HIRED LEARNING: Using LinkedIn as Part of Your Job Search

Hired Learning

by Julius Alberici and Danny Huereca
In today’s environment of high unemployment, employers are getting many job applications for each open position, and job seekers are finding that networking is the best way to find a job. More and more companies are using LinkedIn as a tool to find prospective employees. As discussed in the PSGCNJ Training Workshop, LinkedIn should be an important tool in your job search efforts.
While many job seekers accept that they should used LinkedIn, the fear of the unknown is holding them back from really utilizing this tool. The fact is that there are many tutorials available to help you get started. Once you do, you will find that it is not that difficult. The basic steps are:

  1. Join LinkedIn
  2. Set up your profile
  3. Build your LinkedIn network (connections)
  4. Actively use LinkedIn as part of your job search

In this article are the links to selected tutorials available on YouTube to help introduce you to joining LinkedIn, setting up your profile, and using it as part of your job search. Before you look at the tutorials, note a few comments regarding the use of LinkedIn:

  • Setting up your profile is an important first step in using LinkedIn. As quickly as possible you want to get your profile 100% complete. If you go to the Profile/Edit screen, it will show you the completion percentage and give you tips as to what you need to do to raise the completion percentage. Please note that in order to reach 100% you must not only input your jobs and education but must also include a photograph and have three recommendations. Your profile will be looked at more favorably if you have it 100% complete.
  • Building your network, or what is called “connections,” is the second step. It is a critical part of the process. The more connections you have the more visible you are within the LinkedIn network and the more valuable you are to others who might want to connect to you. Why is this so? Because the way LinkedIn works, you have visibility and access to:
  1. Your connections (1st level)
  2. The people your connections are connected to (2nd level)
  3. The people your connections’ connections are connected to (3rd level)

The more people you directly connect with, the more people you are linked to and are visible to. It also means that a lot of people are visible to you. While you should be somewhat selective as to whom you connect to — it is not recommended that you accept invitations from people you do not know or who are not connected to someone you know — you should connect to as many people you know as possible.
Some have questioned why they would want to invite people at PSGCNJ to connect to them if these individuals are not from the same industry or field that they want to work in. While this may be true, you never know who these people are connected to — they may be connected to someone who could be very valuable in your job search. PSGCNJ members can create a large network of their own and, after all, that is one of the main goals of PSGCNJ.

  • Once you have set up your profile and built your network, you can then search for people that have the potential to help you in your job search. LinkedIn has “Search” capabilities, and you should look at “Advanced Search” (next to the search window) to help you in your efforts. The video “How to Find a New Job Using LinkedIn?” will help you understand ways to use this feature.

The following are three YouTube videos to help you get started:

If you are unconvinced about the potential value of LinkedIn, I would suggest that you start with the “How to find a new job using LinkedIn?” video.

GET STARTED and GOOD LUCK!
DISCLAIMER: The websites contained in this document were accessed using a computer using Norton Antivirus Software without any issues. However, there is no guarantee that these sites are, or will, remain safe, and users take full responsibility for accessing the websites discussed in this article. It is highly recommended that these sites be accessed on a computer protected by antivirus/Internet security software and that the latest updates are installed.

Leave a Reply