Jobseeker in 2010? Why LinkedIn for Your Job Search will Become the New Monster.

It’s no surprise that jobseekers flocked to LinkedIn with this past recession after realizing that most recruiters were already heavy LinkedIn users and were using the social networking platform to find new talent.  So many jobseekers are utilizing LinkedIn that some are calling it less of a professional networking site and more of a jobseeker’s networking site.  It is unfortunate that some professionals are turned away from LinkedIn because of this as they miss out on a lot of professional networking opportunities.

Windmill Networking on LinkedIn as part of your job search strategy is obviously important.  But many jobseekers are still spending time on other Internet job boards such as Monster, Career Builder, and HotJobs.  In 2010 you may not need to anymore; just as social media is shaking up many industries, LinkedIn is well-positioned to become the new website for job listing aggregation.  Here’s why: (and the claims below come straight from an email I received from LinkedIn)

It is Cheaper (and More Effective) to List a Job on LinkedIn Than on CareerBuilder

LinkedIn grew its membership because recruiters realized that they could find potential candidates for employment freely and easily.  There was no doubt an economic reason for this: they could do this for free!  The same economic reason makes sense if you want to list a job: Why list your jobs on CareerBuilder when it can be done in a cheaper and more effective way on LinkedIn?  The social networking site gives the potential employer the ability to see each candidate’s profile, complete with peer recommendations, together with their resume, so it is without a doubt an effective way to recruit.  And at a cheaper price?  Expect the LI Jobs boards to continue to grow with opportunities for jobseekers.

LinkedIn is Easier to Use and More Preferred by Jobseekers When Compared to Craigslist

While not quite free like Twitter, businesses can post advertisements on Craigslist for a very low price.  But, from the jobseeker’s perspective, what a pain of having to sift through Craigslist looking for that perfect job.  LinkedIn’s strength is it’s database and the functionality to search within that database, and LI Jobs is no different.

LinkedIn is the Only “Network-Enabled” Hiring Solution

If you post a job on one of the other Internet job sites, it is a one-to-one relationship with the applicant and that’s it.  Sure, the applicant could potentially forward that job posting over to another unemployed friend, but they need to know their email address.  But for anyone who has ever searched a LinkedIn Job, the beauty in the “network-enabled” piece for the jobseeker is:

• You can see the hiring manager and who connects you to them
• You can see who in your network works at the hiring company
• LinkedIn will automatically look for people in your network that may be suitable for the job and allows you to easily forward the job posting to them

The power of the “network-enabled” solution is it has the potential to allow job postings on LinkedIn, and conversations about those job postings, to go viral.  All of the other Internet job board sites are still stuck in Web 1.0 mode.  This is an extremely attractive benefit for employers.

What does all of this mean for you, the jobseeker?  It means to make sure you keep using LI Jobs as your primary “Job Board” and spend less time on the other sites.  Remember, if the job is not posted on LinkedIn, information is being imported from the other job sites with its Simply Hired plugin, so you can still get the best of both worlds all in the same platform that you are already using for your professional networking.  As recruiters come to LinkedIn and the jobseekers follow, it is only a matter of time before the companies looking to hire start following the jobseekers, especially if they are looking to hire people of the calibre that are on LinkedIn.

(LinkedIn, if you are listening, you are still missing one critical piece: an email alert system for new jobs.  Once that piece is in place, jobseekers will be very happy!)

How has your experience with LI Jobs been compared to the other Internet job boards?  How about Indeed.com and Simply Hired?  Please do share your experience with us so that we can all learn!  Thank you!

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