In a professional context, networking can help you find a job that no one else knows about. A Stanford study produced results that indicate that a surprising 70% of jobs are found through networking. The art of making professional contacts comes easily to some but takes practice for most.
If you would like advice on how to network in-person, we have an excellent article written by Alexandra Levit that can get you on your way. If you’re more comfortable with an online solution, you may want to check out LinkedIn.
By and large the most widely-used professional networking site, LinkedIn is free and provides the opportunity for users to connect and network. Users can post and view jobs, view other users’ profiles, and recommend one another for a job well done.
The interesting thing about LinkedIn is that it draws people from a huge range of professions. On this website you can connect with CEOs and personal trainers from many parts of the globe. Though LinkedIn is a predominantly American network, there are members from overseas as well.
The reason that LinkedIn is so popular is that it’s very easy to use, it is widely used, and it has the capacity to increase your visibility on the Internet. This visibility is helpful because when a prospective employer looks up your name on Google it will be associated with the professional contacts you’ve made. This can lend you more credibility than, say, the candidate whose name either comes up in connection to something irrelevant or not at all.
Additionally, as I said above, networking is responsible for helping people find more than half of the jobs out there. LinkedIn facilitates networking by helping you keep in contact with colleagues and enabling users to post open jobs at their company. This can be a very helpful tool no matter what part of your job search you’re in.
Have you used LinkedIn to either network or find a job? What did you think? Has it helped you? Why would you or would you not use LinkedIn?
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3 Comments
Steven Burda
06/06/08 12:30 PM
www.linkedin.com/in/burda
Erika Mitchell
04/10/08 07:48 PM
ShoelessJoe
04/10/08 07:19 PM
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