I have found that many people still do not see the obvious power that LinkedIN has as a networking tool, and I regularly spend countless coaching hours helping people establish a presence on LinkedIN, including how to find and connect to people that might be able to further their careers – which is very easy, by the way. To give you an idea of how powerful it can be, I have two personal examples of how LinkedIN groups were instrumental to job seekers:
First: My husband’s cousin used it to identify and ultimately secure a new position by joining a group focused on the industry in which he wanted to work.
Second: My friend used LinkedIN to help her land her current job; there was someone she found on LinkedIN that she thought could help her; the problem was this person wasn’t in her network – so she found a group the person was in, joined the group and voila … that person was now in her LinkedIN sphere.
I am not sure if you have noticed, but there are new groups popping up on LinkedIN all the time, not to mention the existing groups, some of which have hundreds of thousands of members. This is an awesome way to connect (albeit virtually) with people. Share ideas; encourage collaboration; establish interactions. You can use the groups to let people know that you are looking, generate interest in your background, while also helping other people. We are always on a journey of some sort or another. You never know the kind of interactions one of your ideas will spark. Joining a group will provide a forum for discussion and sometimes debate. It’s all good though! You never know when a connection can turn into something like a partnership or result in a beneficial introduction.
Also, a secret way to connect to someone out of your network is to do what my friend did and join a group that they belong to and connect to him or her that way. After all, LinkedIN is a networking tool and what better way to connect than finding groups with similar interests or goals that match your own, in your industry or the industry you want to be in, or just social-type networks.
So, here is your Action Plan – join five groups this week and see how much you can get out of it.
