I will start out this post by letting you know that I am not in any way nor have ever been a recruiter or a headhunter. While I have been a hiring manager for previous companies, my experience in being able to write this post comes from helping out many recruiters looking for candidates on or off LinkedIn. Because I am a Windmill Networker, I see great value in establishing relationships with recruiters and helping them out when I can. In fact, my LinkedIn Profile Contact Settings explicitly state: I also enjoy speaking with recruiters and providing introductions whenever possible …
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As you probably already know, I am very active on LinkedIn as a LinkedIn Open Networker or LION. I accept all invitations, and I respond to each invitation with asking my new connections how I might be able to help them. I often get the following response, which I again received just this week: Hi Neal, I do have a question you may be able to help with. I’m attaching my resume so you can get an idea about my skills and experience, but if you were in my shoes, what would you do in finding an opportunity in the …
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(This is the second in a two-part blog post on how to utilize LinkedIn for Executive Job Search. This first part looked at using LinkedIn in the “traditional” manner of utilizing Jobs Boards and searching out Hiring Managers. This second part will take a Windmill Networking approach to utilizing LinkedIn for Executive Job Search through a deeper understanding of social networking.) LinkedIn itself advertises that “Executives from all Fortune 500 companies are LinkedIn members.” But it is not enough to just sign up for the service and wait for things to happen. LinkedIn is, at its heart, a social networking …
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There are many resources on the web for finding people to follow on Twitter. Just do a search for any particular type of person you want to follow (student entrepreneurs? job seeker advice? etc.) and chances are you will find a list. But why none for LinkedIn? Well, just as I have been the first to write on other things LinkedIn-related, I think it is important to introduce people on LinkedIn that I think you should invite and/or connect up with. These people are either LIONs or “Super Connectors”, people with lots of connections that are open to receiving new …
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After networking with several great people over the last several days, which have in essence been conversations that seem more like a veritable cross-breeding of ideas, I believe that more and more people are starting to see the potential value of meeting new people on LinkedIn. Now, just because you are open to doing this does not mean that you necessarily need to become a LinkedIn Open Networker, or LinkedIn LION. There are many methods to the madness of connecting with new people. My method for connecting with new people is using the vehicle of the LION brand. You can …
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LinkedIn Introductions are an integral part of the social networking platform. After all, LinkedIn has given us the ability to search for someone and see how we are connected to them, and it is with this information that we can request an Introduction from our connection just as we request a referral from a friend in real life. Unfortunately, very few people actually ask for an Introduction on LinkedIn in the same manner that they ask for a introduction in a real-life. And this bothers me. Thus, I blog.
read moreAfter I recently wrote about why I am a LinkedIn LION, I have gotten positive response from a lot of the readers of this blog that they are starting to “see the light” despite the negative wrap that LIONs have traditionally received. At the same time, for those that want to slowly venture out and start to become a LinkedIn Open Networker, there is still a worry about keeping their private circle private. Which leads to today’s question: is it right for a truly Open Networker to close up visibility of their connections to others?
read moreI always hear of people bashing LinkedIn open networkers or LIONs. Some people characterize LIONs as people who “amass connections as if they’re Beanie Babies”. Others think that the intention of open networkers is just to spam you. For all of those who doubt the intention of open networkers, I want you to see things from my perspective as a LION, and for a moment consider this question: Why are you on LinkedIn? And, more importantly, If you are only connecting with people that you know, what is the value in LinkedIn?
read moreWe wake up and visit LinkedIn after booting up our computers. And before we turn them off at night we are again checking in with LinkedIn. For the many of us who consider ourselves “Power Users” of LinkedIn, the social networking site for professionals is an integral part of our professional lives. And because of that, there are particular things about LinkedIn that may annoy us in a peculiar way more than others. I thought that I would write about this as it came up for discussion the other day at a networking group meeting. These particular attendees pointed out …
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On an average day, I receive an invite or two to join a LinkedIn Group. It is only natural since I have so many connections as a LinkedIn Open Networker (= LION). Since you can easily send out invites to join a group when you create it, it’s obvious that I am a common target to be the recipient of so many new group invites. I don’t mind receiving so many, especially because every once in awhile there is one (like the We are Orange County group I blogged about yesterday) that causes me to cancel a different group membership …
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