LinkedIn – Today’s Foundation for Networking! 

Study after study over many years has shown the primary source of many jobs comes from the mysterious “hidden job market.” That is, actual jobs that need to be filled, but they’re filled without being formally publicly posted. Most are filled through internal postings or employee referrals. While recent research has shown that percentage to have dropped dramatically, most experts would still agree the hidden job market is between 25-35% of the jobs being filled today. 

Networking for an Effective Job Search

In response to the hidden job market, networking became the mantra for an effective job search process. Discovering jobs available prior to public posting sometimes took on challenges similar to searching for the holy grail. But given the size of the hidden job market, the effort was worth it.   

And even today, with the hidden job market at about half its historical levels, networking is still the name of the game. With the internet and social media completely changing the playing field, job seekers must approach the still-sizable hidden job market in a different way. Much information is now available and can be consumed without actually interfacing with the other party, yet utilizing tools such as LinkedIn is absolutely key to effectively network in a job search. 

Through the coming month, we’re going to go deeper into how the tool of LinkedIn can support your networking activities. Here’s what an 8/12/21 Forbes Magazine article titled, “How to Land a Job Through Networking” had to say: “LinkedIn is probably the most powerful tool in your job-hunting arsenal. The majority — 87% — of recruiters and hiring managers use LinkedIn to find job candidates. Having a complete profile and being active on your account will garner a lot of attention from recruiters who are seeking professionals to fill positions at their companies.” 

Ok, so hopefully you’re tracking with me that networking is still the name of the game for the most effective job search, and LinkedIn is the key social media tool to help you advance your cause. Let’s look at five ways to expand your network using LinkedIn, and then five ways to engage that network.  

Expanding Your Network

 Joel Widmer, a content expert for LinkedIn, shares a few recommendations for expanding your network: 

1. “Take a look at the ‘people you may know’ box for possible connections each time you login to LinkedIn. Also, don’t forget to check the suggestions LinkedIn gives you after you connect with someone new.” 

2. Search for old acquaintances you’ve met over your career to see if you can link up with them. Use that old rolodex and paper address book for something! 

3. When you’ve met someone new, immediately reach out to them to connect on LinkedIn. Growing your network is done through many interactions, not just a few large ones. 

4. Use your public LinkedIn URL everywhere you can – as part of your email signature line, business cards, website information, and Facebook page. 

5. “Connect with people who view your profile. This is a great excuse to connect with someone who might be a prospect checking you out. Send them an invitation or message letting them know you’d like to connect as well.” 

Remember, growing your network via LinkedIn is very similar to doing it in person in that it happens one person, one connection point at a time. Don’t diminish the personal interaction of each connection by mistaking the efficiency and speed of it with the reality that there’s a real person at the other end of that connection.   

Engaging Your Network

To that end, let’s outline a few ways of engaging your network: 

1. Maximize your profile – This may seem to be a bit obvious, but it’s often overlooked. Ensure your profile really represents YOU! Not soundbites or generalized comments, but communicates specifics about who you are and with whom you are interested in connecting. 

2. Write some content – Utilize either posts or articles to demonstrate your competence or capacity within the topics for which you want to be known. These don’t need to be literary works of art, but they should convey information people would find useful. 

3. Personalize connections – Ideally when you first connect with another person via LinkedIn, you won’t do what 90% of the other people do by just clicking “connect.”  Take 60 seconds to write a message to the recipient that kicks off the relationship in a personable way (pretend you’re actually meeting for the cup of coffee). Or, if you’ve been connected with someone for a while, refresh that contact with a quick note – – perhaps it’s referencing a topic you know they’d be interested in, or perhaps it’s just a reach out to let them know you’re thinking of them. The point is…use the tool! 🙂 

4. Use your personality and humor – LinkedIn is a seriously great tool, but not one just for serious (aka dull) people. Allow some humor (use discretion) and your personality to come through. Use casual, not formal, grammar (although use good grammar!). Remember, this is “social” media, so you’ll need to find the blend that works for you to communicate to potentially a significant number of people at one time, but in a way that isn’t still and formal. 

5. Comment on other’s posts – You’ll certainly appreciate it when others respond to your posts, so start paying it forward with a few comments, questions, or reposting on what others have written. As with any good networking conversation, asking good questions is a great way to engage with others.   

LinkedIn is a fantastic tool for networking.  Like any tool, you can maximize your results if you keep learning how to use it more effectively.   

And let’s close with purpose: 

• The purpose of LinkedIn is to help you network more effectively.   
• The purpose of networking is to develop relationships.   
• The purpose of developing relationships, contrary to the common world view, is not just to gain something from that relationship, but to GIVE the light of Christ to others. 2 Corinthians 4:6 tells us, “For God who said, ‘Out of darkness let light shine,’ is He who has shone in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory, which is radiant on the face of Christ.”  We are here to reflect the light of Christ to others! 

Let’s use the tools we’ve been given to accomplish HIS purpose! Blessings! 

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Dave Sparkman currently serves as the volunteer Crossroads Career board chair and local ministry leader. He is also the founder and managing director of Spark Your Culture, a corporate culture consulting firm. Prior to that he worked at UnitedHealth Group, a Fortune #5 public company, serving in the role of Chief Culture Officer. His unemployment experience came from the implosion of Arthur Andersen, where he served as the West Region Managing Partner, People.