Depending on your level of social media savvy-ness (or in some cases, willingness), your LinkedIn account can be the gateway to a plethora of opportunities. Whether you’re unemployed and looking for a job or employed and looking for a knowledge sharing outlet, LinkedIn can be a worthwhile resource. But the key to this gateway isn’t always in how many recommendations you have, or how often you update your status- it can actually be in the groups you join. After a recent overhaul, LinkedIn groups have added features that can be of value no matter where you are in your career.
Find & Be Found
A quick group search of “HR” yields a little over 4,000 results, the top being “Linked: HR (#1 Human Resources Group)” with over 200,000 members. While the biggest group isn’t always the most valuable, something can be said about strength in numbers. Joining a group like “Linked: HR” will give you access to each of the members full profiles, as well as have them included in your search results. That being said, joining a group that matches your business interests is a non-committal way to expand your network. Not looking? Be found! The more people you’re networking with, the more likely you are to come up in a relevant search.
Looking for a job?
A well-managed LinkedIn group will have their companies open positions posted in their group profile. Not only will you have the convenience of all their open jobs in one place, but you can also take advantage of companies' RSS news feed, discussions & subgroups. So after the company is wowed by your resume and calls you in for an interview, you can wow them will your knowledge of their company news, client discussions, and global expansion (as told in their UK subgroup of course!).
Industry Knowledge
Whether you’re looking for tips about a successful Onboarding program or have a question about Applicant Tracking, an active group with updated discussion & news features is an endless source for industry knowledge. Some of our favorites include the aforementioned Linked:HR (very active discussions), the official SHRM group, ERE.net & (blatant self promotion) the brand new iCIMS LinkedIn Group.
A recent white paper about how to more effectively leverage your LinkedIn account also got a lot of traction. Feel free to check it out at http://bit.ly/4SJX6q
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