Clue Wagon » Networking

7 Things You Need to Know About References

Kerry Scott — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:00:28 +0000

Employment verification and reference checking are two different things. Employment verification means contacting your former employers and verifying your title, salary, and dates of employment. Checking references means calling people and asking whether you were a good employee. Nearly every company I’ve worked for conducted employment verifications, but only a third or so checked references. Some people feel that it’s a waste of time to call the people you list on your application, because of course they’re going to say nice things about you. Duh. That’s why you listed them. Occasionally you get one who goes rogue, but not often.
Calls don’t mean you’re getting the job. Lately I’m hearing about more and more instances where companies are checking references for two or more finalists, instead of just the one they intend to hire. I think this stems from the idea that there are so many good candidates out there that employers can now be extremely choosy, and can take their time in making a hire. I had a company recently call me about someone who worked for me in my last job. The call was about 25 minutes long, and they apparently called her other three references as well…so they invested about two hours. In the end, they picked their other finalist (which is their loss, because this employee was one of the best I’ve ever had, and they are idiots for not hiring her, because she is a star). Be excited when you hear that they’re calling your references…but not too excited.
They can call anyone they want, whenever they want. I chuckle when I hear candidates saying something like, “They called so-and-so and asked about me. Isn’t that illegal?” Of course not. It’s not illegal to ask someone about you. Nobody needs permission to say, “Hey, you worked with Joe, right? What’d you think of him?” That release you sign on the back the application is designed to protect the reference-giver, not the reference-checker. It’s mostly used for the employment verification, not the references (because most companies aren’t going to give out your dates of employment/title/salary without written permission from you). Since the references you give them are almost always people you’ve lined up to say nice things about you, any smart hiring person is going to want to use her own contacts to find out more about you. The higher up the position is, the more likely they’re going to ask around. If you haven’t sucked or treated people poorly, you probably have nothing to worry about.
They can ask anything they want. Companies and individuals can decide what they want to answer…but the hiring company can ask anything. It’s illegal to use the answer if the answer indicates your membership in a protected class (religion, national origin, etc.), but it’s not illegal to ask. The person giving the answers can also say anything, as long as it’s true. If you got fired, they can say so. If you were late 32 times in six months, you can say so. If you quit by telling the supervisor to f-off and throwing your ID badge at him (true story), they can say so. Negative references are not illegal, as long as the information is true.
Bad references are not as common as you think. I occasionally hear from people who think the reason they haven’t gotten a job is because their former boss is badmouthing them. It’s possible that this happens, but I have never, ever seen a case where a former supervisor has preemptively called around and said that an employee was bad. Never. I’ve had bad references occasionally, but they’ve never been unsolicited. The bad references are not super common either, because nobody wants to get sued, and even if what they’re saying about an employee is true, to have to prove it in court is an expensive, time-consuming venture. Bad references happen, but they’re not nearly as common as people think. It’s far more likely that you didn’t get the job because there was another candidate they thought was a better fit.
You need to make sure your peeps are reachable. It’s up to you to know how best to reach your references. That means you need to check in with them BEFORE you hit the reference stage, and ask them how best to reach them during the next couple of weeks (cell phone? work phone? email? any vacations coming up?). You should also let them know the name of the company and what the job entails, so that they recognize the call when it comes. I don’t typically answer my home phone if I don’t recognize the number, but I will dive over my kids to pick it up if the caller ID shows that it’s a company that has recently interviewed someone for whom I’m providing a reference.
The web is a reference. I’m pretty sure everyone who reads this blog is smart enough to know this already, but just in case: employers will Google you. If they can look at your Facebook page, they will. They’ll read your tweets. Whether employers SHOULD do this or not is a separate issue, but trust me, they do. If you’ve said stupid things, stop saying them, and delete them where you can. Use the privacy settings (especially on Facebook). Make sure the username for your favorite amateur porn site isn’t the same as the username for your email (another true story). The web is a bad place to say and do things you don’t want potential employers to know. You don’t need to hide who you are, but you do need to exercise some common sense.

DISCLAIMER: This is not legal advice. I am not a lawyer. You should only take legal advice from real lawyers whose real lawyerhood you have verified with the Bar Association in your state. Don’t take legal advice from from some blog you found on the internet. Duh.

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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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“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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How Not to Handle LinkedIn Recommendations

Kerry Scott — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:38:36 +0000

Here’s a clue:

Before you ask someone for a LinkedIn recommendation, scroll down to the bottom of their profile.

See the part where it says, “Interested In” and then a bunch of stuff like career opportunities, getting back in touch, and so forth? That’s important. Read that carefully.

If you don’t see “Reference Requests” as one of the things the person is “Interested In,” it means they’re not open to receiving reference requests via LinkedIn. They specifically went to the trouble of unchecking that box. Not everyone participates in stuff like that. It’s a free country.

So you definitely shouldn’t request a reference from that person six times. In fact, if you’re requested a reference six times from anyone, and they haven’t provided it, it means they’re not going to recommend you.

Just sayin’.

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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!

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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.

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LinkedIn 101: Making Connections

Kerry Scott — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 11:00:33 +0000

This is part two in our series on using LinkedIn effectively. Yesterday we talked about how to get started. Tomorrow we’ll focus on the effective use of LinkedIn Groups. On Thursday 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 resident experts and super-generous contributors 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.

So let’s talk about making connections!

Is there such thing as too many connections? Should I only connect to people I knew well? What if a potential employer is looking at my profile and doesn’t like one of the people I’m connected to?

JENNIFER: Your connection strategy will likely depend upon how you plan to use LinkedIn. If you’re planning to use LinkedIn to find trusted connections to opportunities, your best bet is to connect only with those that you know personally. That way, if you find a person that your connection knows whom you’d like to be introduced to, they should be able to do that for you without any problem. Likewise, you’ll likely only receive Introduction Requests from your friends and personal contacts – which can be very helpful.

On the other hand, you may choose to have a larger network and connect with more people – many of whom you don’t know, or don’t know well. LinkedIn wasn’t created with this in mind, but many people certainly have gravitated in that direction. Some of the pros of a larger network include the ability to use your “Status Update” to communicate a message/promote yourself or your services to a wider audience. Also, if you’re using LinkedIn to search for people (for example like a recruiter or business development person would do), then the information you’re able to access is more complete the larger your network is. Some of the cons of a larger network include receiving Introduction Requests and requests in general from people that you don’t know well enough to recommend. Plus, they’re using LinkedIn to promote themselves too and the noise on your Network Updates page can get overwhelming (although you can choose what information you want to see/not see on your Home Page in the Accounts & Settings section).

In general, LinkedIn suggests you need around 70 contacts to be able to effectively use LinkedIn search, etc. so a larger network isn’t necessary unless it’s helpful for you to be able to communicate what you’re doing to a larger group of people.

As for an employer looking at your profile and seeing that you’re connected to a person they don’t like? Do you really want to work there? Plus, they’ll only be able to see your connections if they are a 1^st degree connection to you (one of you has invited the other and accepted).

BETSY: I think this depends on your purpose for being on LinkedIn. As a recruiter that works with outdoor, sport and lifestyle brands, I connect with everyone/anyone who could be a potential candidate. And most of the people who connect with me, are either looking for a job now, or understand the value of connecting with a recruiter for future opportunities. Not every connection leads to something right away—building a network is a long term strategy.

And if you want to keep your connections private, so a potential employer can’t see who you are connected to, you can do that! It’s in the privacy settings. You can share your network or keep it private.

It’s awkward to try to connect to people I haven’t kept in touch with. What’s the best way to do that?

JENNIFER: First – make sure there’s a reason to connect with them. If so, then ALWAYS write a personalized invitation and let them know how you know them/why you would like to connect with them. You may even want to send them an email outside of LinkedIn first to ask if they’d like to connect. Since you don’t know them well (or haven’t maintained your relationship well), you don’t know what their LinkedIn connection strategy is. They may only want to connect to people they know well (and have stayed in contact with) and you risk that they might click the dreaded “I Don’t Know This Person” button on your invitation. If you send invitations to 5 people who click IDK, then your LinkedIn account will be suspended, and you’ll have to beg forgiveness from the LinkedIn Gods to be reinstated.

BETSY: Just do it! Send then a connection request—”Hey Sally, I know we haven’t been in touch in a while, but I saw that you are on LinkedIn, and would love to reconnect with you!”

If it’s someone you don’t know really well, but you worked together 10 years ago, remind them why you know them. Most of the time people will connect, because they want to grow their networks, too.

KERRY’S NOTE: In my experience, people are on LinkedIn because they want to connect with people, either to find a job or to get business (or some variation on those two things). As long as you have some reasonable connection with the person and you remind them what it is, most people are going to want to connect with you too. After all, you both benefit from having a larger network rather than a smaller one. It’s easy to say, “I feel so bad, I haven’t kept in touch with this person I was friendly with years ago…” but the fact is that they’re probably feeling equally guilty about losing touch. Somebody has to make the first move, and it might as well be you. I’ve actually reconnected with some long-lost friends via LinkedIn, which is always cool.

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LinkedIn 101: Getting Started

Kerry Scott — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 11:00:40 +0000

It’s LinkedIn Week on Clue Wagon. I’ve received a lot of questions from readers and friends lately on how to effectively use LinkedIn to connect with people who can help in your job search. It’s been over a year since I used LinkedIn from the recruiting side of the desk, so I wanted to talk to some experts who are currently using this tool to find candidates. Two people very generously offered to spend time answering a bunch of questions from readers. They 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.

Today we’ll focus on the very basics. On Tuesday, we’ll talk about managing your connections. Wednesday we’ll focus on the effective use of LinkedIn Groups. On Thursday 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. You just have to promise you’ll come back and comment, because otherwise I get lonely.

Let’s get started!

How much detail about my various positions should I include in my profile? Should it be the same as my resume, or just the title and dates of employment?

JENNIFER: If you’re trying to be found, then you’ll want to include enough information to be of interest to those searching for you. Use keywords throughout your Profile and think about the words or terms someone searching for you within LinkedIn would be using. Including much of the same information from your resume is okay, but I’d suggest using a more narrative form to appear approachable and interesting. Your LinkedIn Profile is your “on-line marketing brochure”. If you were handing a brochure to someone describing your product (you), it hopefully wouldn’t be written like a resume. It would be written to engage the recipient and entice them to “buy”. Write your LinkedIn profile like a marketer would.

BETSY: Tell enough information to pique someone’s interest, but don’t give it all away! I think you should include company name, your title and dates of employment (month/year) and then include 2-3 of your major responsibilities. Keep it short enough that people will read it, but juicy enough that they want to read it.

KERRY’S NOTE: Keep in mind that people will compare the resume and your LinkedIn profile to make sure they sync up. Kris Dunn at HR Capitalist had a great piece on why LinkedIn profiles are more accurate than resumes.

I’ve spent a whole week connecting to people, joining groups and setting up a rock star profile. Now what?

JENNIFER: Spend some time with LinkedIn each day or a few times a week. Check the Status Updates, Profile Updates and activities of those in your network on your Home Page. Respond to their Status Updates, congratulate them on their new job when they update their Profile, etc. You can also see who the people you know are connecting to and you may find some contacts that you’d also like to connect to or get an Introduction to them from your contact.

In general, don’t create your LinkedIn profile and neglect it. Use LinkedIn as a way to stay connected to those in your network, share what you’re doing, and to find contacts, resources and information.

BETSY: Now, it’s time for you to help your network. You know the saying, “Give and you shall receive.” Well, I find that is true for LinkedIn, too. If someone in your network asks to be introduced to someone, introduce them. If they ask you to forward a connection request, forward it.

Log in to LinkedIn daily, check your networks’ status updates – if you notice someone got a promotion, or took a new job, congratulate them. Each time you initiate contact you increase your goodwill with your connections.

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What AOL Taught Me About Using Social Networking to Find a Job

Kerry Scott — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:51:11 +0000

Photo by D. Sharon Pruitt

Yesterday, I talked about how you can use social media tools like Twitter to build a network. Building a network helps you find a job, because you have more people to call upon for help. That’s good. Building a network is an ongoing project though, and sometimes you need a specific, targeted approach at the time an opportunity presents itself.

Back in the mid-1990s, I was about to graduate with a degree in political science. I had dreams of working on Capitol Hill or the White House. I was living in Milwaukee, and I planned to move to Washington, DC as soon as I graduated. I didn’t know a soul there, and I certainly didn’t know anyone who worked on Capitol Hill, so I needed to find a way to break in.

The internet was really in its infancy then, but AOL was huge. You could search for other AOL users via their profile, and back in those days everyone filled out their profile completely, because Dateline NBC hadn’t told us about internet stalkers yet. I searched for people who worked on Capitol Hill, and came up with about 15 of them whose profiles seemed friendly. I sent them an email that read something like this:

Dear HillGirl96,

I’m a political science student in Milwaukee, and I’m writing to ask for your help.

I’m planning to move to DC in August. I’m looking for insight into what it’s like to work on Capitol Hill—what you like about your job, what you hate, how you got your start, etc. I could also use some help in figuring out where in the DC area I should live, since I’ve never been there.

If you’d be willing to do a sort of informational interview via email, I would really appreciate it. Any insight you can provide would be a huge help.

Thanks!

Of the 15 people I emailed, 13 responded with helpful information. In fact, I met some great people through this exercise, a few of them turned into good friends. I also got amazing insight into what it would be like to work on Capitol Hill, and tons of help in getting interviews.

This approach still works. If you can find people on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. who work for the company you want, you can cold-email them and ask for help. There are a few rules to this:

Keep it short. You want to be considerate of people’s time.
Try not to sound like that Nigerian prince who wants money. Make it clear what you’re looking for, and make sure it doesn’t look or sound like spam. If you don’t, they’ll delete it without even reading it. The landscape has changed a lot since the AOL days, and people are more suspicious than they used to be. The first line of your email needs to be especially compelling.
Don’t ask for a job. Seriously, DON’T ASK FOR A JOB. You’re looking for insight—not a job. People like being asked for their insight and expertise. They don’t like being hit up for money or work. Know the difference. If they end up liking you, they may help get you a job at some point, but you’re only asking for information here.
Don’t take it personally if you don’t get a response. Sometimes the spam filter will eat your email. Sometimes the person has thousands of unread messages and can’t get through them all. Sometimes the person is just too busy.
Be personable. People like helping a real person. If you have something in common with the person you’re emailing, say so. The person who helped me the most was one whose AOL profile said she liked a particular store. I mentioned that I liked it too, and that I couldn’t wait to get to DC to shop there . She ended up being a good friend (not because of the shopping…but it helped to make a connection that led to a friendship).

This technique doesn’t always work, but it works often enough that it’s worth trying. It sure beats filling out online job applications and waiting for the phone to ring.

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Like the Lord, Twitter Helps Those Who Help Themselves

Kerry Scott — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 21:46:13 +0000

Photo by D. Sharon Pruitt

Last week I wrote a post in which I said that you should contact the hiring manager whenever possible to apply for a job you want, rather than just applying through the system and hoping for the best. Sabrina left this comment:

So here’s a question I have, because I hear that advice a lot. Contact the hiring manager. Find out who he or she is and make sure they see your resume. And how does one do that? If I apply to Acme Corp and the listing says “Administrative Assistant to the Director of Information Technology” OK I can figure that out. But if it’s just generic “Administrative Assistant” and doesn’t give a department name or anything (I’ve spent the better part of the last 3 years looking and most do not) how are you supposed to figure that puzzle out? Especially if you know no one at that company or anyone who knows anyone? I’m not trying to refute your advice, I’d actually like to know. (Luckily I just started a new job yesterday but I have always wondered about this)

Here’s the key to this: build a network so that you’re never in a situation where you don’t know anyone at the company.

This is where these social networking tools like Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook are really helpful. I’ve ranted about the idea that Twitter can get people a job, and I stand by that. Some people join Twitter and wait for something to happen, the same way they apply for jobs online and wait for something to happen. That’s just never going to work. What Twitter will do is connect you with people so you can help yourself find a job.

I see a lot of people who use social networking tools to keep in touch with their existing friends…people they see and talk to regularly in real life. That’s fine, but in terms of job hunting, that approach is pretty much useless. You need to make new friends too. You need a much broader network, so that when you need to connect to someone at Acme Corporation, you’ve got enough people to ask that your odds of finding a way in are pretty good.

Let’s use Twitter as an example. I’ve got 535 followers on Twitter, and I only know three of them in real life. The rest are people I “met” through Twitter itself. That means that in addition to my regular circle of real-life friends, I have 535 additional people to hear me when I shout out, “Hey, anyone know anyone at Acme Corporation?” That’s going to dramatically increase my odds of having someone say, “Yeah, I do.”

Twitter is an especially easy place to get started with this, because it’s so easy to connect with people. You just click the follow button. It’s also unique in that it’s the only place I know where it’s socially acceptable to just randomly join in on a stranger’s conversation. That makes it easy to make connections, who often turn into friends. In real life, most of your friends probably are a lot like you…same age group, same music tastes, same socio-economic status, etc. On Twitter, you meet people from all across the spectrum of humanity. It really expands your horizons, and exposes you to new perspectives and points of view. That’s cool in and of itself. It also helps a lot to have such a broad range of people with different experiences to call upon when you need help.

You can do this on LinkedIn and Facebook and other sites too. You can participate in forums and message boards and all sorts of things. The more people you’re connected to, the more likely you are to find someone who can help you.

Then, once you have this huge network, when you say, “Does anyone know anyone at Acme Corporation,” you’ll eventually get a “yes.” Sometimes the person you’re talking to is in a position to get you in the door through their employee referral program. Other times, they can get you in touch with the hiring manager. Sometimes you’ll even dig up some inside scoop, like whether or not the boss is a jerk. Ex-employees are often willing to tell you what they know, and that’s always helpful. You might even find someone who had the job you’re applying for (that actually happened to me once).

Generally speaking, people like to be helpful. It makes them feel good. The larger your network, the more opportunities you have to let people help you out. Plus, you might get to return the favor, which is fun. Having more friends (and a greater variety of friends) is fun too.

Expanding your circle of friends is key to getting help when you need it. The internet makes this infinitely easier. The tools are out there—you just have to use them.

Tomorrow, I’ll talk about another technique for finding an “in” at a company you want: the cry for help.

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