Getting More LinkedIn

Not a paid advertisement!

As more and more colleagues are looking for new positions, I’m advising them to develop their business networks, since more than likely, their next opportunity will come from someone within their network.

I’ve been a member at LinkedIn for over a year, and today just discovered that it has become a much more powerful tool with which to market yourself.

Watch:

Like most application users, I typically use about 10% of the features of any application. Until yesterday, I used LinkedIn to post basic profile information only. I added a few contats and requested a few introductions. That was pretty much it.

I plan on adding the blog webpart into my profile and plan on playing with other features as well. I’d encourage anyone who’s serious about building an online profile to check these features out.

Let me know what works for you and what doesn’t!

Networking for Life

I had lunch with a friend and former colleague this week. He’s in the midst of a job transition (who isn’t these days?) and we talked about the value of maintaining network contacts.

His career has included positions as Controller, General Management, Corporate Change Leader, I.T. Leadership, Global Sourcing and Supply Chain leadership. He’s even worked in several countries.

He’s a very organized individual and admitted that one of the ways he stayed organized as he rose from position to position, was by doing an audit of his collection of business cards and culling those (for his successor) who no longer were relevant to his latest position.

I admit that I used to do the same.

These days it absolutely, positively, pays to stay connected. In this economy, no one’s job is 100% secure and chances are, that if you need to search for another job, you’ll land it as a result of your personal or business network. So, if you haven’t explored any of the online business networking sites (LinkedIn, Plaxo as examples) it might be wise to do so.

It’s easy to connect with past colleagues from previous companies, link to the same people you have in your Rolodex, our Outlook contact list. Begin to make it a habit, that when you meet someone and collect a business card, connect with them online as well.

Search out groups and communities of people in your field. Many of these are available to join right from your preferred networking site. Participate in these groups. Answer a few questions. Show off your expertise. Begin to think about developing your online reputation. Almost all HR professionals I know, now search online as part of their recruiting or candidate evaluation process. No longer are resumes enough.

Finally, don’t be afraid to ask a friend or business associate for a recommendation. In most cases, they’ll be more than happy to oblige.

These days expecially, it pays to be networking for life.

Amanda’s Posse

Meet Amanda (not her real name).

Daddy’s little girl isn’t just helping out with the chores. She’s an archetype. On the surface, she’s mimicking her parent’s behavior helping to keep her home neat and clean.

Thirty years ago, the weight of the family vacuum cleaner would have prohibited her from doing it at all.

And sixty years ago, she’d be using a broom and dustpan (probably with unsatisfactory results).

But technology advancements are allowing her to accomplish tasks that once could only be done well) by those with far more practical experience.

Imagine how she’ll change the way work gets done, once she hits the workforce. This interesting article at readwriteweb details how the generations are using the Web and related technologies.

Extrapolate some of the findings of this article to our little girl as she enters the workforce. On day 1, when most of us would be figuring out where the washrooms are, she’ll arrive at work with

• 5,000 Facebook friends
• A mobile phone with 1,000 contacts, 750 Productivity apps (and one click access to call all her Facebook friends)
• A high degree of comfort with advanced web search techniques.
• A practiced ability to multitask that’s beyond our current comprehension, honed by more than a decade of handling many different text conversations at once.

She’ll be able to research any problem quickly, find out how others have handled it, get opinions from experts and colleagues alike and do it without really having to think about it.

You won’t just be hiring Amanda, you’ll be hiring her posse.

Image credit: www.theblogfathers.com