Get to the Top on LinkedIn

Linkedin just released a suite of premium tools targeted to help job seekers. Good news - they have some truly helpful features ... Bad news - They aren't free. For serious job seekers, I think it's worth the small monthly cost, giving candidates better viability and increased job search efficiency.

Linkedin helps job seekers accomplish two basic tasks - Finding target company contacts, and social branding. Job Seeker Premium makes both of these tasks easier and more effective.

As part of this review, I interviewed Parker Barrile, Director of Product Management for Linkedin's Jobs Business to get Linkedin's views about how their new tools are intended to help candidates. Parker mentioned that Linkedin has 3 major goals in for its premium job search products:

1) Allow candidates to manage job search more efficiently
2) Give job seekers more ways to efficiently contact hiring managers and recruiters
3) Help job seekers stand out, making it easier to be noticed

Parker stated that Linkedin "wants to be the place that people go to find their next job. We'll continue to provide free services, but Linkedin will also offer premium services for those who want greater connectivity and visibility in their search."

From my review of the features and discussion with Parker, I was impressed that Linkedin has made a good start in providing value adds that will help candidates in three areas they pointed out above. Parker also gave hints that this is just a start, and that Linkedin plans to release future user capabilities in its job seekers premium tools (Sadly, he wouldn't spill the beans to tell me what they would be).

Will Linkedin's new tools find you a job? No. Will Linkedin's new tools give you more ways to help yourself find a job? Definitely.

Linkedin offers 7-8 features fine tuned to the needs of job seekers, depending on the package offered. The three that can make the biggest difference are what make the service worthwhile. Other features may be helpful to job seekers as well, but these three are money.

Top of the list - This is the #1 reason for Job Seeker Premium, in my opinion. Businesses have been able to buy their way to the top of Google for years. Linkedin Job Seeker Premium allows candidates a way to get to the top of the list. When recruiters or hiring managers search for specific criteria they may get hundreds of results - Premium user results are listed at the top. Since recruiters and HR reps might only call the top 10-20 matches, being at the top of the list helps a job seeker stand out. If you're a Java developer, trying to stand out from the thousands of other Java developers looking for a new position - Top of the list is a huge advantage.

InMail - Currently, Linkedin basic users can contact their first level connections. InMail is Linkedin's version of special delivery, allowing candidates to contact any of Linkedin's 60M users - even if they are not a connection. Linkedin's website claims "You’re 30x more likely to get a response to an InMail than to a cold call. Why? Your profile is attached to your message; plus, it never ends up in a spam filter." In addition, it may be challenging to find emails of people you want to reach - InMails make it quick and easy, saving you time. Depending on the premium package you choose you can get zero, five, or ten InMails with guaranteed response - or choose InMails a la carte at an additional $10 each. If you use them, InMails by themselves make the premium service worth while as packages are 1/2 the cost of individually purchased InMails. Use these for people you've just got to reach, or for those who keep their email private.

Gold Badge - Linkedin's premium service allows anyone to view your full profile and message you, even if not connected to you without either one burning through expensive InMails or Introductions, allowing unlimited free inbound email. As many new candidates haven't been as active in networking until their job search, having a small network means that few people can see your full profile or contact you freely. While this won't replace building your network, the gold badge gives job seekers with a small network a quick jump start.

While these are the most valuable services in the package, additional features can help job seekers as well:

Introductions - As a free user, you have a limited number of free introductions that pass your info along through three degrees of separation. Job Seeker Premium gives you between 10 -25 introductions per month depending on the package you choose. Using introductions wisely can help you gain inside information to your target companies, reach hiring managers, informational interview sources, or hubs to help in your networking efforts.

Expanded Search - the two top Premium service levels allow you to expand your search results beyond the 100 results you currently get as a free user - expanded up to 5x as many results. This can be valuable when searching within large centralized departments at single locations within enterprise companies. For instance, if you search for project manager at Allstate Insurance, there are thousands of results - free users only see 100.

Who searched me? Premium users can see the titles and companies of everyone who initiated a search that your name turned up in. If you've turned up in a recruiter's or company's search, these may be companies you want to put on your target list, or recruiters you might want to work with.

Folders - Linkedin premium services allow folders that job seekers can use to save and organize profiles, and store notes. It's not a contact management system, but it gives some capability to add some organization to your contacts.

These features have been needed for a while, and Linkedin has been offering premium services to businesses for over a year. When I first saw notices that Linkedin was offering premium services for job seekers I wondered ... What took them so long? This makes so much sense.

Linkedin premium has 3 packages priced at $19.95, $29.95, and $49.95. If you want the convenience and direct contacts of InMail I'd recommend the more expensive packages (it's an inexpensive way to use InMails). I don't know of any job seekers who couldn't benefit from being at the top of the list, included in even the least expensive package. That alone makes Linkedin Job Seeker Premium worth the price.

Please note: This is not a paid review, and Linkedin did not give me any free services (not even a lousy t-shirt). I wrote it because I think it's a true advance for candidates.

Source: http://recareered.blogspot.com/

---

Guest Expert:

Phil Rosenberg is President of reCareered (http://www.recareered.blogspot.com/), a career coaching service, helping great people discover new career paths and beat the challenges of modern job searches. Phil runs the Career Change Central group (http://www.tinyurl.com/cccpost), recently named one of Linkedin's top groups that job seekers must join. An active blogger about career change, Phil's articles are republished by Business Week, The Wall Street Journal, ZDNet, CIO, FastCompany and dozens of job and recruiting sites. Phil can be contacted at phil.reCareered@gmail.com.

View the Original article

3 Steps to Taking Your Job Search Into Your Own Hands

Tired of searching endlessly through online job boards and employment Web sites hoping to find a position that matches your background and criteria? I think it’s time to take matters into your own hands. One of my colleagues was kind enough to pass along a YouTube video called The Google Job Experiment. I watched the one-minute video and thought it was ingenious! Here’s the link in case you haven’t seen it yet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FRwCs99DWg.

Talk about “thinking outside the box” to get the job you want! I have a feeling it’s going to catch on; all of a sudden, we’re going to start seeing ads, springing up everywhere, targeted at well-positioned executives and hiring managers saying, “Hire me”. The concept itself to me is inspiring and creative, and had me thinking...

Well, for those of us who may not be as creative and “outside the box” as others, I’ve put together a list of tips on how to get started:

Step 1: Research – The easiest place to start is the company Web site. Check out the about us page or any other pages that would have information concerning those personnel in key leadership positions. This is the most logical place to start. Next, I would go to LinkedIn. Look up the company by name (assuming you know exactly where you want to work—just like this guy did), and then scroll through the results to find matches. Look for those people who are in positions with decision making abilities and who are most relevant to your industry. Can’t find them on LinkedIn or the company Web site? Then turn to Google. I use Google for everything (I probably earn millions for them every year). If I have a question, I Google it. Want to know who the “so-and-so” person is at Microsoft? Google it. I’ll bet you can find some information somewhere on which person does what. It’s just a matter of investing some time to conduct the research. When all else fails, pick up the phone and call the company. Tell them you’d like to mail a letter to the advertising director (or other head honcho of your choice) but need his or her name in order to address the letter. There’s no reason why they shouldn’t provide you with it. And be sure to ask for the correct address for your specific letter; the person to whom you are writing may prefer to receive mail at the office, but there is a possibility that he or she prefers the company’s post office box or e-mail correspondence. Don’t make any assumptions about this. If they aren’t willing to provide an address then back to your best friend Google. More about what to do with this information is included in step 2.

Step 2: Make Contact – The most obvious way to do this is to submit a LinkedIn connection request. This opens the lines of communication to some extent; and then you can begin to identify the areas that you have in common and potentially open a dialogue about employment opportunities. Outside of LinkedIn, you can find them on other social networks and contribute to discussions they’ve initiated, or you can reach out by sending a letter. If you made contact with the organization during step one, you will have the name of the person you need to reach out to, as well as the company’s address. I recommend sending your resume and cover letter in an envelope that doesn’t look like it would contain a resume/cover letter. I also recommend addressing the envelope by hand and, if possible, use a thank you- or greeting card-sized envelope. Who doesn’t love getting a thank you card in the mail unexpectedly? Plus, it’s guaranteed they’ll open it. Then your resume/cover letter will have about five seconds to make a great first impression (so insert awesome, professionally written, and branded resume here).

Step 3: Follow up – Take the time to make a call. And ask for the person by name. If he or she is not available, leave a voicemail indicating that you sent a copy of your resume last week and you are following up to ensure it was received. If you’re a connection on LinkedIn, you may be able to see the person’s work e-mail address on his or her profile (some users include it, but not all). I wouldn’t go overboard and e-mail daily, but one e-mail just to state your case or follow up once you’ve forwarded your information is acceptable in my book.

It’s not about stalking the person who has the decision making ability; it’s about making a connection, doing your research, and potentially opening a door that previously was closed. From here you can find all kinds of creative ways to get the person’s attention—much like the Google campaign that one creative job seeker used to land himself an interview—and a job. Your imagination is the limit. All I’m saying is, don’t be afraid to conduct your job search “outside the box”.

---

Author:

Jessica Holbrook is an expert resume writer, career and personal branding strategist, author, speaker and President/CEO of Great Resumes Fast. She creates high-impact, best-in-class, resumes and cover letters that win interviews. For a free resume analysis visit http://www.greatresumesfast.com/ or for a free phone consultation call 1.800.991.5187.

View the Original article