I explained that he could not afford not to. LinkedIn, amongst others, is a very useful and powerful tool. The term ‘Social Media’ doesn’t help the sceptics embark on a channel of marketing that is critical for their own careers, which, amongst other tools, allows you to access people you know already, and more particularly, those from whom you might find a job.
I noticed from this individual’s psychometric profile that he is high on scepticism and very outcome focused. That helped me to decide how I might best suggest to him to think again.
If you think of the use of social media in job hunting as the start of a dialogue, when somebody wishes to join your network or you wish to join theirs, then you have to demonstrate that there is some benefit in so doing. If you endorse other people, then they will do likewise for you. Once that has happened, a dialogue can happen by offering something of value that other people may need, like an endorsement, which is akin to a reference.
In every walk of life we need to be liked by our target audience and therefore we have to come across as somebody that the other reader can relate to. No one will buy from you, in whatever guise that takes (whether job hunting or selling a product or service), if they don’t like you or something about you.
So it’s very important to ask good questions and offer a little golden nugget of information. That’s what leads to engagement and only with engagement can you close a sale. So, asking useful questions of the other person, that shows your interest, while increasing your knowledge base, is much more likely to result in a relationship that is mutually beneficial. Thus, the job seeker can open up the door of an opportunity that previously may have been closed.
My friend said to me – “I don’t have time to do social networking” – I would suggest that he does not have the time not to do this.
If you would like further guidance on using LinkedIn as part of a job search, please get in touch with the team at Integrated Resources today.
