Monday, October 25, 2010

How to Find a Job on LinkedIn

Finding a Nanny Job in a Tough Economy

The October, 2010 Be the Best Nanny Newsletter survey shows that nannies find jobs on nanny web sites more than any other method (a big change from just three-years ago).

In fact, 20% of nanny placement agencies that took our original poll in 2007 have closed. With less nanny placement agencies and more nannies using the Internet to find jobs it's only natural they start using social networks to find jobs too.

Our poll shows clearly that classifieds are out and there is no stigma that you’re looking right now. So, the more people who know you’re looking for a job, the more likely you’ll find a job. This week we'll discuss how to do that using social networks.

LinkedIn is a great tool to promote yourself professionally because your personal profile on LinkedIn looks like a resume (but you can add Internet bling). The site is built to network you and your resume. Then, you can add your personal blog or links and personal recommendations from others to improve on your resume.

To market yourself on LinkedIn you want your profile to read like your resume. When creating your profile, fill out your profile to the fullest, but leave the names and contact information of your former employer's off the profile. By adding as much information about yourself, your qualifications, and job duties as possible, you’re more likely to appear in search results.

Be sure to connect to your personal Twitter account (stop by tomorrow and we'll discuss Twitter), blog, or web site (come back on Friday to see how to make your own resume web site) if they are professional and will add to your resume. This allows your LinkedIn connections to view your activity on these sites, even if they don’t actively use Twitter or subscribe to your blog.

Connect with former employers, classmates, and friends. You can leverage these connections by contacting them about any job leads they may know of and be sure to sign up with nanny groups on LinkedIn. These groups sometimes have their own, more specific, job boards which can help you narrow down your search. You can also make new connections with other members of the group that could potential be beneficial in your job search.

You can have others recommend you and have it posted on your profile. If you can get someone to recommend you, potential employers will see that as a definite positive.

Do you have a LinkedIn profile?

2 comments:

Eva said...

This is a great idea since so many nanny agency owners are not on facebook yet. Once I opened my Linked In account I saw they were on Linked In. Great idea since you can then link all your other accounts like facebook and twitter to Linked In resume and recommendatons!

Anonymous said...

I signed up then never went back on. Good idea I hadn't thought of actually, thanks for advice.