Networking online with PEOPLE for employment
02:12, 16 March 2009
.. Posted in Communication, Outreach and General Mngmt.. Link
Recently, a friend asked me if I had gotten any work leads from my online profile on LinkedIn.
I'm adapting my response to her into a blog entry about how to use the Internet to network with people for employment:
You don't get work leads from an online profile alone, no matter how many "connections" or "friends" or whatever you have on such.
Having a LinkedIn profile or your own blog or your own web site is great, BUT, to get people to look at those profiles, you need to get your name out there as someone with a particular area of expertise. You need to be a part of many online communities, and posting answers to questions, posting your own questions, and posting links to your own online resources, announcing what conferences or workshops you are attending, and talking about other people's resources you have found helpful. Potential employers need to be familiar with your name because of the strong reputation you have built online in a particular area of expertise. I even ask on my CV for potential employers to type my name into Google -- I'm very proud of all that comes up. Are you proud of what comes up from searching for your own name online?
It was participating on a USENET newsgroup that introduced me to the people who later hired me for the Virtual Volunteering Project back in the 1990s. It was participating in online communities focused on volunteer management, like OzVPM and UKVPMs that got me hired by UNDP/UNV. Its been continuing participation in various online communities that have played a role in getting me several recent speaking gigs.
I am a member of several online communities, each focused on something different related to my areas of expertise: international development, nonprofit management, volunteer involvement, nonprofit use of technologies, women's empowerment, etc. I also post a lot of answers to the LinkedIn Nonprofit Q & A section and various online communities I'm a part of on LinkedIn, HOWEVER, I get more many more leads and solid professional connections by being a part of YahooGroups and GoogleGroups that are focused on my areas of expertise, rather than "closed" online communities on LinkedIn or other networking sites. I also comment on other people's blogs, as appropriate, and always link to my own site. I event still get tons of hits on my web site from past participation in online communities I've long abandoned.
Here's more advice on finding online communities.
I also occasionally write articles for other people's web sites and projects, pro bono, if I think it's a good way to further get my name out there. I'm overwhelmed with requests for volunteer (unpaid) writing, and I turn a lot of "offers" down, both because I don't want to devalue my expertise and because there aren't enough hours in the day to take them all on. I try to think strategically whenever I get such a request: Who will read this information? How popular is this publication or web site? How much time will it take on my part to put this information together? How much will the publisher promote my work?
It all comes down to NETWORKING and RELATIONSHIP-BUILDING. The number of connections you have on LinkedIn or the number of friends you have on an online social networking site doesn't mean anything; the kind of relationships you have cultivated with your connections, and that you continue to cultivate, are what lead to collaborations and even paid work. I'm applying offline, traditional principles of making professional connections and self-promotion to the online world, and since 1994, it's been working remarkably well.
One more comment about online social networking sites, as opposed to online professional networking sites: an online profile needs to be focused primarily on your professional work or your social life, but not both. Few potential employers will wade through your vacation photos or your list of favorite movies or your political rants in order to know your area of professional expertise. That means you have to decide if your online social networking profile on FaceBook or MySpace is going to be professional or personal. If you want to keep those socially-focused, that's fine; create a profile somewhere else that's professionally-focused.
