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Job Hunting with LinkedIn - 4 of 6 - May 28, 2009

Posted by: David Kirkup in

I have had various periods of unemployment during my career as a CFO. At different times the process of finding a new position has seemed daunting. In the old days you sent out a lot of resumes, contacted recruiters and hoped for the best. If you were lucky enough to be introduced to the Financial Executive Networking Group, you were schooled in the Matt Bud way. Networking became the mantra - reaching out to FENG members and continuing the other approaches. But I always felt like I was exploring the tip of the ice berg, while a vast world was unavailable to me because of my lack of contacts, experiences, exposures to many people.

Today, with LinkedIn, your ability to "map" the submerged iceberg is dramatically enhanced. In 2001 I lost a position as CFO and was forced to job hunt. I entered outplacement where I futilely sent our letters, scoured job ads, devoured my nightly Matt Bud message and attempted to network. Eventually, I found a position through networking - a friend of a friend suggested I contact a company...

If I was in the same situation today, it would be a different story. First, my network would be up to date and constantly expanding through LinkedIn. I would have started by seeking connections to people in my network that were located in Atlanta and in my industry. I would have joined as many Atlanta based Groups as I could find.

I would have also started searching available jobs to see how I was connected to it, and then work my way in by linking to board members, officers, former employees, vendors and customers.

What else can you do today if you are Job hunting? Here are some ideas:

1. Get that Profile Done! Work on your profile...do you have a photo, do you list your previous employment history, do you have a summary that sells you, do you have at least ten recommendations, have you entered key words? See my profile.

2. Build your connections...find relevant connections, connect to others in your industry, connect to some LIONs (who will link to all comers).

3. Join relevant groups...when posting a job discussion use it creatively. Try "Anyone have any connections to (specific company) or (in industry)" - as opposed to "Gimme a job". In the top part of the discussion ask your question. In the details section explain why you're asking. Direct people back to your newly updated profile for more information on you. Finally be careful how often you post to avoid an annoying/ spam type appearance.

4. Ask questions to help research companies or industries, find and solve industry problems by showcasng your expertise.

5. Search the Jobs section and see how you are connected into opportunities. Ask connections about a position and whether it is part of a corporate growth iniative - maybe other positions to discover.

6. Download the LinkedIn jobs toolbar...search for jobs at these sites as well: Monster, CareerBuilder, HotJobs, Craigslist, SimplyHired, Dice, or Vault

7. Contact with Job Posters - you may be able to provide helpful info to a job poster that will come back later. This can work with lower level jobs e.g. Controller - help the HR person with key factors, regulatory knowledge, interview Questions to ask, salary indicators, even suggest candidates etc.

8. Use the "What are you doing now" feature to let your network know that you are job searching. Update this every Tuesday and Friday.

Lots of ideas, but you do need to work this actively. In future articles we will discuss Using Groups and Searches, and the science of LinkedIn Domination.

David Kirkup is a Partner with B2B CFO^®, and an active networker on LinkedIn. He writes a weekly Blog on financial issues with a British humor slant.

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