It seems a little odd to me to be writing about other social media
on a blog but the topic of LinkedIn comes up often in my daily life working in
Drexel’s Career Center. LinkedIn, in my
opinion, is one of the best networking tools that nobody really uses…or at
least uses effectively.
I was first introduced to LinkedIn as an Executive Recruiter
at Turnkey Sports and Entertainment. As
a recruiter, having a tool like this at our finger tips made our job ten times
easier. Before LinkedIn, we would
rummage through team media guides, we would make hundreds of calls, and we
would review hundreds of resumes- all for one search. We liked to believe that we knew everyone in
the sports industry and if we didn’t, we knew someone who knew that person
(confused yet?). The bottom line was
that we were very good but not great networkers. Something was missing. When we first stumbled upon LinkedIn, we, as
recruiters, figured that it was simply a place to store your online resume or
your professional profile and allow others to view it. So that’s what we did- we looked people up
and we recruited them. What we found is
that it was a place much more valuable than that!
For a professional in any industry, but especially in
sports, whether you are or are not be an active job seeker, LinkedIn is as
necessary of a tool as a cover letter, resume, reference list, or samples of
your work. Yes it is where you post your
educational experience, work experience, personal or company website,
achievements, and skills. However, that
is just the start. You can get your
recommendations displayed (reference list), add networking contacts (business
cards), join relevant groups (associations or chambers of commerce), and
perform search functions for jobs, companies, or people (search engines, job
sites, classifieds, databases).
As a job seeker, what I recommend to my students is very
basic. First, create a profile. Make sure it is accurate and up-to-date. Second, begin adding contacts. Start with me, continue with professors, and
then look to add former/current bosses or co-workers. Add clients, add classmates, add alumni of
your high school. This is the essence of
networking. Third, join groups that are
pertinent to you; my shameless plug is always for them to join the Drexel University Sport
Management group. But there are more out there- sports groups,
Drexel groups, school alumni group, and job searching groups.
The second and
the third suggestion are great, in theory, but must also be executed
properly. Not only do you need to add
contacts but you need to keep in touch with them, even when you don’t need
something. When you are adding someone
out-of-the-blue as a contact, introduce yourself and explain why you want to
connect. When joining a group,
participate in discussions, reply to posts, and be an active member.
Being a
professional and a job seeker (active or passive) is different now than it ever
has been before. However, you are at an
advantage if you have prepared accordingly and utilize every tool at your
disposal. If you aren’t on LinkedIn,
join. If you are on LinkedIn, use it!
