Hi Scott,
For me, it works as an information resource - beyond the basic features you have mentioned. There is a fundamental concept and belief in web-networking that you don't simply take, take, take from your network, you have to be seen to give too. One example would be through the answering of questions (like this) or recommending people in your network that could be of assistance. I think you get out what you put in, if you invest in your network it will be very good to you. This is the difference between a recruiter who simply uses it as a resume database and recruiter who reaps long-term rewards.

posted 8 months ago

As a recruiter, LinkedIn has been great for the straight forward sourcing methods you mentioned but what really interested me about it is the rich resource it provided for direct recruitment. An example would be research on where a client or the company (for internal recruitment) has traditionally hired from in the past - competitors, recruiting "grounds" and sources beyond the current employer or positions. I've always asked a hiring manager or client where does your ideal candidate from and to name some companies, generally I'd get a few names but having more names to source from based on a like business model provides even more resources to tap into.

In terms of an additional resource outside of just sourcing activities, the information on the site based on profiles is very informative from an intelligence standpoint. Sometimes you can see hiring/employment trends amongst companies and competitors (of course if the trend is consistent). Before there were sites such as LinkedIn, that focused heavily on business networking, you'd have to rely on speaking to a number of individuals before really identifying a trend or seeing a surge of resumes from a department/group/company to really validate that there was a recent change or potential turmoil within that business unit of a company.

I also use liked in to research a target candidate on LinkedIn to find some background information before initiating contact, which is always helpful to have if I'm going in with little background information, the same with resumes especially for modeling and profiling.

One thing I have found to be successful is locating the managers of a group I'm recruiting, even if I'm not searching or recruiting for a manager. If a group leader or individual who is managing a team recently leaves a position, it may be a prime time to start calling.

posted 8 months ago

Hi Scott,

Linkedin has been very useful for me in the goal of getting a vision about what could be the current and more innovative trends in management, marketing and finance. This sort of competitive intelligence has been possible achieve it when I have reviewed systematically blogs and profiles from different networkers and I have learned something more about what are the trendsetters and innovative approaches that are generating hype and awareness in the corporate world.

After I have reviewed carefully the different ways in which some enlighten Linkedin members have promoted and advertised their professional experience, I have learned a lot about this novel discipline that is known as Personal Branding. I have choose some of theses tactics to build a profile that helps me to improve the positive perception that other colleagues could have about me.

Linkedin is an extraordinary source of collective intelligence that I have utilized advantageously to learn from different experts and specialists about different and crucial aspects from Management, Marketing and Business Strategy. My active involvement in Linkedin Answers have allow me to get contact with other valuable and thoughtful professionals with whom I am sharing information and knowledge in issues of mutual interest and benefit for us. Additionally, Linkedin has proved been helpful in my goal of building a solid reputation as a networker who have the willingness to be helpful to others by sharing my knowledge and experience.

I hope this helps you.
Octavio

posted 8 months ago

It's a good tool for gathering info for business development, for example you could search on a client in a set location, gather info and target your champions and shepherds by name within that company. this cuts out a handful of cold calling - you can find exactly who you need to talk to and what their background is beforhand.

A nice base to start from in that respect.

posted 8 months ago

I joined LinkedIn as a vehicle to help me not lose track of individuals. My secondary thought was to include a courtesy invitation to all potential clients and candidates who contacted me and who were not members in order to assist them to jump start their networks. I did that, and it totally backfired on me when I discovered that my invites soon reached the initial limit. It seemed like a great idea at the time. It still seems like a great idea—one that I can no longer implement.

I had no interest in sourcing through LinkedIn and still rarely use it that way, though I do assist others in processing on-point requests that match the criteria of the recipient.

posted 8 months ago

I've used linkedin as my "professional black book" as well as a research-tool. I've used linkedin to find people from my college/high school days; just recently I found an old teammate from the University of Hawaii who I would have never otherwise found had it not been for linkedin.

In terms of "alternative recruiting purposes", linkedin is very good for doing back-door research whenever a candidate or hiring manager appears out-of-the-blue and with linkedin you can get a quick-outline of who you're dealing-with or if you need to be cautious-of (not listed or has a listing with minimal info). Seeing how you connect with someone can also be a great-icebreaker and that is a great feature of linkedin that I use often.

posted 8 months ago

Scott,

We hope this find you in time for your presentation. In addition to the traditional “use” of LinkedIn as a professional recruitment organization, our team does leverage the tool in many other ways. One of the main features are just as us are using this tool today, to either ask questions of others in the industry or to review the questions and answers to better equip our team with the latest trends and technology. Other uses for our team include:

1. Prepping candidates – certain hiring managers and or companies have great information on LinkedIn profiles…we send the PDFs to candidates prior to interviews
2. Candidate checks – do they have a profile, what are people saying about them (and who), how big is their network, etc.
3. Sales Leads – obviously there is a lot you can do in this arena
4. Professional Associations – what groups are hot, where are we not and where are we wasting time
5. Branding – More and more candidates and clients are reviewing the web to see if they want to deal with you as an individual and vendor…do you look professional?

Hope this helps with your presentations today?

Chris Wellington – The Mulberry Search Team

posted 8 months ago

I am starting to make the Linkedin Answers part of my daily routine. I check them a few times a day and not only answer questions but I like reading what other people wrote for things that I may have questions about too. It is great for getting different viewpoints from different industries, seeing problems or solutions in a different light. Then by answering questions you take the first step to building a relationship especially if the person that asked the question responds to you. Its great!

posted 8 months ago

* Staying in touch with candidates you have placed or those that you didn't, but who you've had a great rapport.
* Better understanding the clients and/or hiring managers of which you are supporting.
* Connecting with experts in your industry and peers around the world.
* Keeping up with who you know and when they are connecting to each other.
* Marketing yourself, defining your personal brand and staying in touch with the market and those in your career path.

Linkedin is a resource for those in any field, but the "search feature" is a bonus for those in recruiting, sales or business development.

posted 8 months ago

I have had success with LinkedIn mostly with asking questions of people specific to other regions of the country. Finding out what works for them when we are having challenges. I've also had some great referrals from people I've located. If I had more time, I'd probably get even more out of it!

posted 8 months ago