
According to one of my good Internet friends, Mr. Pinny Cohen, a new book has been written showing you how to find a job using social networks like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. Written by Brad and Debra Schepp, this fine book helps job seekers of all kinds in challenging times, helping them harness the power of technology and virtual collaboration. How to find a job on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and MySpace and other social networks has three objectives – it helps you reach out to potential employers in the best possible way, you learn what makes each social networking site “tick”, and finally you are given tips and tricks about the networking process in general.
This book has ten (10) chapters, so I will be dedicating one post toward each chapter for a total of ten posts about this fine book. I feel a social obligation to help others by reviewing this book and writing about it because these are difficult times for many people. There is nothing worse than having no money or no job, simply nothing worse! So, with that said, let’s take a look at this book and see what Brad and Debra have to say. We will start in this post with Chapter One: Putting the Work in Social Networking.
Initially this chapter seeks to define the social network called LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com). Brad and Debra call this site “a professional’s dream come true.” Why is this? Well, you can connect with millions of potential colleagues who come together to share their career expertise. Indeed, that is a great thing.
If you are a recent college graduate, for example, you can at least connect with former teachers and professors. So, no matter your status in the marketplace, LinkedIn can be put to work for you. Brad and Debra note for us that when you create a LinkedIn profile and then Google your name using the Google search engine, chances are, your LinkedIn profile will come up in the top search results. LinkedIn is easy to use and features “communication methods” like invitations, messages, introductions, in-mails, among others.
My good friend Pinny Cohen is featured and mentioned in Chapter One (page 22). The authors tell us about how Pinny has used LinkedIn to build his network. He has found clients in the following ways: by company type, by niche, by targeted company, introductions, answers, second contacts, profile optimization, icon display, expertise shown, and explanations (for example, Pinny says “I explain what I can offer (value wise) to someone reading my profile. So, they are thinking about how they can be helped instead of just oh, that is an interesting person.” Pinny is one of the first people featured in this book).
Each chapter ends with a section called “Looking Ahead” which gives the reader an idea about what the next chapter will cover. Indeed, this is a great way to start such a book by introducing the great social network LinkedIn. OK, Chapter One has been covered, next to be covered: Chapter Two (Create Your Best Profile).
Cheers,
Keith
Brad and Deb Online
Pinny Cohen Online