Clue Wagon » Finding Job Opportunities

Why Candidate Pipelines Are Good For You

Kerry Scott — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 14:00:41 +0000

A reader writes:

I just had a half-hour phone interview with a recruiter. Right off the bat, she told me that she doesn’t really have a job opening. She’s just building her “pipeline.” I almost hung up. Why do they waste my time like that?

Well, it’s possible that she was wasting your time. I don’t think so, though.

Recruiters build candidate pipelines so that they have people in mind when an opening occurs. For example, when I was working for a brewery, we worked hard to build relationships with all of the people in the brewing industry who might be a fit for the types of jobs we had. Then, when a job became available, we didn’t have to run an ad. We just went to the database and pulled up the people we already knew from our months of relationship building.

This model doesn’t work when the candidate is somehow deceived. If you’re tricked into thinking there’s an opening, that’s not cool. It sounds like this recruiter was up front with you though, in which case there really isn’t a problem. Basically, you’re networking…with someone who fills jobs in your line of work. That’s good for both of you.

I think we’re going to see a lot more of this after the holidays. The economy isn’t good yet, but one of the first glimmers of hope you’ll see is recruiters starting to rebuild candidate pipelines. I’m already hearing about people who are planning to do that in January. That’s good news for all of us.

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How Do I Handle Relocation?

Kerry Scott — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:02:19 +0000

A reader writes:

I’m looking to relocate back to where my family lives. How do I get employers to even consider me when I’m not local? I’m considering using my relative’s address on my resume, but I’ve seen conflicting advice.

I’ve seen conflicting things on this too. My own experience is that I’m not crazy about it when I think a candidate is local, and I call and find that they’re actually across the country and will have to fly in for the interview. I’m not usually averse to doing that, but I like to know it up front. On the flip side, I know from experience that it’s crazy-hard to get a job when you’re not local; I moved from LA to Milwaukee, then Milwaukee to DC, and then DC back to Milwaukee, and it sucked each time. It’s even harder in this economy.

So I think the answer depends on how far away you are, how firm your relocation plans are (do you have a drop-dead date, or are you waiting until you get a job?), and what you’d do once you got the job. I knew someone who was moving from Milwaukee to Minneapolis, and she used her parents’ address up there. She drove up for the interviews, and when she got the job, she stayed with them and started in two weeks just like a local candidate. I’m not sure they EVER realized she wasn’t local. If you’re 3,000 miles away and would need to move a family of six and sell a home and find a piano mover…well, that’s a tougher sell.
It also depends on the market you’re going to. In places where lots of people want to move to (like NYC, DC, LA), employers tend to dismiss anyone who isn’t already local. Here in Milwaukee and in other less glamorous places, employers tend to be a little more open to out-of-state candidates. Your field also matters; if you’re an HR person…well, the world is full of those, so they can find all they need locally. If you’re a chemical engineer who specializes in latex manufacturing, you have some leeway. Most people are somewhere in between.

In some circumstances, you may also be able to leave the address off altogether. This won’t work for jobs where you have to fill out an online application, but if you’re just emailing a resume, you can get a local phone number through Skype, and just use that and your email address on the resume. I always know what’s up when I see resumes like that, but at least it shows me that you’re serious about moving to the area, and not just sending out resumes to every job in the country. If you do this, be sure to explain in your cover letter that you’re looking to move back to be closer to family, because that’s another sign that there’s a reason for your move.

For jobs where you have to provide an address, try using the relative’s address and see if it works in the area and field that you’re targeting. The worst that happens is that they don’t want you…but people who don’t want you when they find out you’re not local are people who probably wouldn’t have wanted you if you’d used your current address anyway, so you’re probably not out much.

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Want to Use Twitter to Job Hunt? Read This First.

Kerry Scott — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:18:45 +0000

Clue Wagon reader and commenter Jessica Lewis has put together a three part series on how to get started on Twitter, and it’s aimed squarely at people who are networking for jobs. If you’ve been putting this off, or if you’re one of the people I was talking about in my post about people who join and then just sit there waiting for lightening to strike, you need to read it immediately. I’ve had a sticky note on my monitor that said “Post about joining Twitter that isn’t stupid” for months, but I haven’t written it. Now I don’t have to, because Jessica did a way better job than I would have. Woo hoo!

On a completely unrelated note, you might also want to check out this post about the six fonts that piss people off. Inexplicably, some people care a lot about what font you use on your resume, as you can see on this discussion on Ask a Manager a while back. It’s weird, but it’s probably important to know, because you never know when you’ll encounter someone who cares. I always recommend Ariel, because I’ve never heard anyone say they hated it, and because it doesn’t get fuzzy if if you photocopy it repeatedly (although that’s no longer a big deal, because people email it around instead of distributing copies).

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Are Graduate Certificates a Ticket to a Career Change?

Kerry Scott — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 13:06:28 +0000

A longtime Clue Wagon reader emailed me this weekend about his situation. His question is the sort where opinions are going to vary, so I offered to put it out there for the group to answer, since many of you are hiring managers, HR people, or just smartiacs in general.

Here’s the situation:

Joe graduated a couple of years ago with a degree in finance. He’s had a job or two with big, well-known companies, and…well, to make a long story short, he’s figured out that neither finance nor corporate life are for him (sometimes newer grads have adjustment issues, but I’ve been talking to this guy for some time, and I agree with his assessment—this just isn’t his cup of tea). Up until now, in his words, he’s “made a lot of choices based on what I felt I should do and not what I wanted to do.”

So Joe’s looking to make a change. He wants to work for a smaller firm, and he wants to do something other than finance. He’s especially targeting at an account manager or business development role with a firm that focuses on web design, web marketing, user experience, etc. He wants to be client-facing, in a tech-related firm. I think he’d be well-suited to this.

He’s already take a couple of post-graduate courses, in web design and project management. His question is this: would a graduate certificate in project management, internet marketing, or business development (from an accredited university) help with the transition? Would it be worth the time and money? Are there other things he can be doing to make this happen?

I’ve already given him my thoughts. What are yours?

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An Application is Not a Marriage Proposal

Kerry Scott — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:02:03 +0000

I just have to get this off my chest:

When you are applying for a job, you are…well, applying for a job. You are not making a lifetime commitment. You are not signing a blood pact. You are not tattooing some guy’s name across your chest. You are not signing over your firstborn. All your application says is, “I’m interested in hearing more about this.” That’s all it is.

This means that you don’t have to decide up front whether you want the job before you even apply. You just need to decide that (a) you need a job, and (b) this might not suck. That’s it.

You can fritter away weeks, even months, waiting for the perfect job to be posted on some job board…just so you can apply. Here’s what’s going to happen then: a thousand other people will apply too. Then you’ll spend the next couple of months make yourself crazy by checking your email every four minutes. Odds are you won’t get the job, because a thousand people is a lot. Then you’ll be crushed, and you’ll feel like a loser, and that feeling will make it even harder for you to beat the odds the next time a perfect job comes along. In the meantime, you’ll starve to death, because perfect jobs are pretty hard to come by (and they’re rarely posted on job boards). That’s why they invented the lottery.

You don’t find a spouse by dating only people you are 100% sure you would want to marry. You find a spouse by meeting lots of people. Otherwise, you end up either alone or married to the wrong person (usually, and I’m sure there are exceptions, but they mostly happen on compounds in the western United States, before the government agents arrive). The same is true for finding a job. You have to kiss a lot of frogs to find a prince (or princess, or whatever you’re into).

Oh, and here’s another clue: The one you think you really, really want might actually suck. Once I got a job at a place that is a major “employer of choice” in my town. Everyone was envious. Getting that job was like getting into Harvard. Then I started the job, and I hated it. Taking a new job is always a gamble, even after a bunch of interviews. If you think you can tell the good from the sucky just by reading the ad, you’re either crazy or psychic. My money’s on crazy.

There’s no perfect job. There are only jobs that suck and jobs that don’t. Most jobs don’t suck harder than unemployment.

Apply. Get out there. The worst that can happen is that you get some interview experience, and find out where you DON’T want to work. That’s useful information that helps you find the job that suits you. Don’t apply for jobs that are a crazy stretch, but if there’s a reasonable chance that you’re qualified, go for it.

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“Would this annoy you?” Yes. Yes it would.

Kerry Scott — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 11:18:43 +0000

A loyal Clue Wagon reader sent me a link to this article, asking, “As a recruiter, would this annoy you?”

Yes. Someone calling me at the end of a meeting when I have to pee, to recite a script that says…what? “Please hire me, because I’m really sick of being unemployed, and I’m really fabulous?” Yep, that would be annoying.

I see these articles a lot. In fact, they’re one of the reasons I started this blog. And the thing is, the advice isn’t really too far off the mark. I mean, you can’t just apply and wait for something to happen. You have to make contact. But this article is missing a few key points:

Phone calls suck. I’ve said this before: a telephone is an inherently rude instrument. You’re busy doing something, and suddenly a loud bell rings, and you’re supposed to drop everything because it was a good time for someone else to talk. That’s a flawed concept. That’s why email was invented. If you want to cold-call complete strangers, cold email them instead. At least then there’s some chance that you won’t annoy the crap out of them, that they’ll remember your name, and that they’ll be able to actually respond to you. I don’t have time to talk to people when I’m running from one meeting to another, but I have time to respond to emails at 5am (when I can’t call, because it’s too early). The email candidates get a response. The phone candidates probably won’t.
Scripts suck. Have you ever received a call from a telemarketer? They have scripts too, and they’re annoying. Most people aren’t good at delivering a script. That’s another reason email works better than phone calls. I’m a fan of having a few key bullet points written out to help keep you on track during difficult conversations. But scripts? Nope. Additionally, what are you going to say that’s going to make me want to throw out my current hiring process and just pick you instead? Even if the hiring process is bad, most people aren’t going to admit it that easily.
Everyone’s doing this. The economy is bad, and it has been for a while. That means salespeople aren’t making sales. Do you know what salespeople do? They cold call. The HR people I know aren’t answering their phones at all anymore, because they’re being bombarded with cold calls from desperate salespeople. Do you really want to get into that mix? Because if you think you’re the only one calling to say you want something, you’re crazy.
“Key hiring positions” are relative. I hope the book spells out that someone in a “key hiring position” is a hiring manager, not an HR person. Remember, HR people don’t hire (unless the job is in the HR department). Hiring managers hire. That’s why they’re called “hiring managers.”
It’s a whole lot of peddling in the wrong direction. You’re supposed to do in-depth research to find all of these names of people to call, and “the point is not to know them personally, just [to get names of] people to call.” That’s a lot of work just to get 50 names so you can get one interview (and really, I think that’s an incredibly optimistic ratio). What if you put that same effort into building a network so you DID know someone personally? Because cold calling doesn’t get you a job. Warm calling gets you a job. Spend your time building your network so that when you put a message out to everyone you know saying, “Does anyone have a contact at Acme Corporation?” someone does. THAT’S a good use of your time.

Don’t get me wrong—there are a few things about this message that are dead on. I agree that you have to be aggressive about looking for a job. I agree that you have to talk to a lot of people. I definitely agree that you have to be prepared for rejection, and that you can’t let all that rejection get you down. It’s part of the job of finding a job.

In terms of the mechanics of how this is supposed to work, though, I have to ask: Do you like getting calls from telemarketers? Do you buy what they’re selling? Because this approach boils down to the same concept…calling a bunch of people hoping someone will bite. That plays to your desire to DO something to alleviate your frustration, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to a job. Putting that same about of effort into a more targeted approach will get you back to work much faster.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I haven’t read the book in question…just the blog post I linked to above. I tried to find the book, but they didn’t have it at my nearest giant two-story bookstore, and my local library didn’t have it either. I didn’t think I knew the author of the book, but in trying to find his company’s website or something else to tell me about his background, I found his LinkedIn profile. Apparently we worked for the same company at the same time. I worked in Milwaukee, and he evidently worked in Chicago. I don’t remember him, and I don’t think we ever met (although I suck at remembering stuff like that, so if he reads this: Sorry dude. Nothing personal. I’m bad at remembering stuff like that). I avoided going to Chicago whenever possible, and I was on maternity leave for a big chunk of his time there, so I don’t really know anything about him. His LinkedIn profile appears to be incomplete, and I couldn’t find a company website for him.

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6 Things I’ve Been Meaning to Tell You About

Kerry Scott — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:55:06 +0000

I had intended to do a longer post today, but it’s my kid’s 4th birthday. I gave her a set of Little House on the Prairie dolls, and now I am going to spend my morning helping the Pa doll build a log cabin on the prairie of our family room using Lincoln Logs. Try not to be consumed with envy.

So here are some links I’ve been meaning to pass on to you:

Cheezhead recently posted about the latest accessory for the unemployed: bracelets and t-shirts that proclaim your need for a job. While I’m down with the idea that you really have to leave no stone unturned in looking for leads, I am not sure I’d have the nerve to actually wear these. Unemployment is hard enough on your self-esteem.
Jennifer McClure from Cincy Recruiter’s World just spotlighted a post by Boolean Black Belt on how to find a job using LinkedIn. You need to read this right now. Seriously, don’t come back here until you’ve read the whole thing.
The Simple Dollar had a post a while back on whether you can really earn money using Amazon’s MTurk. If you’re looking for some extra cash, this might be worth checking out.
The Wall Street Journal recently had an article pointing out that even in this job market, employers are far more interested in hiring people who still have jobs than those who don’t. This is why you have to build your network long before you lose your job. It’s one of those things you tend to want to put off as long as possible. Please don’t be that stupid.
Alison Green from Ask a Manager writes a weekly column for U.S. News on career issues. They’re all good, but this one on the #1 question your resume should answer was one of her best. If you do this, you’ll have a great resume.
One thing about unemployed people is that they like to start blogs. I’ve had a few questions lately about how to do that, which amuses me, because clearly this is not my area of expertise. If it was, this blog would look a lot fancier, and there would be no mention of things like Little House on the Prairie dolls. If you’re looking to start a blog, you should check out Anna’s new series at ABDPBT Tech. It’s a step-by-step guide from the truly-beginner level on up. I’ve learned all kinds of stuff (I haven’t applied it all, because, alas, I’m a little lazy. But it’s all on the to-do list, and when it starts snowing here, I’m going to get busy.).

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to figure out how to make a Tonka truck look like a covered wagon.

Photo by hern42

As always, thanks to Anna at ABDPBT, who started the Fighting Listlessness on Mondays trend in blogging. Anna’s blog isn’t about job hunting; it’s about other, way more interesting things. I highly recommend it.

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8 Ways to Tell Whether That Ad on Craigslist is Bogus

Kerry Scott — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 11:00:20 +0000

I subscribe to job postings on a number of freelance job boards (Guru, Elance, iFreelance, etc.). Guess what job I see posted far more often than any other?

Craigslist Poster.

These scammers are looking to hire someone (usually for the equivalent of about $2/hour) to post the same ads on Craigslist over and over. The qualifications generally include something along the lines of being able to have the posting last for at least a couple of hours before it’s reported as spam. I see probably 5-10 of these gigs per day, just on the few sites where I have subscriptions.

On the flip side, I also s ubscribe via RSS to the Craigslist job postings for Milwaukee. I think I see maybe one legitimate job opening every two weeks (and most of those are for babysitters). I’m hearing from a number of people who are fairly new on the job market and are finding it difficult to determine which Craigslist postings are scams. Here are some clues:

The English is lousy. If the word choice and sentence structure seem odd, that’s a clue. Companies (usually) have people with reasonably decent writing skills handle their job postings. If you’re seeing something where the language is noticeably weird, it was probably posted by one of those $2/hour overseas freelancers.
There’s a bunch of jibberish at the bottom. If you ever open any of your spam email, you’ll sometimes see a couple of sentences about whatever they’re selling (Viagra, credit repair, some weird berry that’s supposed to make you skinny). Then, a couple of lines down, there’s a string of random words. That’s there to try and beat spam filters, and they use it for the same reason on Craigslist. Legitimate employers with legitimate job postings do not need spam-filter-beating crap at the bottom of an ad.
The email address doesn’t match a company. If there’s an email address listed, it should be somebody@realcompanyname.com. If it’s a web-based email address (like somebody@gmail.com), beware. Even independent recruiters (good ones anyway) have a professional-looking email address, because it doesn’t cost much to get your own domain name. There are few good reasons to use a disposable email address in an ad, so real companies almost never do.
It’s a work-at-home job. If there were lots of legitimate jobs you could do at home, I’d be doing them, instead of writing this blog post. There aren’t. In fact, there are hardly any. If this job involves working at home, everything else about it needs to scream legitimacy. In one full year of monitoring the Milwaukee Craigslist postings, I’ve never seen a valid work-at-home opportunity.
The pay is whacked out. Lately I’ve seen a posting come up repeatedly for a recruiter job. It requires little experience, you can do it from home, and it pays $75,000/year. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Employers don’t post high pay in ads (on Craigslist or anywhere else) because it just increases the number of unqualified applicants to sort through. They only post when the pay is LOW, to ensure that you know that it’s low up front and don’t waste their time applying if you won’t work for the wage they’re offering. High pay listed on any job posting is a huge red flag.
There’s no real company name. If you can’t tell who the employer is, there probably isn’t one. If it’s a name you don’t recognize, Google it and find out who these people are before you apply. Legitimate employers don’t have a reason to hide their identify from you. Back in the day, employers occasionally ran blind ads when they planned to fire someone and needed to find a replacement first. Now employers can easily fill those jobs by networking, so they don’t need blind ads anymore.
They just want your click. Postings with very vague details and few job requirements that ask you to “click here for more info” are almost always scams. They just want to get you to click through to their website so they can work you over. Real employers have no reason to do this, so they’ll post their full ad right there on Craigslist.
It’s open in other cities. If you find a posting that, after all this, still looks legit, check Craigslist for other cities. Scammers often post the same ad in multiple cities (in fact, I’ve noticed that they usually post in alphabetical order, which is kind of funny). That $75,000/year recruiter job has appeared in every city I’ve checked, over and over, for weeks now. There are some jobs for which you’d have a good reason to post in multiple locations, but if you find the exact same wording for the same administrative assistant job, that’s a clue right there.

Bottom line—be careful out there. If you have any doubts about an opening, proceed with caution…and remember that there is NEVER a reason to give out your Social Security number, date of birth, or driver’s license number to anyone unless you’ve had an in-person interview.

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LinkedIn 101: Getting Fancy

Kerry Scott — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 12:01:04 +0000

This is the last installment in our series on using LinkedIn to find job opportunities. On Monday we talked about how to get started. Tuesday we focused on making connections. Wednesday we explored how to participate in LinkedIn groups. Today we’ll wrap up with information on some of LinkedIn’s other features, like profile pictures, recommendations, and status updates. If you’re digging the series and want to make sure you don’t miss out on other stuff like this, you can subscribe to Clue Wagon via RSS and get posts delivered right to your desktop. If that’s too fancy, you can also subscribe via email.

A big round of applause for our special guest stars this week:

Jennifer McClure, Vice President at Centennial, Inc. Jennifer blogs at CincyRecruiter and at Fistful of Talent. You can also follow her on Twitter at @cincyrecruiter.
Betsy Curtin, Executive Recruiter for Outdoor, Sport and Lifestyle Brands at plum. Her You can follow Betsy on Twitter at @betsycurtin.

Let’s go!

Do I need a profile picture?

JENNIFER: I’d suggest adding a Profile picture. It’s 2009 and the internet/social networking is all about transparency, blah, blah, blah…. More and more, it likely makes you look like someone who is “not current” if you don’t include a professional headshot on your LinkedIn profile. (Note – I said professional headshot – not a picture of your dog, your family, a Second Life avatar, etc.). It’s helpful in appearing approachable and can be helpful in connecting with people out and about in the “real world”. In the answer above, I mentioned using your LinkedIn profile as your “on-line marketing brochure” and the most effective marketing brochures include pictures of the product instead of just words.

BETSY: This is a tough one! I don’t think you need one, but I LOVE the pictures! Last year, I was at a tradeshow, and someone came up to me and said, “Are you Betsy Curtin?” And I’m thinking, “uh oh, should I know you?” And she could obviously see that I didn’t know her, and she said, “I’m Christina, we are friends on LinkedIn; and I wanted to introduce myself.” She recognized me from my profile picture! Crazy, right?

So, while I don’t think you need a picture, they help!

KERRY’S NOTE: I’ve been resisting the entire picture movement in social media for a long time, because I HATE having my picture taken. I am definitely not America’s Next Top Model. The thing is, Jennifer and Betsy are right…people feel more comfortable working with you online if they can see what you look like. So now I’m adding photos (at least to a few places I frequent, like Twitter and the About page on this blog). I’m still a little crabby about it, but resistance is futile in things like this, and as Jennifer points out, it can make you look out of touch. That’s not good.

Do I need recommendations? What’s the etiquette on asking for them?

JENNIFER: Recommendations are nice and the more you have, the higher you’ll show up in search results. When you do a search on LinkedIn, Profiles are indexed by level of completeness, number of connections and recommendations. It’s also a nice touch and adds some perceived credibility to your Profile. Good Recruiters will think that your Recommendations are nice, but they’ll still contact others who can speak about your professional history. It’s kind of a “check the box” thing. They’re a nice add, but I don’t think that people take points off if you don’t have any Recommendations. However, if you’re a Service Provider, then Recommendations are extra helpful because people can search LinkedIn for Service Providers. You’ll show up higher in the search results based upon the number of Recommendations you have—which could likely lead to business opportunities.

As for asking for Recommendations, I’d only ask people that you know well and those that can provide real feedback on your actual work performance. Also, if you’re going to ask for Recommendations, then do it over time—so all of your Recommendations don’t show up on your Profile on the same day. If a person has 10 Recommendations all written within a few days of each other, then I can probably assume that they asked for them. Again, I won’t take points off for that, but it’s certainly nicer to think that your Recommendations were written as a result of someone’s high opinion of you, versus you asking for it.

A good way to get some Recommendations without asking for them is to write some. Typically, if you recommend someone, they will recommend you back. Makes you feel better that way.

BETSY: I don’t really like the recommendations feature. When I’m recruiting, and check someone out on LinkedIn, I don’t read their recommendations. Why? Well, for instance, I know of a few people who gave each other glowing recommendations and it was all BS. I know not all recommendations on LinkedIn are written by people 2 feet away from each other saying, “Hey, if you write a recommendation for me, I’ll write one for you.” But I still don’t trust them as a reference.

KERRY’S NOTE: I’ve already talked about why I hate them. That’s really the only thing about LinkedIn I don’t like.

How does the status update thing work? Will I look like a teenybopper if I use it?

JENNIFER: In my opinion, the LinkedIn Status Update is one of the most powerful parts of LinkedIn (used wisely). LinkedIn isn’t Facebook or Twitter, so I’d recommend keeping it professional and posting only Status Updates that support your professional brand. Post about events that you’re attending so people in your network will know that you’re going/may meet up with you there. Share a link to something you found interesting in your industry or profession (establish credibility). Ask a question of your network. Promote your stuff—blog posts, events, products, etc.—but do it in a way that’s not irritating. (Practice the art of subtlety). Resist the temptation to post or comment on items not related to work. Take that stuff to Twitter and share it with the world.

BETSY: You’ll look like a teenybopper if you post something every 5 minutes that reads, “In line to get Jonas brothers tickets!!” I like reading updates that are related to my networks’ careers, something they are reading, or if they are going to a conference, etc. Since I’m a recruiter, in the outdoor/sport industries, I also love when people post updates on new adventures, such as, “Got away from my desk today and hiked 18 miles in Sonoma!” When I see something like that, I email that connection and engage in a conversation. I’ll say, “Where did you hike?” and that usually starts a great dialog!

Photo by D. Sharon Pruitt

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LinkedIn 101: Using Groups

Kerry Scott — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 11:00:31 +0000

This is part three in our series on using LinkedIn to find job opportunities. On Monday we talked about how to get started. Yesterday we focused on making connections. Tomorrow we’ll wrap up with information on some of LinkedIn’s other features, like profile pictures, recommendations, and status updates. If you want to make sure you don’t miss a post, you can subscribe to Clue Wagon via RSS and get posts delivered right to your desktop. If that’s too fancy, you can also subscribe via email.

Our special guest stars are:

Jennifer McClure, Vice President at Centennial, Inc. Jennifer blogs at CincyRecruiter and at Fistful of Talent. You can also follow her on Twitter at @cincyrecruiter.
Betsy Curtin, Executive Recruiter for Outdoor, Sport and Lifestyle Brands at plum. Her You can follow Betsy on Twitter at @betsycurtin.

Here we go!

Okay, so I am a huge Minnesota Twins fan, but how will joining the Twins Fan LinkedIn group help my career?

JENNIFER: Joining a LinkedIn group (in general) could be helpful in a number of ways. Most important is the ability to network, find resources and share information with other like-minded individuals in the “Discussions” tab. Much like LinkedIn Answers, you can ask and answer questions in an effective way – typically focused around the purpose of the Group. There’s also a “News” tab where you can share or read links to articles or blog posts (again likely related to the Group’s purpose). Posting/answering Discussions and News items could help you in establishing some expertise or relationships with other Group members and those relationships could develop into business opportunities.

When you join a LinkedIn Group, you also get to display the Group badge on your Profile, so others can see your areas of interest or affiliations. You may be surprised to find that others noting that you’re a Twins fan becomes a connection point and opportunity to establish a potential relationship or conversation. For example, a Recruiter who has looked at your Profile and contacted you about a job opportunity may be able to build some rapport and start the conversation with you by connecting on your shared love of the Twins.

BETSY: Maybe. But are you joining that group to help with your career? Or to commiserate with like-minded individuals? In my opinion, if you are a marketing maven in the outdoor industries, and you are looking for a job in outdoor or action sport, you should join groups where you can talk shop—Like Action & Sport Innovators. You can join discussions around current topics, or start discussions in an area where you can give an opinion that is related to your skill sets and strengths and hopefully get noticed by colleagues. If you are a die-hard Twins fan, and want to rally around Morneau getting to the All-Star game, then, join the Twins fan group!

KERRY’S NOTE: Twins fans are 27% cooler than regular people. Go Twins!

What are the recommended guidelines for joining groups? I don’t want to be a group whore but I want to join enough groups to help my exposure and networking.

JENNIFER: I’d recommend joining only groups that reflect well on your “personal brand”. For example, if you’re in HR, join HR-related groups—not only for the networking and resources you can tap into, but it helps to “brand” your LinkedIn Profile as an HR professional. As for other groups, adding a few related to your hobbies or interests won’t hurt (and could increase your opportunity to network with others), but make sure you’ve got a nice mix of professional Groups to your credit before adding those. You can join up to 50 Groups and there’s no real reason not to, but I’d recommend having a plan or purpose for joining each one.

If you don’t find the content shared or networking valuable in a Group, it’s easy to “un-join”. Also, if you’re in recruiting, it’s pretty common to join Groups where potential candidates may be members because you can communicate directly with others in shared Groups who are not a 1^st degree connection without having to have a paid account. Once a Recruiter has completed a search, they may drop out of a Group in order to be able to join another and stay under the 50 Group limit. Typically, you can re-join a Group at any time.

BETSY: I think you should join groups that are interesting to you, and have some correlation to your career. And when you join a group, participate in the discussions because that is the only way you’ll get exposure.

How much should I participate in groups? Is just joining them enough or do I need to respond to questions and other posts?

JENNIFER: Participating in Groups is a great way to connect with others and build relationships. If you’re regularly answering questions within the group and sharing your expertise, you’ll quickly be branded as a “go-to” person, which could turn into business or job opportunities. Similarly, asking great questions or sharing helpful resources can add to your professional reputation as well. Lurking within Groups is certainly okay, but just like an in-person networking function, the most value is going to be gained by participating and joining in the “conversation”!

KERRY’S NOTE: Betsy’s company blog, ripe, has a blog post that tells you more about growing your network in general, and another on growing it through LinkedIn Groups. Jennifer’s blog, CincyRecruiter, has a excellent post on just about everything you can think of related to using LinkedIn to find a job.

Photo by Yodel Anecdotal

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