It's been awhile since I've made a blog entry, primarily because my workload role has increased significantly, not to mention my oldest son began kindergarten in September. The good news is that the aforementioned workload has much to do with an increase in hiring taking place with my employer. Traditionally, the fourth quarter is a time when things tend to settle down, and the belts begin to tighten. Not this year my friends! Ladies and gentlemen, this is good news!
For Recruiters
The increase in hiring is validating the turn around (albeit slow) of the economy. I now find myself not only having to handle a larger recruitment deck, it's also becoming increasingly difficult to find candidates with the specialized skill sets my positions require. By the nature of my role, I recruit for positions throughout the U.S. and Canada. Being based in the Southeast Michigan area adds additional challenges to finding qualified candidates from coast to coast. A quick bit of soul searching lead me to the foregone conclusion that I needed to step up my game, and quickly. Recruiting is only a small piece of my overall responsibility, so I needed to find an effective method that would best utilize my time. LinkedIn quickly became the answer.
A standard account on LinkedIn is great. You can still get creative in identifying candidates for vacant positions, while focusing on specific specialties and skill sets. However, you will definitely get a huge ROI on your investment if you upgrade your account to Business Plus ($499), when used effectively. For example, by utilizing the advanced people search, I was able to identify and hire quality candidates in the Los Angeles and Portland markets. Neither of these individuals were considered active job seekers. However, by utilizing the In-Mail feature, I was able to send each a message informing them of our opportunities, letting them know how great my company is to work for and letting them know they could contact me if they had interest. They did, and the rest is history.
For Job Seekers
Folks, you've got to get your LinkedIn profile in immaculate shape. More and more, LinkedIn is the primary, if not the only, destination for recruiters seeking candidates. Posting your resume to positions on Monster and CareerBuilder, waiting for a response, and then getting mad when you don't hear from any of the employers, must cease. On LinkedIn, you can find employers, or contacts at employers of interest, just as easy as they can find you. Join as many relevant groups as possible, as each of these groups has a job board. Just as a point of reference, I have yet to spend a dime on the "big job boards" this year and haven't missed a beat. LinkedIn is where it's at! I post 95% of my opportunities on the group job boards.
You should take as much time building your profile on LinkedIn, as you do on writing/updating your resume. In fact, I would spend more time on the LinkedIn piece. Build that network, participate in discussions and be obsessive about keeping your profile up to date. I promise, you will reap positive results from your actions. I recommend putting a link to your LinkedIn profile on your resume. Recruiters are going to look there anyway to get more information about you. Why not make it easier for them to see what you're made of? Additionally, I believe that having less than 100 (relevant) connections on LinkedIn is unacceptable. If this you, there is some work to be done. Network! Network! Network!
As I've mentioned several times, recruiters won't contact you unless you can successfully differentiate yourself from the masses. LinkedIn can help you do this. Perhaps, someone will contact you about a dream job you had no idea was even out there. That's what I'm talking about!
......and just for the record, I do not work for LinkedIn. :)
For Recruiters
The increase in hiring is validating the turn around (albeit slow) of the economy. I now find myself not only having to handle a larger recruitment deck, it's also becoming increasingly difficult to find candidates with the specialized skill sets my positions require. By the nature of my role, I recruit for positions throughout the U.S. and Canada. Being based in the Southeast Michigan area adds additional challenges to finding qualified candidates from coast to coast. A quick bit of soul searching lead me to the foregone conclusion that I needed to step up my game, and quickly. Recruiting is only a small piece of my overall responsibility, so I needed to find an effective method that would best utilize my time. LinkedIn quickly became the answer.
A standard account on LinkedIn is great. You can still get creative in identifying candidates for vacant positions, while focusing on specific specialties and skill sets. However, you will definitely get a huge ROI on your investment if you upgrade your account to Business Plus ($499), when used effectively. For example, by utilizing the advanced people search, I was able to identify and hire quality candidates in the Los Angeles and Portland markets. Neither of these individuals were considered active job seekers. However, by utilizing the In-Mail feature, I was able to send each a message informing them of our opportunities, letting them know how great my company is to work for and letting them know they could contact me if they had interest. They did, and the rest is history.
For Job Seekers
Folks, you've got to get your LinkedIn profile in immaculate shape. More and more, LinkedIn is the primary, if not the only, destination for recruiters seeking candidates. Posting your resume to positions on Monster and CareerBuilder, waiting for a response, and then getting mad when you don't hear from any of the employers, must cease. On LinkedIn, you can find employers, or contacts at employers of interest, just as easy as they can find you. Join as many relevant groups as possible, as each of these groups has a job board. Just as a point of reference, I have yet to spend a dime on the "big job boards" this year and haven't missed a beat. LinkedIn is where it's at! I post 95% of my opportunities on the group job boards.
You should take as much time building your profile on LinkedIn, as you do on writing/updating your resume. In fact, I would spend more time on the LinkedIn piece. Build that network, participate in discussions and be obsessive about keeping your profile up to date. I promise, you will reap positive results from your actions. I recommend putting a link to your LinkedIn profile on your resume. Recruiters are going to look there anyway to get more information about you. Why not make it easier for them to see what you're made of? Additionally, I believe that having less than 100 (relevant) connections on LinkedIn is unacceptable. If this you, there is some work to be done. Network! Network! Network!
As I've mentioned several times, recruiters won't contact you unless you can successfully differentiate yourself from the masses. LinkedIn can help you do this. Perhaps, someone will contact you about a dream job you had no idea was even out there. That's what I'm talking about!
......and just for the record, I do not work for LinkedIn. :)
