructuring, I wish to seek new employment, and consider LinkedIn to be a powerful vehicle to spread the word. However, I do not wish for colleagues to catch wind of my intentions. How does one use LinkedIn to seek employment while still employed? — Jules
Dale: First, if you haven’t been keeping up, LinkedIn is an Internet service akin to Facebook, but aimed at business/professional use. Every time someone invites me to join their LinkedIn network, I respond by saying that I’m happy to but that I’ve yet to find a good use for it, and I ask how they’re using it. And every time, the reply is something like, “I haven’t figured out how to make it useful, but when I do, I’ll let you know.” So far, no one has done so.
J.T.: Perhaps you’re expecting too much. Its use is in finding colleagues and keeping in touch.
Dale: Point taken. But getting back to Jules’ case, he wants to reach out to everyone about his need for a new job … but hold on … not quite everyone. You can’t go to a network designed to spread news and ask it not to spread the news too far.
J.T.: So, Jules, the best use of LinkedIn will be to know where to contact all your old colleagues. Then you’ll send them private, individual e-mails that let them know you’d love their advice (i.e., who to contact) on a possible career move. Will some of your co-workers find out? It’s possible, but keep in mind that most of us understand the situation and know to be discreet.
Dale: When your co-workers hear about your search, it’s likely they’ll come to you and say that they, too, are looking, whereupon you’ll offer to help one another. Further, with or without LinkedIn, you’ve got to be prepared for your employer to find out. Sometimes that can even be a good thing — management may work to get you to stay on. Even so, be discreet with your networking — a wise manager will appreciate the option of looking the other way.
Jeanine “J.T.” Tanner O’Donnell is a professional development specialist and founder of CAREEREALISM.com. Dale Dauten’s latest book is “(Great) Employees Only: How Gifted Bosses Hire and De-Hire Their Way to Success” (John Wiley & Sons).
Please visit them at jtanddale.com, where you can send questions via e-mail, or write to them in care of King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10019.
© 2009 by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
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5 Comments
Dale, You say you have yet to find a good use for LinkedIn? I hope that is simply because you have chosen only to create a profile and accept invitations. You can find people in similar roles as your own. You can find connections to people in companies you may be targeting for employment. LI has jobs posted, groups for almost everything. And yes you can stay connected to old friends/colleagues. LI can be a great source for changing your job or simply staying updated on the most important issues in your sector. And a great recruiting tool. It's like very other tool out there. You have to spend a little time and use that resource to your advantage.
Dale, You say you have yet to find a good use for LinkedIn? I hope that is simply because you have chosen only to create a profile and accept invitations. You can find people in similar roles as your own. You can find connections to people in companies you may be targeting for employment. LI has jobs posted, groups for almost everything. And yes you can stay connected to old friends/colleagues. LI can be a great source for changing your job or simply staying updated on the most important issues in your sector. And a great recruiting tool. It's like very other tool out there. You have to spend a little time and use that resource to your advantage.
Dale, You say you have yet to find a good use for LinkedIn? I hope that is simply because you have chosen only to create a profile and accept invitations. You can find people in similar roles as your own. You can find connections to people in companies you may be targeting for employment. LI has jobs posted, groups for almost everything. And yes you can stay connected to old friends/colleagues. LI can be a great source for changing your job or simply staying updated on the most important issues in your sector. And a great recruiting tool. It's like very other tool out there. You have to spend a little time and use that resource to your advantage.
There are plenty of great ways to be using linked-in for your job search without your employer finding out. But Linked-In should be used as an ADJUNCT to a job search. As was hinted, you should never announce your job search. Simply use it to find those network contacts you never knew about.
I actually wrote an article on creative networking. I do talk about some strategy there. I think you can click my name to get to my website.
I agree that using LinkedIn It’s not a solution for finding a job tomorrow, but it is a valuable tool in building your online brand as a professional.
As many recruiters use LinkedIn nowadays to source passive candidates, I think it can be a good tool for Jules to make himself noticed.
For example, he can join groups (based around professional interest in your geographical are) – it increases your visibility and also allows you to contact the members directly.
There you have the opportunity to answer the questions, provide consultancy/advice, argument your opinion on the different issues raised. This is the best way to prove your expertise and get noticed.
I detailed this topic on my blog, in case you want more examples.