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Yes, linkedIn is an effective networking tool.

How are the best jobs found? Is it through Monster? Is it through the newspaper classifieds? No, it is a proven fact that the best jobs are found through networking. You here about opportunities through friends, family, fellow church members or past colleagues. As the old saying goes, it is not what you know, but who. The more people you know, and the better you are at gabbing with these people, than the more likely it is that you will be connected in the business world. LinkedIn can be an effective networking tool if used often and if you know How to use the website.

Basically how it works is you fill out a profile, add your past jobs and education. You can then add contacts by sending them an email, and asking them to join your network. If you want to know who the hiring manager is at a particular company, you can put their name or company in the search window and if they use linked in, you can see if you are they have any of the same contacts. Now, this may be somewhat unlikely, so linked in will also tell you how many "degrees" you are from that person. Kind of like the game six degree of Kevin Bacon. You can also request to be "introduced" to someone by asking your contact to send an email to this person of interest. Another common aspect of this on-line tool is getting past colleagues, managers, and friends to write recommendations for you, stating what a great and wonderful personal you are, and how you are superstar in your field.

A lot of companies may use linked in to find qualified employees instead of a job board if they are looking more for qualified referrals, and not getting 100's of resumes, many of whom probably won't make it past the initial qualification inspection. If it is a technology company they may also do a search on linkedIn to find candidates who are internet savvy to now about a hot web 2.0 technology and how to affectively market themselves in that way.

I am not advising to quit the old fashioned way of networking which is going to networking meetings in person, or good old word of mouth. These are still invaluable ways to network. This is still the best way to make friends, as well as business colleagues. The internet will never replace that. However, people probably spend more time on-line than they do in groups of other people, and a neat networking companion piece is linkedIn. Check it out!

Learn more about this author, Bruce Gilbert.
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