I’m starting to learn a bit more about networking on Linked In and finding that it is even more powerful than I thought. Using Simply Hired allows you to see both your Linked In and Facebook connections.
The Facebook interface is still a bit clunky and Facebook itself is not set up with the idea of career networking at it’s core. Though it does show you your links to specific companies.
Over the last several days I have the occasion to capitalized on networking in three different cases, each at different levels on being connected to me.
I have had the case of a direct link, someone in my network who works at the company. Here I could send the person email directly letting her know of the position that I was applying at, sending her my resume and a copy of the job req. In this case, she took it on herself to find the HR rep working the requisition. She also talked to this HR representative about me and my qualifications for the job.
In another case, the connection was a second connection, meaning that someone in my network had this person in their network. I could then request a introduction (with a Linked In free account you are allowed to have 5 introductions open at one time; to get more you would have to get a paid subscription).
I found the person by doing a search on linked in of all the people that worked at the company I was applying. You get a list of all the people in your network followed by people not in your network but connected to someone in your network. The it goes to those once removed from your network and so on. It also indicates the people that you share linked In group membership. I found a person that was in my line of work and it looked like closely associated with the position I was inquiring about. I went to his profile, and this showed me who I was connected through. I could then click on the “Get introduced” link.
When I requested the Introduction, I was given a space to write to my friend and explain what I needed and I was given a space to write to the person I wanted to get introduced to. I asked if he would be willing to review my resume and provide any advice he had about how to proceed. He sent me an email requesting a copy of my resume and the job requisition(within a hour of send the request). This was on a Friday. On Monday first thing, I had suggestions on how to change my resume and the name of the HR representative that was processing the requisition.
The third one, I am still processing. This case is concerning a job at UW. Here I did a search on people in my network that worked at UW. Mostly I was given people that had graduated or were working on some degree or links to professors that people in my network had taken classes from. So then I did a search on the department and finally on the job title. I think I did these both inside and outside of Linked In. This produced results. I was given the name of a gal that work at UW with the same title as the job I want to apply to. Looking at her profile in Linked In showed me that she was third level connection, meaning that in between my network and this person was a intermediate person.
I sent off the introduction, and then learned that the intermediate person is also someone I know, but who I haven’t connected with on Linked In. I sent a request to connect, and then dug up an old email address I had, sent a note explaining my situation and that there should be a introduction request waiting. Now I just waiting for a reply.
What I have been experiencing as I search for jobs is a lot of nothing. No idea if your stuff was even looked at, if people felt you were qualified, or if they just received 10,000 resumes and mine was 10,001.
Part of the power of this networking is the excitement. There is interaction. I can actually get an email and send an answer. I can thank people to helping out. There are steps to look forward to and answers expected, maybe good, maybe bad.
Helping out is big. People are willing to help out. In the world of hearing nothing, the universe is cold, dark, and not very friendly. When I’m networking, I hear the cheerful enthusiasm of people wanting to help out. People that I have never met that are just good people lending a helping hand.
It is refreshing and counteracts the decreasing mood I talked about in yesterday’s blog. It helps to maintain my faith in people.
"We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open."
- Jawaharlal Nehru
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