How One Executive Recruiter Uses LinkedIn…
Last week, I chatted with quite a few folks who use LinkedIn, the online networking tool.
Funny thing: the salespeople I talked to love it for making connections into target companies — but they couldn’t see how it would be helpful for anyone else! Then, I got the same story from two entrepreneurs, who also use LinkedIn primarily for business development.
Later in the week, I talked to a Minneapolis, Minnesota executive recruiter, Sandy Hull. Sandy told me that LinkedIn is an invaluable tool for both recruiters and job seekers.
Go figure — with over 20 million resumes and transparent networking connections online — of course LinkedIn has fast become an absolute must for recruiters and job hunters!
With over 386 connections, I thought it might be helpful to ask Sandy for her perspective on how she uses LinkedIn. Here’s our (much abridged!) discussion:
Laura: Sandy, tell me how you initially got involved with LinkedIn.
Sandy: In January 2007, I became unemployed. A recruiter told me to put my resume on LinkedIn. Once I did, it was second nature to me: I enjoyed connecting. I became a finalist candidate for a number of jobs, but I found that I enjoyed networking and the job search process.
Then my entrepreneurial spirit hit me — and recruiting seemed like a job that I was destined to do. With a psych major and years of service in the non-profit sector, helping people is a consistent theme in my life. Recruiting is a way for me to help people while engaging my entrepreneurial nature.
Laura: What are some LinkedIn tactics that you find helpful?
Sandy: One of the first things I did was Link In with people I knew well. The next thing I realized, if I was going to build my network, I needed to network with people who had bigger networks! One person…through his 500+ connections, increased my own network exponentially. This made it easier to connect with people I did know, because it made my search more efficient.
I also belong to a number of professional networking groups in my area… I ask people I meet there to connect when I review their profiles and find common interests. Common interests can be conversation starters…
One time, I asked someone I didn’t know too well, but his profile seemed interesting. He wrote back saying, “Sandy, I’ll accept your invitation, but I’d like to speak with you first.” He used it specifically to further the conversation, which I thought was smart…
Another contact recently lost his job, so he put “ready for a new gig” in his status. It’s good to let your connections know you’re looking for employment — they may know someone who can help.
…a friend of mine who is a world class networker has a couple of different invitations. In one, he basically says something like “if you choose not to connect with me, please ignore, but please don’t reply, “I do not know this person”. He does this because if you get too many “I don’t know’s” — you get slapped by LinkedIn. I don’t use his strategy 100% of the time, but if you’re building links this way, it’s better than nothing.
And LinkedIn now lets you upload a photo — that new feature really helps you make connections, too.
Laura: What are some things you don’t like to see?
Sandy: Recruiters and hiring managers often use LinkedIn to look for people to fill jobs. It’s one of the tools I use to identify talent and people who might be a good fit. When I see people who basically just put their names on LinkedIn and don’t fill out their profiles — I wonder “what’s the point?” It doesn’t provide much value. It’s like everything else in life, the more your put into it, the more you get out of it.
At the very least, fill out your current job and what you’d like your future job to be. It doesn’t need to be every group you’ve joined. Just give people a good snapshot, and you’re more likely to build better connections.
This is especially important for women who have changed our names due to marriage. It’s important to add as much detail as possible.
Laura: How so?
Sandy: I had a very good friend back in the 1980’s. I lost contact with her, and one day, I thought, “I wondered what Kelly is up to.” I searched for her at LinkedIn. I put in the college, maiden name — but it ended up being the little bits and pieces from our past, like involvement in JC, that helped us to re-connect.
We’re not in Kansas anymore. We have multiple networks. We have people we go to the movies with, people we work with, people we’re in clubs with — giving people a way to connect through common history, interests, knowledge, and people is invaluable.
Laura: Is it the resume that’s more important or the connections?
Sandy: It’s both. I know someone who works at a bank. Her profile is there, but she’s not connecting. She’s experiencing some job dissatisfaction, so her LinkedIn approach is her way of saying, “I’m looking.”
I think we’ll see innovative uses, and more to come.
Sandy Hull is an executive recruiter in Minneapolis, MN. Here is Sandy’s public LinkedIn profile.
If you’re a recruiter, talk back! How else do you use LinkedIn?
Related Posts:
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
Laura & Sandy:
That was really a great interview and it inspired me to really expand my contact base on LinkedIn, as well as other network groups.
Congratulations! Great going.
Byron
Mark –
You make a good point. As a solo entrepreneur, I think of LI as a business development and networking play. So do most salespeople I know.
Recruiters and job seekers certainly have a different take on LI than we do!
[…] is an effective way to use the LinkedIn “Answers” feature? Resume and connections are an important part of LinkedIn. However, “LinkedIn Answers” is a powerful, yet […]
This was a very interesting and helpful article on networking and LinkedIn. I have never been very good with the former, and that may explain why I have struggled with the latter. I think I have some work to do with LinkedIn!
I am happy with my current position, but spent the last several years as contract employee. I continue to build my list in the hopes of helping other contractors and self-employed with any contacts I can make.