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Profile Overview

What impression do you want to convey?

• Clear and concise statement of who you are professionally
• Opportunity to highlight key skills, strengths or expertise
• Current photo (this isn’t on-line dating!)
• Review and proof-read everything

Consider adding a tag line to your name

• Jane Doe, Certified Professional Resume Writer with over 20 years of job search coaching experience
• Elyse Spector Kalmans, Networking and Social Media Specialist

Consider adding your LinkedIn address to your business card and resume

Strategies

Join Groups to Expand Your Network and Connections on LinkedIn

• You can send emails to all group members as if they were 1st degree connections but you cannot see their 1st degree contacts
• Group members become part of your network and will appear as connected to you when searching for people, companies and key words

Search People

• By occupation
• To check their profiles
• For key words
  • to compare experience, skills or certifications
  • to see what companies they work (present and past) to help you identify companies to add to your target list
  • to identify individuals to possibly network with (Controllers for staff accountants ; Vice President of Marketing for market research specialists)
  • to see what groups or associations they belong to (Financial Planner, Technical Writer)

Keyword Search

• By skill, by certification (Java, Regulatory Affairs, Financial Services)
• To identify what companies hire people with those skills (and add to your company target list), also what groups they joined

Job Search

Find out if you have connections at the company posting the job or with the person who posted the job.

You found a posting/ job opening at a company, now what?

Wouldn’t it be helpful if you knew someone who has a ‘connection’ at this company?

• to get company information (culture, etc)
• to identify hiring manager
• to get an internal referral

Now that you found a person, then what?

The common networking protocols are still in place:

• be clear on how the person can assist you
• ask open ended questions
• don’t ask for a job
• try to give as much as receive, be ready and willing to exchange information

There are 3 main things your new found contact can do for you:

• answer business or industry related questions
• make a recommendation and/or introduction
• provide organizational or company information

Other good practices/principles to follow are:

• be specific about what you are asking
• the less time and effort, the more likely the other person will respond
• the less risk involved for the other person, the better

Example: "I am applying for the project manager position posted on your website. I want to have a brief conversation or email exchange to learn more about the company to see if there is a fit between my experience and the company priorities."

Search Companies

• Where did they work previously?
• What is their skill set/experience level?
• What associations/groups do they belong to?
• Get company information, learn about culture/environment, find hiring manager

Industry Search

Purpose: To identify companies for you to ‘target’

A proactive job search strategy, finding companies to research and apply for jobs at those companies

Example (environmental services)

This information was provided by:
Helene Maltzman, Employment Coordinator
Houston Community College
1301 Alabama, Suite 101 F
Houston, Texas 77004
helene.maltzman@hccs.edu
713.718.8346

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