For those of you who read the first three posts about this book, I apologize for the delay in getting further posts out (about the remaining chapters). OK, with that said, let us continue the saga. This post features Chapter 4 of How To Find a Job on LinkedIn (and other social networks). If I had to summarize this chapter in three words it would be Open To Opportunities. The previous chapters of this book tell you how to create a profile at LinkedIn and build your network there. Now, this chapter is dedicated to strategy, mostly. The words Open to Opportunities is a way you can describe yourself at LinkedIn to suggest to others that you are seeking employment. You do not want to say unemployed, because that carries a negative connotation. Rather, Open To Opportunities could mean that you are unemployed or that you are seeking a better job than the one you have currently.

This chapter notes several individuals who succeeded in finding a job with LinkedIn. Congratulations to these individuals, for sure. One helpful tool within LinkedIn is called Researching Companies. You can use LinkedIn to learn more about companies that have their profile listed in the general LinkedIn network. Go to the Companies screen to work with this resource.

In addition to Companies, you can actually search for jobs within LinkedIn. To do this, you need to use the Jobs link (available at the top of any LinkedIn page). This will help you to pursue any job prospects that may be within the general LinkedIn website network. If you look at page 97 in this book, there is additional information about using the Advanced Job Search functionality. Essentially, this screen will help you to “identify potential openings in companies near to your home or anywhere at all (p. 97).” So, in addition to looking for work with a network, you can also count on the search capabilities of the LinkedIn network. Powerful stuff, and great stuff indeed.

The authors also bring in a resource that has partnered with LinkedIn called Simply Hired. Here, Simply Hired has job hunting tools that are outstanding and the website calls itself “the biggest, smartest job-searching engine on the Web (p. 99).” Apparently, the company “indexes” more than five million jobs (internationally) with three million of these jobs being centered in the U.S. This website “pulls” this data from other sites on the Internet, using its own database strategies.

Finally, this chapter suggests at different places that it is good to network with recruiters too. Such individuals are well networked, themselves, and can sometimes offer even more than just a well-positioned friend or former colleague at a well-established company. Again, the key to remember for this chapter is the slogan “open to opportunities”. You want visitors to your profile to see that you are open to growth and new opportunities. Indeed, that is the kind of individual that receives a good and solid job offer.

All The Best,

Keith Johnson, M.S. Education
Technical Writer & Documentation Specialist
Hallandale Beach, Florida, USA
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