+
So, what is the reason the market experts give for why Microsoft (MS) bought LinkedIn (LI)? You won't be surprised to know that they don't all agree. The most interesting reason, I think, was put forward in Forbes: Content. It is a play on Content is King. Turns out the content on LI has the advantage of being current and some of it is great!
This morning I turned up posts on how technology is disrupting the consulting business, another on how making little changes can make a profound impact on your career and earnings, and the 3rd gave me an idea for an important book to read that was on Bill Gates' suggested Summer Reading list. And those are just the ones I read of the 40 or so post titles I scanned!
So, how is this relevant to executive and professional job seekers?
As a consumer of content on LI you can pursue a number of career advancing strategies:
How do you leverage content on LI to propel your job search?
Quickly scan Posts each morning. Find it in the drop-down menu to the left of the Search bar at the top of your screen. Then quickly scan the Posts that pop up. LinkedIn has an algorithm to provide content that has some relevance to you in some way.
As a job seeker, you can find a whole other collection of Posts.You can narrow down by subject using the Search feature at the top of Posts. Enter your target company or companies where you want to work. You will quickly find out what's going on in terms of the thinking, culture, business plans, innovations, trends, hiring etc.
You can also search by subject matter. For instance, if you want to be a Channel Manager in the cloud industry, see what comes up in Posts when you search on some or all of those keywords.
Read the 1-3 most interesting Posts you find.
Don't stop there!
- Make a comment after the posts you found interesting. Your name with a link to your profile will be included. The company employee who wrote the post will appreciate your interest and contributions. Do this regularly and you will be building your thought leadership and well as your social reach.
- Check to see if your target companies (where you really want to work next) are seeking to hire someone like you and have posted a job on LI. If so, send an InMail to the recruiter. Mention that you've been following their posts and name one thing you found particularly interesting. Say that you have an interest in the target job and suggest that they review your (great) LI profile. Then follow the directions and apply.
- And/or search among your connections for an employee of the company. The posted job on LI will pop them up when you look at the job ad. Contact them via InMail or directly, if they are 1st degree connections, and ask if you can talk with them for 10 minutes or so about where they see the company heading or what the culture is like. (These questions go over way better than "Can you help me get a job?") After building the relationship, if it feels comfortable, ask if they would take a look at your (great) executive resume and give you feedback. And ask if they would submit your edited resume to their company. Resumes submitted in this way have 10 times the chance of getting you hired! And employees are often compensated for referring a person who gets hired, so they have some motivation to help you!
In my next post I will discuss how you can improve your job search and career by becoming a creator of content on LinkedIn!
Don't neglect getting expert help to create a "blow your socks off" executive resume that can make a HUGE difference in getting hired. It does for my clients and for the clients of many of my top-tier colleagues.Become a power user of LinkedIn content and reap the rewards for years to come!