Everyone is talking about networking online. Whether it is personal social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter or professional networking sites such as LinkedIn, it seems you need to be spending some time online in your personal or professional life.
These days, both employers and recruiters are using LinkedIn as a recruitment tool, so utilising LinkedIn to help you with your job search is a must. Here is how you can get the most from it:
Profile
This is where as well as detailing your previous work history and skills, you get the chance to say what you are interested in. Consider it a less formal, less detailed version of your CV.
Connections
Think of everyone you know from business contacts to colleagues, friends to acquaintances and connect to them. You can then see who they are connected to and expand your network.
Join Groups
LinkedIn groups allow you to network with others in your field, industry or location, and participate in relevant discussions, search job openings that are posted on group job boards, and build relationships to benefit from future opportunities.
Some people may be concerned that their employers will think they are job hunting if they have a LinkedIn profile, but this isn’t the case. Networking on LinkedIn as part of an online community of professionals is simply keeping your online professional profile up to date. Have a look, your boss probably has a LinkedIn profile already!
