Linkedin and Job Searches
When you’re looking for a job, you want to use every available tool. This includes Want Ads in the newspaper, online Job Searches, networking with professionals, head hunters and now social networking programs like Linkedin. At its heart, Linkedin allows you to find and create networks of people without the traditional limitations of time and space.
As an introduction to Linkedin Job Seeking functions, let me share with you my own experience from a hundred years ago on the power of networking to obtain a job. You will see from this experience why I am partial to using networking (Linkedin is today’s digital version) as the best avenue to find a new job.
My Job Search
For six years, I had a career in the ministry. When I decided to leave, I remember many people telling me, “Father, you are going to find it very tough in the ‘real world’.” I had a lot of people skills and public speaking skills. I could speak Latin and Greek. Where were the experiences to show potential employers?
A friend shared with me a networking model for finding a job. I started with one person I knew who was several positions higher than the level of jobs I was seeking. (Because he was higher, I was never a threat to his job). This man had a position in the public energy company—not a place where I was seeking employment. I asked him if I could meet with him to help me with my job search. I made it clear that I was not asking him for a job, just asking for his help. He was happy to meet with me.
I shared with him my resume and talked about the skills I possessed. He gave me suggestions and new ideas. Before I left, I asked him if he could give me the names of two other people who might be helpful to my job search. He was happy to do so. When I called these two people, I used his name to be introduced to them and again said “I was asking for help with my job search, not asking for a job”.
This was the start of 58 interviews I did over a two month process—starting with just one person and creating my own network. Each day, I would do two interviews. I would do research about the company (at the library because Google was not yet born—told you it was a hundred years ago!). In the interviews I would relate my skills to the company’s business. From each interview I would get two more names.
After each interview I would sent a letter (didn’t have email in those days) saying thank you and promising to keep the person in the loop about my job searching progress. I provided these people with updates every Monday. What was the result of this process?
Results of Networking
At the end of sixty days (I had budgeted for three months of finding a job as my full time job) I had three different job offers with pluses and minuses for each offer. I found 20% of the people I interviewed became active supporters in my job search, working for me while I slept. I build a network of people some of whom I called upon for professional help in my new job. The process was not a negative process. These two months were like a college education about how business operates and jobs are found.
I have shared this process with many people over the years and they have found similar success using it. You can see from my successful experience with networking, why I think so highly of Linkedin which can now make the networking component in a job search so much wider, bigger and more efficient than the street work I did many years ago.
To be continued, your comments are welcomed…
Al Hanzal
