LinkedIn Profiles Boosting Career Options
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The value of using social networking sites as passive marketing tools for companies large and small has grown further in 2011. The massive volume of words, articles, tips and advice published in the past year or two attest to the growing popularity of employing these sites as valuable vehicles to encourage customer engagement and higher revenues.
While the many advantages offered to career advancement have not been ignored (even on our Smart Manager website), the importance of professional networking sites (i.e., LinkedIn) to executive management professionals has been insufficiently stressed.
Senior Management Opportunities Finally Growing
The devastating global recession damaged organizations around the U.S. and our planet. The massive unemployment statistics removed many individuals from the spending market, leading to drastically lower consumer spending since 2006.
Declining company revenues also contributed to a decrease in executive management opportunities during this period. This disturbing trend has statistically flattened and, actually, turned upward during 2011. While the increasing trend line has not been dramatic, the graph line, as compared to 2010, is inclining.
Although, many organizations are not witnessing large positive revenue increases, they seem to realize that if they are not part of the solution to the economic malaise, they will be perceived as contributors to it. Fortunately, executive job placement firms report that C-level opportunities are increasing, however modestly.
LinkedIn Profiles Contribute to Career Options
While Facebook may be bit too “volatile” in the professional world, LinkedIn is a wonderful vehicle to display your professional skills in one popular place, favored by casual and HR employment sources alike. Most importantly, LinkedIn gives executive gurus outstanding exposure to professional networking recruiters and authoritative hiring managers.
Apparently, there are still many executives who remain unaware of LinkedIn and its influence. With more than 135 million participants based in over 200 countries, business professional networking is as alive and well in the electronic world as it remains in the live person-to-person universe.
Executive job placement professionals use LinkedIn to perform countless “pre-interview” evaluations of potential candidates for senior positions. Over 500,000 HR searches were recorded in 2010 alone. In 2011, almost 2 billion searches found people from all industries and professional levels of achievement.
There are benefits offered by LinkedIn that are unavailable with other professional networking avenues. The following items are representative examples of reasons to use this site to boost your career options.
- Unlike public job boards and career change websites, LinkedIn allows you to post your resume as part of your personal, professional portfolio. C-level executives risk “professional suicide” if they post their availability on a job board. However, with a LinkedIn profile, executives can post their resume as every other user does, without fear of unwelcome repercussions from within their current company.
- You can strengthen your professional network without announcing to the world (and your employer) that you may be a candidate for new opportunities. Executives can expand their professional networking success without any overt actions that indicate they may have interest in a new employer. Even if you have little interest in new employment, solidifying your network offers future advantages and a valuable connection to your peers.
- You can procure recommendations from former or current employees, peers or collaborators to enhance your personal brand. LinkedIn allows you to request and receive professional recommendations of your skill, talent and prior achievements from current and former peers, employees and employers. These complimentary words will strengthen your personal brand and highlight your accomplishments for all to see.
- Generate positive attention from executive job placement recruiters. Whether you immediately desire sparking the attention of executive job placement professionals or not, having an impressive LinkedIn profile can serve you well when the time comes. Polished recruiters search the site regularly for open position candidates and to build an “action folder” of qualified professionals for potential future executive opportunities.
You should use caution to maintain other social media sites, such as Facebook, in an equally professional manner. The stories are growing for some LinkedIn members, with highly effective profiles, who treat their Facebook or other popular social media websites callously. This is a counterproductive idea. Many experienced recruiters will also check other networking sites to learn additional information about you.
There are few, if any, downsides to creating a LinkedIn profile. The volume, detail and nature of the information you disclose are your option. Some users do not even include a picture of themselves, although this is not typically a wise choice. A picture, preferably a head shot, personalizes your profile in subtle, but important ways to peers and recruiters alike.
Finally, there are innumerable groups of like-minded professionals that you can join. Targeted to industries, interests and job titles, these groups can narrow your professional networking focus to learn about, gain exposure to and connect with your peers. Your senior management career options will expand without any major risk to your current position.