Chatting quietly over plates of raw vegetables, cookies and sandwiches on a recent Thursday at the Bagel Bin Café, a small crowd of about 12 people sat before computer laptops waiting for the training session to begin.
Some were unemployed and hoped the money spent on the workshop would help them land a job. All who gathered came to understand how to effectively navigate the phenomenon of LinkedIn, an online networking service for business professionals that launched in 2003.
Some say LinkedIn is as important to attracting potential employers as a business card and a solid résumé “” and maybe more beneficial.
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“You can research geographic areas, conduct polls, collaborate on work assignments (and) find clients and prospects,” said Greg Taylor, a corporate recruiter and LinkedIn instructor who led the training session.
Taylor, 56, of Irondequoit showed participants how to set up LinkedIn accounts, create personal profiles, invite others to join their network, and research companies and individuals.
Attendees learned merely typing the words health care industry in LinkedIn’s advanced job search engine can result in a broad list of available jobs ranging from cook to truck driver, but including quotation marks around the words “financial controller” helps pinpoint controller openings in New York City or Minneapolis.
For example, someone interested in knowing more about Harris Corp., a communications and technology company with local and international offices, can connect with LinkedIn members working there to get the inside scoop.
“It helps you create a new relationship with someone through people you know,” said Steven Tylock, of Penfield, author of the book The LinkedIn Personal Trainer. “It’s business professionals networking all the time.”
Tylock, 45, will lead a free LinkedIn introductory course at the Fairport library in May, and said the online tool was critical in helping him build his IT consulting business.
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A big misconception, say proponents, is defining LinkedIn as a social tool akin to Facebook or MySpace. It’s no substitute for in-person interaction over a cup of coffee, but takes networking to a viral level by linking users with hundreds, sometimes thousands, of corporations, individuals, professional organizations and even college alumni associations.
Taylor, whose 6-million-member LinkedIn network reaches from Rochester to New Zealand, said users should have a minimum of 200 connections to see results.
“Everything hums off the size of the network,” Taylor said. “The motto for LinkedIn is ‘relationships matter.’”
Deb Muratore hopes that’s true. She was laid off in January after working 25 years as a product buyer for electronics companies, and spent 10 years in the tool and die industry.
After taking Taylor’s workshops, Muratore, a Penfield resident, invited dozens of friends to join her LinkedIn network and plans to connect with LinkedIn users who are part of the Rochester Tooling and Manufacturing Association.
“I’ve connected with some people I used to work with years ago,” Muratore said. “People are offering to help people.”
By Nicole Lee
April 21, 2009
source: democratandchronicle.com