Linked In Secrets

Another post! This one came kind of suddenly... I'll try to make the most sense of it so you guys can get the most out of it.

This one is indirectly about networking. I attended a webinar by Greig Wells (for the sake of continuing this blog, here's a link so I don't get in trouble XD) on Linked In and how it can help you find a job. Well, I was yawning at this, too... however, this one in particular emphasized how a little work now will yield the recruiters CALLING YOU to GIVE YOU a job rather than you applying endlessly. Um yeah. So for the hell of it, I got up at 8 in the morning and took notes. Granted, the whole point of the webinar was to suck you into $400 worth of other merchandise you would need, however, I'm going to tell you why you should read this and not worry about purchasing anything... the free stuff actually works. I spent 5 minutes tweaking some things after the 2 hours session, and a recruiter from a very very well-known company contacted me within 24 hours of the webinar (and that particular job posting) and asked me if it was a job I would be interested in. I NEVER APPLIED TO THIS COMPANY. Hello? Welcome to 2012! This NEVER happened in your parents' generation of job seeking, and I have the feeling this wasn't an accident.

So below is my summary of what you can do to improve your Linked In Profile and get noticed before everyone else applies. Enjoy :)

The Basics:
If you do not have a Linked In Account, go home. Right now. And don't read the remainder of this blog until you have a profile that is 100% complete.

Seriously. Go home.



So assuming you all now have an account, I need you to look at your connections. These are very very important. Before you continue, I want you to go into your email account, facebook, twitter, or sidebar of linked in, and find 5 people that you know and ask them to join your network. Now repeat this at every moment you remember to. Make this your goal every week. Consistently add people you know and build your network.

Ok, I promise that's the last of what I'll ask you to do before the end of the post. Maybe.

-Keyword Strategy:

Recruiters nowadays have an interesting job. They have to fill positions (in their entirety) without spending too much of the companies' money. Meaning, they have to get the most qualified applicants to apply in the least amount of posts. Posts on popular forums cost money per day of posting. How do they accomplish this? Well, there's always Craigslist... we all know how many nuts apply for those positions... And, there's Linked In. They can dig through their connections by searching for a few key words, and voila! they have a few hundred applicants that they can contact to see who would be interested in that position. You can gear your profile to come up more times than not in their searches by using a simple tool. You can find it here at Wordle.Net. Gather about 5 job postings all from different companies (all different levels: entry, mid, and senior) and c/p all 5 into this app. Take the top 5 biggest words and remember write them down.

In your Linked In Profile, incorporate these words in every possible way into these categories: Tagline, Current Title, Past Titles, Specialties, and Summary. Re-use these words in our descriptions of what you've done and what you are doing. Exaggerate the tasks you were given on particular projects to let these words shine out above all others. This is part of your resume optimization and should be second nature by now, but if it isn't, start making a habit of it.

Here's an example of one I did. This is the only step I did to get that email. That's it. But, there's 4 more steps you can do to help yourselves along the way. Continue on, my friends, continue on...

-Profile Optimization:


Now that you know what key words to use, you can start filtering out all of the things you don't need in your profile. That one time you worked at Target? Gone. Get it out of there. This is your chance to start building your portfolio of RELATED experience. Worried you don't have enough? That's ok. If you're still in school, keep taking production classes that increase your experience in projects. Go to webinars, workshops, seminars, networking events, conferences, and add those classes to your level of experience. If you're an artist, go to life drawing sessions and add those to your curricula. Literally, anything that will increase those words and your experience in your own field will help. Join the Computer Graphics club, volunteer for a conference (there is more than just GDC and Siggraph...), start your own game on the side... they don't need to know that it was particularly a group of fellow classmates or that the class was free. Just show that you are learning and thirsty for more. Also, adding related classes is ok at first, but once you get your first internship or job in the industry, start slowly filtering out anything that reminds them that you just recently graduated. You are a professional. Prove it.

-Create a Group:


This is especially beneficial to those who are unemployed. Creating a group and being the lead manager of it allows you to create your own title and increases your chances of being found in a search (remember those keywords?). It can be a group of fellow classmates that you were in a project with and want to keep in touch about that particular project and where it's going, an interest group (localized or global), anything that you can add people to that would have the same interests as you. Make sure to name yourself intelligently based on a previous step ;)

-Build your network to 500+ :

This one's a little tougher. I'm a firm believer in the importance of blooming a relationship instead of collecting business cards. But, here I am, a "master networker" as some call me, and only at 265 connections. What gives? Well, the webinar suggested just adding anybody and everybody that had at least 500 connections... but honestly, that will help with the recruiting and not so much with you actually building a physical network of people that you can have coffee with. Those people will be there for you when the recruiters don't call. So, I suggest a little of both. Most recruiters of companies will add anyone because their network needs to be large enough to get the job done, quickly and cheaply. Start adding recruiters, directors of marketing, and the like of the companies you are following on Linked In (you ARE following companies... right???). This will help in the next step.

Also, find people that you have met physically, but not necessarily talked to. Introduce yourself and add a little of where they know you from when you connect to them on Linked In. Make certain (even if you think they would remember you) to include how you met them, or where you know them from--- I can't tell you how many people I can't remember how I met them, or if I know them, and they never mentioned a word about why they are connecting with me. This step will probably double your current network. In addition to this, make certain to always get a business card (and have one on you) at every place you go. Especially if you are in major cities. You never know who you might meet. These are the people that will start expanding you out of your college cushion and it may surprise you how small this industry is. No position or industry should be out of the question. Industry companies need lawyers, caterers, and they rent out offices in the same buildings as advertisers, restaurants, clock repair shops, and jewelry makers. Ok, the last two were a bit of a stretch, but anyone that you have a good conversation with will always be worth it. You never know who they might know. Just mentioning that you are in entertainment gets most people excited, anyways. "I want to be a game designer". "Hey! My son works for EA!" How familiar does that sound?

-Signal/ Social Media


Last, but not in the very least, taking advantage of social media. LinkedinLabs.com has an app called Signal that will allow you to see the feed on your network. Basically this allows you to listen in on the conversations people are having about jobs. Recruiters post when their company has a position (remember we added them in the last step?). They post so people can apply before the job is up in the market of forums, and they also begin their search to find people who qualify. Comment, Like, interact with these posts on Signal and you will be shot to the top of the list for these people to call in for an interview because you will be fresh in their mind.

Social media in general is becoming so powerful. Search.twitter.com allows you to search for tweets in the last 36 hours from recruiters that are related to your industry. That should give you an edge over the competition, because hey- it was in the last 36 hours. Follow these people on Twitter, Like their Facebook Page... anything that will get you exposed to their updates immediately when the happen. FOLLOW THEIR COMPANIES ON LINKED IN. I can't stress this enough. Anytime a company is hiring a wave of people is a good time to apply, whether your position is posted or not. This industry revolves around projects. One position being filled is not the end of the world, and being connected on a level in social media with all of the right people is what will get your resume to the top of the pile.

Want to know why the position is filled before you even apply? Because everyone else has already done the last 5 steps. Do the work now and save yourself an enormous amount of headaches in the future. There are 5 more advanced steps, but you can all start here and email me for the last 5 (they are super complicated and take a lot more time). Ultimately, the first 5 should be enough to wrap your head around how fast this industry hires and get you noticed enough to get that first job.

And now... here's your last task: Come up with 1 more step that will increase your chances of getting a job... just through Linked In. Post below. I dare you.