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Have LinkedIn, Will Network
By: Katherine Davis, BGS Communications Associate
 Job seekers can hardly find any sort of professional advice without coming across the term "networking." Certainly, people have been reaching out to useful contacts, dropping important names of reference and asking to have their names mentioned for as long as jobs have existed. Today, a large part of this networking takes place via the web, and for companies, recruiters and job-hunters alike, LinkedIn has become the site of most potential value.
With its professional format, career-oriented groups and a tool that allows application directly through the site, the LinkedIn community continues to expand both in its members and significance.
Tony Melo (BGS 2011, Quinnipac University), the director of business intelligence at Tricore Solutions, has been recruiting soon-to-be-grads for positions with his company. While he says he's come across some excellent candidates, he's sometimes taken aback by students' unpreparedness—particularly, from those who know nothing about LinkedIn.
"I'm still finding quite a few [candidates] who do not have accounts," said Melo. "You want to build a network. I always look for the applicants on LinkedIn because I want to see who they are. My attitude is, 'Here's my background, and you can see who I am. Now, tell me who you are.'"
But out of the numerous resumes and cover letters he receives, he says a small minority of their respective owners actually have accounts.
"You have a suit, you have a resume…you should have a LinkedIn account."
Still, most career experts believe there is more to networking than just the social media world. After LinkedIn introduced its apply-online tool last summer, Forbes reporter Susan Adams mentioned both the importance of using the site and continuing to physically reach out to potential workplaces and employers.
"For job seekers, I'd say staying active on LinkedIn is a necessity…But don't get too excited about using the 'Apply' button, especially when it comes to tapping your network. Do reach out to any connections you have at a company where you want to work, but use the personal touch, and email your contact directly, or better yet, pick up the phone."
Even Melo admits that, after meeting a job candidate in person, he is more likely to remember that individual and, hopefully, remember him or her positively.
"If I meet someone first-hand and in person, I generally give [him or her] the benefit of the doubt," said Melo. "There's importance there. When you have job fairs or informational sessions that you can attend, make sure you go and introduce yourself first. That's huge."
While we are undoubtedly in a "brave new world" of job-networking and exposure, it seems that the weight placed upon hand-written notes, direct phone calls and in-person meetings has not gone away—in fact, for some employers, these increasingly unique forms of communication have gained all the more value.
In her post titled, "3 Clever Ways to Get in Front of Someone You Admire," top-blogger and social media-savvy publisher Marian Schembari, or "MarianLibrarian" to her readers, made a clever point about the number of letters compared to emails that a person usually receives.
"Want to know how many handwritten notes I've received this year? One. From my grandma on Christmas. Want to know how many notes that industry idol of yours has probably received? One. From their grandma on Christmas…How many emails do you think they've received this year asking for some favor/coffee/Skype/interview? A million billion, that's how many."
John Sowers, president of Marvel Consultants, Inc. believes that, whether via a LinkedIn message or a phone call, the goal of networking is to reach the person behind the posting.
"The feel of a work culture and an employee's place within it is often even more important to companies than it is to job seekers," Sowers explained. "They want to find 'the person'—someone who won't feel culture shock and who, especially as a manager, can easily gain trust with current employees. That's why an employer is likely to call up his colleague, 'Jeff,' to see if he knows anyone he'd recommend."
He reminds job seekers that, through all types of successful networking, the goal is to establish relationships.
"It's not about the bits and bytes. It's about the person." |
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