Finding More People on LinkedIn

Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter discusses how to find more people to network with on LinkedIn.

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A lot of people take a lazy approach to searching LinkedIn by using the search box in the top of their profile page or homepage. Frankly, it’s a waste. Here’s why.

Instead of using that search box, I want you click on the word, “Advanced,” to the right of that box. You will be taken to a page that has advanced search features.

The default seems to be first and second level connections plus group members for groups that you are part of. Click the, “third and everyone else,” option.

You want to make sure your searching groups, you want to search by keyword… You can search by company, the school the person attended, you can search by location by using the function in the left-hand column, “lives in or near.” Within the US, you can narrow that to ZIP Code.

There are a lot of ways that you can target people using the advanced search features.

What language was the profile written in? It may seem idiotic to you but I will screen out the person from Burma.

Who they currently work for. Industry they are in. There are a whole host of functions that are far more useful if you try to reach out to people on the advanced search function of LinkedIn then there is on the standard search.

So don’t take the shortcut because you will be eliminating a lot of people who you could be networking with by doing so.

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Do you think employers are trying to help you? You already know you can’t trust recruiters—they tell as they think you need to know to take the job they after representing so they collect their payday.

The skills needed to find a job are different yet complement the skills needed to do a job.

Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter has been a career coach and recruiter for what seems like one hundred years.

JobSearchCoachingHQ.com is there to change that with great advice for job hunters—videos, my books and guides to job hunting, podcasts, articles, PLUS a community for you to ask questions of PLUS the ability to ask me questions where I function as your ally with no conflict of interest answering your questions.

Connect with me on LinkedIn

What Are Some Networking Tricks When You Are Job Hunting?

[svp]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fN0kMwNzhzs[/svp]

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What are some networking tricks when your job hunting?

I hate this question and I hate the implication of this question. Let me explain.

The first implication of the question is you only network with the job hunting. The second one is that you have to trick people into helping you.

What are some networking tricks? I know. I know. What are some networking tips that I can use when I am job hunting.

Step number one. Don’t leave network with your job hunting. That’s the real big one.

You have to think of networking has been part of her job at every stop in your career, not just when your job hunting. Your employer may not be paid you for it, but you will employer is – – namely YOU.

You are your own employer.

You are self-employed and every decision you make is looking out for their own interests, you and your career.

Don’t outsource that to your employer otherwise you are screwed. They are looking out for themselves and, although they tell you that they care about you and they think you are wonderful, they are not looking out for you, nor is it their job to look out for you. That is a seduction on your part is not true.

You have to think in terms of being self-employed and doing the things that are needed in order to build a brand for yourself. You want to become known as an expert in your field, as well as your particular level in your field.

So if you are junior developer, you can’t compare yourself to a CIO or a VP of technology. You are different and comparing yourself to them is a mistake.

Learn from those people, but comparing yourself to them is foolhardy.

So I hate this question because it’s just all the bad qualities of job hunting that cause it to become has hated as it is. After all, job hunting shouldn’t be about needing to suddenly network; that’s what career should be about – – building your relationships so that if you need one another at different times you are there to help one another at those times.

It’s a two-way street. It’s about developing relationships over the course of time. After all, if you are suddenly connected to someone on LinkedIn, do you expect them to jump through a hoop for you?

No! You wouldn’t jump through who for them; why would you expect them to jump through hoops for you?

Think smart. You are the chairman of the board of your organization (in my case, it is “The Altman Organization). Get out there, get known and build relationships. Then, people will be more than willing to help you.

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I recently learned that the best way to land a job is to know someone within a company. But I also learned that I don’t know that many people….

I have been messaging people on LinkedIn (people I know, and that I don’t know) and, hopefully, that will get me something.

What do I do to expand my search?

Do you really think employers are trying to help you? You already know you can’t trust recruiters—they tell as they think you need to know to take the job they after representing so they collect their payday.

The skills needed to find a job are different yet complement the skills needed to do a job.

Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter has been a career coach and recruiter for what seems like one hundred years.

JobSearchCoachingHQ.com is there to change that with great advice for job hunters—videos, my books and guides to job hunting, podcasts, articles, PLUS a community for you to ask questions of PLUS the ability to ask me questions where I function as your ally with no conflict of interest answering your questions.

Connect with me on LinkedIn