Connecting with the Hiring Manager – No Recruiters, HR or Gate Keepers
LinkedIn is, without a doubt, one of the greatest tools for job seekers in finding potential employers. But, if you view it as your primary way of connecting with potential contacts versus a robust resource for information, you could be making your search more difficult than it needs to be. Let me explain what I mean as I walk you through this “how to” session.
I want you to think of LinkedIn like your personal White Pages. The more first degree connections you have, the larger your phonebook. I’ve written before about my philosophy that out of quantity, quality is born. The tool I highly recommend to all my clients for building a vast 1st level of likeminded networkers is OpenNetworker. After signing up with them, you will see your connections grow exponentially…as well as your ability to find the people with whom you want an audience. In my case, simply by signing up, my connections went from around 1000 about 18 months ago (which took me almost 4 years to build) to over 10,000 as of this blog…connecting me to over 17,000,000 LinkedIn users.
What I am going to walk you through today is only one of the techniques I teach in my Bootcamp. Adopting this approach, I want to show you how you can get in front of more hiring managers and take control of what they are hearing and seeing about you:
1. Getting Started – Here are the basics that you need:
• The name of the company,
• The role (you can select more than one, if you are uncertain) to which you would be reporting. You are looking for decision makers here – not HR or recruiters. In the video, I walk through this step-by-step (there is more information on this below).
2. Searching on LinkedIn – Using this criteria, conduct a search on LinkedIn to find the right point of contact – who you would be reporting to in your ideal role. Write down their full name. If you are on the fence about who your ideal contact is, take down all the possible options you can find in LinkedIn.
Tip: I recommend starting your search as broad as possible. Run it by company only, and then start adding in criteria like location, title or keywords. It’s always better to cast a wide net to begin with and then narrow your search.
3. Googling the Email Format – Since you are going to be reaching out to this contact on your own, we are going to move from LinkedIn to Google. If you think you might have a good contact to use instead of making your own introduction, that’s fine. But, I recommend using my “Litmus Test” in the tip below before relying on someone else to get you in the door. You need to know exactly how good an advocate they are going to be.
Tip: When trying to decide whether you should use a connection for an introduction or go it alone, use this easy litmus test. Ask your connection if they are willing to make a call to the contact you are trying to reach. If they are reluctant to do so and only offer to email – or worse yet, put your resume in front of someone in HR – politely thank them and go it alone. Someone with a solid relationship that bears weight won’t hesitate to pick up the phone. Anything else is simply an introduction with no teeth and a missed opportunity to make a meaningful first impression.
Using Google, add the “@” sign in front of the URL of the company in the search box. In the video, I use the example of Applied Robotics. You can see below what that search looks like.
You may need to dig through a page or two of search results to find the format. I also share some secrets on uncovering hard-to-find email format in the video walking you through this technique. If you enter your name and email below, I will send you a link to the short video that includes more tips and walks you through this process step-by-step.
Once you have found the format, use the contact name you found through LinkedIn and apply the format to it. You can then reach out directly to this potential hiring manager without being concerned about HR, recruiters or any other gate keepers.
As always, share your comments below. I always want to hear that you think!
The LinkedIn Job Seeker Connections Dilemma: Quantity or Quality?
In all my speaking, training and coaching, this has to be the most popular question when talking about LinkedIn. To link or not to link…should a job seeker go after a high quantity of connections or focus more on the quality of connections? My answer – in short – is both. I am a strong believer and advocate that out of quantity comes quality.
Guy Kawasaki, of Alltop fame, says it best when talking about Twitter: “Nobodies are the new somebodies.” Albeit a different medium, I think that philosophy applies here. LinkedIn is the premier on-line professional networking site. And, just as you would network at a live event, the goal should be to get to know those you don’t already know. Moreover, following Kawasaki’s logic, don’t try to predetermine who can help you…those second and third degrees of separation with the most random of persons can take you places you never expected to go!
It’s essential to connect with likeminded people. A massive number of connections with non-networking types nets you “garbage in, garbage out.” Personally, I have used OpenNetworker to grow my network from under 2,000 connections to over 10,000 in just over a year. More importantly, 10,000 connections who want to network. This has been instrumental in helping me get the word out on what I do and the pain I address (more on this in a second). I don’t decide who needs to hear my message – I let the audience…my connections…decide what has value. They then make the introductions and connections accordingly.
For the job seeker in particular, you must have your message down. More importantly, your message (or, as I call it, Your Solution) isn’t that you are unemployed or that you are looking for work. It’s all about where you have consistently delivered value to employers in the past – painting the picture of what you can do for a future employer. When working with clients on their Solution, we get crystal clear on the problems (or pains) they solve. Fine tune the Solution, push it out as a clear message, attract those in pain (i.e. those who need what you can deliver) and then explore the fit (interview).
Can you do this with a small, closely knit network? Sure. But, chances are that your immediate network already knows your accomplishments. Heck, your closest network would hire you if they could. But what about those “nobodies” who could just be the “somebody” that lead you to your new job? You owe it to yourself to connect with them sooner rather than later.
As always, I’d love to hear what you think!
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5 Reasons Why Social Media MUST Be Part of Your Job Search
There’s a lot of static out there about Social Media and its place in the job search process. Many think it is a bit of a time drain with little return on investment. And, like anything else, without a “plan” it can be just that. But, properly implemented, it can be a more powerful catalyst to getting your job search engine off and running than just about any other single tool out there. This is largely because it embodies a collection of qualities that, combined, can streamline your search efforts while putting the maximum amount of pressure on a pinpoint area – your target position:
Visibility – These mediums allow you access to an unlimited amount of professionals within your targeted audience. What’s more, Social Media sites by definition allow for and promote the organization of niche “groups” which make finding your audience that much easier. LinkedIn is a prime example of this, but Facebook and YouTube as well.
Transparency – This is a mantra to your success in Social Media environments. You can equate it to going to a party. Would you set up a table and starting pitching your product (i.e. “Here I am, looking for a job”) or begin by connecting on common ground? This is particularly true on Twitter – one of the more transparent tools out there. It is the first step in the process of “Know, Like, Trust,” which we all go through in determining what we are going to buy. Or, in this case, who they are going to hire.
“Give to Get” – Coupled with transparency, it is the second key to success in Social Media. Help others to not only get them to help you but, of equal importance, discover who will help you. And, by way of this assistance, you get a third party endorsement or recommendation. You can start doing it by simply asking others, “How can I help you?”
Nobodies are the New Somebodies – Borrowed from Guy Kawasaki, in the simplest of terms you don’t know who can help you nor do you know who knows who. Connecting with the big wigs in your industry through Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn can be fun, but it’s that avid networker who you have never met or heard of who is your better bet.
The Quality is in the Quantity – This is how you get to the “Nobody Somebodies.” There are a myriad of tools out there to help you build a network of likeminded, “give to get” individuals rapidly on the major platforms (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc.). By having a large number of connections, you have more choices from which to drill down and develop deeper, more meaningful connections. Think of it like filling your own networking event: pack the hall with as many folks as possible and then work the room to see who can help you (and, of course, who you can help).
It is clear that Social Media isn’t the fad some first claimed it to be. It is almost equally as pervasive off-line as it is on-line. By incorporating it on the front end of your job search efforts to “fill the funnel,” you will not only more effectively tie in with the opportunities you seek but also uncover that elusive “hidden job market.”
Social Media is only one part of Kevin’s 11 Module Job Search 2.0 Bootcamp System which not only uncovers the “hidden” job market – but drives those jobs to you. Learn more about this new system.
* * * * * * * * *
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE, BLOG OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Kevin Kermes publishes the ‘Build the Career Your Deserve’ e-zine with over 21,000+ subscribers. If you are ready to empower yourself with the vital tools and information necessary to find the job you want and build the successful career you deserve, visit him now www.careerattraction.com
2008 – 2009 (c) Kevin Kermes Inc. – All Rights Reserved
5 Reasons Why Social Media MUST Be Part of Your Job Search
There’s a lot of static out there about Social Media and its place in the job search process. Many think it is a bit of a time drain with little return on investment. And, like anything else, without a “plan” it can be just that. But, properly implemented, it can be a more powerful catalyst to getting your job search engine off and running than just about any other single tool out there. This is largely because it embodies a collection of qualities that, combined, can streamline your search efforts while putting the maximum amount of pressure on a pinpoint area – your target position:
Visibility – These mediums allow you access to an unlimited amount of professionals within your targeted audience. What’s more, Social Media sites by definition allow for and promote the organization of niche “groups” which make finding your audience that much easier. LinkedIn is a prime example of this, but Facebook and YouTube as well.
Transparency – This is a mantra to your success in Social Media environments. You can equate it to going to a party. Would you set up a table and starting pitching your product (i.e. “Here I am, looking for a job”) or begin by connecting on common ground? This is particularly true on Twitter – one of the more transparent tools out there. It is the first step in the process of “Know, Like, Trust,” which we all go through in determining what we are going to buy. Or, in this case, who they are going to hire.
“Give to Get” – Coupled with transparency, it is the second key to success in Social Media. Help others to not only get them to help you but, of equal importance, discover who will help you. And, by way of this assistance, you get a third party endorsement or recommendation. You can start doing it by simply asking others, “How can I help you?”
Nobodies are the New Somebodies – Borrowed from Guy Kawasaki, in the simplest of terms you don’t know who can help you nor do you know who knows who. Connecting with the big wigs in your industry through Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn can be fun, but it’s that avid networker who you have never met or heard of who is your better bet.
The Quality is in the Quantity – This is how you get to the “Nobody Somebodies.” There are a myriad of tools out there to help you build a network of likeminded, “give to get” individuals rapidly on the major platforms (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc.). By having a large number of connections, you have more choices from which to drill down and develop deeper, more meaningful connections. Think of it like filling your own networking event: pack the hall with as many folks as possible and then work the room to see who can help you (and, of course, who you can help).
It is clear that Social Media isn’t the fad some first claimed it to be. It is almost equally as pervasive off-line as it is on-line. By incorporating it on the front end of your job search efforts to “fill the funnel,” you will not only more effectively tie in with the opportunities you seek but also uncover that elusive “hidden job market.”
For more information on uncovering the “hidden job market” and how you can more effectively incorporate social media into your job search, check out my November Job Search 2.0 Bootcamp
* * * * * * * * *
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE, BLOG OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Kevin Kermes publishes the ‘Build the Career Your Deserve’ e-zine with over 21,000+ subscribers. If you are ready to empower yourself with the vital tools and information necessary to find the job you want and build the successful career you deserve, visit him now www.careerattraction.com
2008 – 2009 (c) Kevin Kermes Inc. – All Rights Reserved
Why Social Media Must Be Part of Your Job Search Strategy
There is a lot of static out there about Social Media and its place in the job search process. Many think it is a bit of a time drain with little return on investment. And, like anything else, without a “plan” it can be just that. But, properly implemented, it can be a more powerful catalyst to getting your job search engine off and running than just about any other single tool out there. This is largely because it embodies a collection of qualities that, combined, can streamline your search efforts while putting the maximum amount of pressure on a pinpoint area – your target position:
Visibility – These mediums allow you access to an unlimited amount of professionals within your targeted audience. What’s more, Social Media sites by definition allow for and promote the organization of niche “groups” which make finding your audience that much easier. LinkedIn is a prime example of this, but Facebook and YouTube as well.
Transparency – This is a mantra to your success in Social Media environments. Perry Belcher equates it to going to a party. Would you set up a table and starting pitching your product (i.e. “Here I am, looking for a job”) or begin by connecting on common ground? This is particularly true on Twitter – one of the more transparent tools out there. It is the first step in the process of “Know, Like, Trust,” which we all go through in determining what we are going to buy. Or, in this case, who they are going to hire.
“Give to Get” – Coupled with transparency, it is the second key to success in Social Media. Help others to not only get them to help you but, of equal importance, discover who will help you. And, by way of this assistance, you get a third party endorsement or recommendation. You can start doing it by simply asking others, “How can I help you?”
Nobodies are the New Somebodies – Borrowed from Guy Kawasaki, in the simplest of terms you don’t know who can help you nor do you know who knows who. Connecting with the big wigs in your industry through Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn can be fun, but it’s that avid networker who you have never met or heard of who is your better bet.
The Quality is in the Quantity – This is how you get to the “Nobody Somebodies.” By using tools like Opennetworker, you can build a network of likeminded, “give to get” individuals rapidly on a number of platforms (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc.). By having a large number of connections, you have more choices from which to drill down and develop deeper, more meaningful connections. Think of it like filling your own networking event: pack the hall with as many folks as possible and then work the room to see who can help you (and, of course, who you can help).
It is clear that Social Media isn’t the fad some first claimed it to be. It is almost equally as pervasive off-line as it is on-line. By incorporating it on the front end of your job search efforts to “fill the funnel,” you will not only more effectively tie in with the opportunities you seek but also uncover that elusive “hidden job market.”
* * * * * * * * *
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE, BLOG OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Kevin Kermes publishes the ‘Build the Career Your Deserve’ e-zine with over 21,000+ subscribers. If you are ready to empower yourself with the vital tools and information necessary to find the job you want and build the successful career you deserve, visit him now www.careerattraction.com
2008 – 2009 (c) Kevin Kermes Inc. – All Rights Reserved
