Beyond Folders : linked in

So You’re Finally on LinkedIn. Now What?

Community Manager — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 14:30:00 GMT

At 150 million members strong, the LinkedIn bandwagon is verging on standing-room only. But are you more of a bystander than a LinkedIn leader? Time to grab the baton and lead the charge to get your profile noticed and networked. Make the most of LinkedIn with these simple steps.

Get Going

The tips in 10 Things to Do Immediately on LinkedIn will get you up and running-stat. Start by posting a professional photo and then dive into industry appropriate groups, cultivating a wide network by participating in threads and chats. Other tips include making frequent updates and actively seeking recommendations.

Get Recommended

LinkedIn's recommendation features allows users to fully showcase their talents and abilities. According to a recent Forbes.com article Everything You Need to Know About LinkedIn Recommendations, hiring managers do actually read and consider recommendations when vetting candidates.

Best practices for LinkedIn recommendations are similar to offline ones: recommend only those whose work you truly know and when requesting your own recommendation, it's best to do it person by phone, rather than sending a generic LinkedIn request. For more, read 7 LinkedIn Recommendation Best Practices for Your Job Search.

Get Noticed

Savvy LinkedIn users understand that the platform is more than just a chance to list resume skills. In The Five Best Practices for LinkedIn Profiles: Network Ahead of Your Job Search, the author suggests using your profile to share your own expertise learn and from others. This type of organic networking will serve you well in future job hunts. Also, create a profile that showcases your "voice" and avoid dull resume-speak. Other tips include documenting your experience using multimedia, links and other options that just aren't possible with conventional resumes. Finally, read Get Noticed: 5 Steps to Writing a Perfect LinkedIn Profile for more ideas.

How do you make the most out of LinkedIn? What catches your eye or impresses you about LinkedIn profiles you've seen? Share your thoughts here and on the Pendaflex Facebook page.

Professional Networking on Facebook: Branching Out from Just Friends

Community Manager — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 14:09:00 GMT

Facebook, the go-to social networking site of a staggering 750 million users, now has an increasing number of third-party apps that allow for professional networking. BranchOut is perhaps the best known; others include the newer BeKnown, as well as Identified and Work4Labs.

Companies are increasingly using social networking to source high-quality candidates due to its ease and cheapness. Given that many top-tier companies are shifting from traditional hiring methods such as job boards and third-party recruiters, professional networking through social media channels is becoming ever more critical.

Here's an overview of some of the players:

BranchOut: BranchOut is an app that allows Facebook users to unlock massive amounts of career data on Facebook friends (and even friends of friends). Users can search on a company name and see which of your Facebook friends work there (or used to).

BranchOut also allows users to import their existing data from LinkedIn, making profiles a snap to create. The app also allows companies to post job listings.

For more, read:

BranchOut=Facebook Plus LinkedIn Divided by Job Search

BeKnown: Job search behemoth Monster.com launched BeKnown, allowing job hunters to search for and apply for jobs without leaving Facebook. The app is fully integrated with Facebook, but lets users keep their personal Facebook information private, a major plus.

Job seekers can not only view and apply for jobs, they can see company information, get endorsed, and apply for jobs directly from the app.

For more, read:

Monster.com Launches BeKnown: Professional Social Networking for Facebook

Identified: A professional network that builds candidate profiles using relevant Facebook biographical data; allows recruiters to search all candidates by a variety of requirements such as GPA or school attended; the service also keeps sensitive social data out of the hands of recruiters.

For more, read:

Identified to Challenge LinkedIn by Building Job Candidate Profiles from Facebook Data

Work 4 Labs: An app for recruiters and candidates. Companies can post jobs to their Facebook Page and advertise via Facebook Ads. The app also offers referral features. Work4 Labs also develops Jobs for Me, one of the largest networks of university career centers and vertical job boards on Facebook. According to the company, users include blue-chip names such as Citibank, Accenture, Oracle, Microsoft, KPMG and Intel to name a few.

For more, read:

Tools of the Trade - Work4Labs: Work 4 Us App

Finally, we leave you with a useful read for optimizing social media to land coveted gigs: 5 Clever Ways to Get a Job Using Social Media.

Good luck with the job search!

Why Aren't You Using LinkedIn?

Community Manager — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 13:34:00 GMT

More than 100 million people are using social media platform LinkedIn. Why aren't you?

In a tough job market, networking through social media is critical. LinkedIn allows job hunters, and even those not actively seeking work, to display their work and credentials to colleagues and recruiters alike.

Looking for a Job?

LinkedIn offers job hunters more than just terrific networking a click away. The service allows individuals to search geographically for contacts in HR departments and within specific industries. LinkedIn also allows users to follow what's happening at companies where a prospective candidate is looking. For more tips for optimizing LinkedIn, read Expert Tips For Using LinkedIn.

Making a Career Switch?

Career changers can use LinkedIn as a bridge to a new industry. The service lets users easily alert their network of a desired shift and the Group Directory and search features allows for research on the trends and job-openings in your desired field. For more, read Change is in the Air: 7 LinkedIn Tips for Career Changers.

Are You an Older Worker?

Don't let a job hunt fall prey to ageism. Demonstrate up-to-date tech skills with an active online personal brand. Many recruiters and career coaches view LinkedIn as the ultimate resource for job hunters. For the older worker, actively participating in LinkedIn shows relevancy and range.

Do you make effective use of LinkedIn? Have you had any networking or job hunting success with LinkedIn? Share your thoughts here and at the Pendaflex Facebook page.