EmploymentDigest.net

Smart Networking For Job Search – 4 Online Networking Mistakes That Can Hamper Your Job Search

Posted on 25. Jan, 2009 posted by Bill in Employment News

While some professionals who’ve been comfortably employed with the same company for many years may be late to the social networking phenomenon, even savvy online users can make critical mistakes that can cost them relationships and slow their job search.

Here are 4 mistakes to avoid when networking online to ensure you land your next job as quickly as possible:

Lack of online visibility. You might think face-to-face networking is all you need since it worked for you 15 years ago, but if you’re not taking advantage of the online tools that have appeared on the scene since then, you will miss out on opportunities. Increasingly, online sites, especially LinkedIn, are becoming a destination source for companies and recruiters looking to fill positions.

Incomplete profile. Just like joining a health club, you actually have to participate to see any results, and one of the first things you should do is complete your profile. One of my clients had been registered on LinkedIn for months, but never added her information. Within days of updating her education, work experience, and special skills, she was contacted by a recruiter for a high-paying position at a well-known luxury goods company, looking for someone with her exact profile.

Lack of online connections. No matter if you’re three months into your professional career or thirty years, you have a network of people who can help you. But you need an easy way to connect with them and stay in touch, especially in our mobile society. With tens of millions of professionals already on LinkedIn, chances are good that you’ll be able to find former classmates, co-workers and bosses, and each one you’re able to re-connect to increases the number of sources you have to learn of potential job openings.

Asking for too much too soon. Whether introducing yourself to contacts online or reconnecting with existing ones, connect first and ask for help later. When you establish an open line of communication first, you begin to strengthen the relationship, which will increase the likelihood of getting help when you ask for it.

Online sites like LinkedIn can speed up the networking process for those looking for jobs, but they don’t do the networking for you. By avoiding these four simple mistakes when networking online, job seekers can multiply the channels to prospective opportunities and land their next job fast.

Liz Lynch is author of “Smart Networking: Attract a Following In Person and Online” (McGraw-Hill, 2009). A top networking strategist, she’s appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today, as well as on ABC News, Fox Business News, CNBC.com and Businessweek.com. Liz holds an engineering degree from UC Berkeley and an MBA from Stanford University, and worked for some of the top companies in their fields–Goldman Sachs, Disney, Time Warner–before becoming an entrepreneur. To learn how to properly leverage your connections to get your next job fast, visit http://www.SmartNetworkingBook.com To learn more about Liz and her company, the Center for Networking Excellence, visit http://www.NetworkingExcellence.com

Similar Posts:

• Why You Should Have a LinkedIn Profile
• Should I Add LinkedIn to My Resume?
• Seven Tips to Find a Job by Using the Internet
• Job Search 101 – Top Ten Ways LinkedIn Can Help You Get Hired
• How to Start Your Job Search 2.0 – LinkedIn
• Are All Your Job Search Eggs in One Basket?
• Write Catchy Cover Letters to Get Job Interviews
• Stop All This “Personal Branding” Nonsense – It is Too Complicated
• Laurence Shatkin – Author, Career Expert
• Do you have a resume or a marketing document?