I gave three workshops this week about LinkedIn from various perspective: small employers interested in using social media for recruiting and job seekers interested in making a better impression on social media or using social media for job search.
I got a lot of resistance to the idea of having a large number of connections.
LinkedIn is an important social media tool for business people.
There are others but at least companies and job seekers should have a solid presence on LinkedIn. I currently have over 2600 connections. Dan Toussant my business partner has about double that number. I still think we both can and should have more connections to get the leverage from LinkedIn that will help us grow our business and enhance our reputations.
The resistance comes from many corners. Typically I hear these kinds of arguments:
- Social media is stupid. I can’t be bothered.
- I have too much on my plate to waste time with social media.
- I am concerned about sharing too much on social media. It is a security question for me.
- I don’t want to connect with people I don’t know. Why would I do that?
The common element is looking at the world from only your own perspective. You miss an entire world out there! We learn and grow by opening our eyes to possibilities outside of our perspective.
Let’s make this simple. Ask yourself what problem are you trying to solve? What tools are available to help you solve it?
What if your business problem is attracting talent to your organization? If you continue to post a job description on job boards, you are missing a huge swatch of talent that are not looking at job boards. If you do not have a social media presence for your business and the people who work in your company you are missing a huge swatch of talent that will not find your business attractive. You have a bigger problem than you think.
As a job seeker, your business problem is finding an employer so you can earn money and meet your obligations. If you continue to respond to job ads you are missing out on all those possibilities that never get posted to job boards. If you do not have a social media presence on LinkedIn at least then employers will judge you to be behind the times and not tech savvy enough to fit in with their team. You have a bigger problem than you think.
Social media is the way of the world. Create a solid, positive social media presence on LinkedIn at least and you will find more job opportunities and connect with more candidates.
The solution to your business problem is often just a blog, “like” or comment away if you have a solid, positive social media presence. What are you waiting for?