LinkedIn: The new super power….

So we all know that social networking sites, such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace have been dominating cyber space for years now; but today it’s not just teenagers and celebrities who are hooked.

Increasingly both businesses and professionals are using these sites to increase their visibility in the online community, and these sites have become a platform for business promotion and recruitment.

As shown by The Guardians recent twitter job challenge, their power as a medium for creating job opportunities is constantly being explored, in innovative and exciting new ways.

However the network which leaps to the forefront of this new trend, of online business social networking is LinkedIn. The principle difference of LinkedIn from other social networking sites is the fact that it’s the world’s largest professional network. Its popularity has grown at an astonishing rate since its inception in 2002. Today the site attracts an unprecedented one million new users, every week, and has positioned itself as the break though online forum for self and business promotion.

To some it’s old news, but as the network is becoming more popular in the online recruitment business, and allows employers to see at a glance your accomplishments and background, effectively making use of it in your job search has never been more important.

LinkedIn is recognised as an important resource in recruitment, with industry professionals agreeing that it’s a great place to look for new talent and clients. 

In fact, in the recruitment of IT staff “58% of recruitment consultant’s rate social networking websites as more useful than advertisements in print publications.”

Even here at C2 there have been a few wily attempts to poach our staff from us through the site.

The reason for this surge in popularity amongst recruiters is, as stated by Ann Swain, that “they offer something quite different: a dynamic, two-way dialogue between recruiter and candidate, which is a very efficient form of communication.”

Businesses and recruiters feel that they can get to know you through LinkedIn, so presenting yourself in a positive light, and making the most of this free online resources to do so, is not only cost effective, but it could improve your chances of finding a job, and being seen by employers. Even if you have not actively been approached by employers through the site, it’s more than likely that an employer will look you up if you’ve applied for a job with them. So obvious though it sounds; remember to keep your online profiles positive, and free of information that could be seen in a negative light.

The most important thing to bear in mind when using LinkedIn is that if you have a great profile, employers and recruiters will find a way to contact you.

So what are the best ways of ensuring that your profile appeals, and is viewed by as many employers as possible?

This is a question that has been exhaustively discussed in online forums, with a few great sites you can use, Guy Kawasaki’s top ten ways to use LinkedIn is a good place to start.

If you’re looking for more information on how to make use of LinkedIn, possibly the most comprehensive site to use is linkedintelligence.com. This is a hosting site which gives you information on a diverse range of topics, and could be useful for individuals and businesses alike.

The possibilities LinkedIn could provide for self promotion as well as your individual job hunt are only set to grow, so the question to ask yourself is, are you linked in?

Tell us if you have an account, it would be great to find out if any of you have had employment success through the site.