Kevin Li is a  hybrid with interests in marketing, analytics and technology. His experience includes new product consulting, launching web applications and leading corporate strategy for a venture-backed technology company. Kevin shares his thoughts at his new blog Just Ladders.

Most people use LinkedIn as an electronic address book — I know you from somewhere else, therefore I’ll connect with you on LinkedIn. Many people don’t realize that the true potential of LinkedIn lies not in passive networking (i.e. finding people you know), but active networking (i.e. finding people you don’t know but share a mutual interest). In this game, you’ll see how LinkedIn can be a powerful active networking tool in your arsenal when it comes to finding a new job. Enjoy!

Number of players:
2+

Game pieces you need:

• 1 x completed Linked In profile
• 1 x completed resume
• 1 x cell phone

Directions:

1. Make sure you have your LinkedIn profile filled out. “Filled out” in this case means a complete work history and the ability for someone else to quickly assess whether you’re a good fit for a specific job opening or not. “Filled out” exists between just having companies/titles on your profile and literally pasting in your full resume (the reason will become apparent later). This example from my own profile (probably on the “too much” side, to be honest) shows what I’ve done and gives another person an idea of what I can do.

2. Click on “Groups Directory” under the groups tab up top. Type in top of mind keywords that are relevant to your interests. For example, I would type in marketing analytics, start-ups, etc. and get something that looks roughly like what’s shown in the picture below. Obviously, this will be different based on your interests.

3. This step has a little bit of art mixed in with the science. Find and join groups that are focused on a certain topic and are relevant to your interests. From my personal experience, groups that explicitly focus on jobs (like the first group shown above) aren’t very good because they are not very targeted. 144000 other people doing everything under the sun, not helpful. The second one is targeted, but unrelated to what I’m doing, skip. The third one is a winner — it’s focused on a certain topic and extremely relevant to my interests.

4. After you’re in a group, click on the jobs tab within the group itself (if the group doesn’t have a jobs tab, just leave it). It should look something like the following picture.

5. Step 5 in this game is arguably the most important step out of the whole process so I’m going to break it down into smaller pieces:

• Look through the job posts and make a note of the ones that pique your interest, particularly the person who posted it.

• If you find yourself interested in multiple positions posted by one person, take note of the person.

6. Click on the person and message them directly. Be short and concise: “Hi I came across your posting on the job board of Group X and I’m extremely interested. Can we have a quick 15 minute call to see if there’s a mutual fit? My profile is updated and a resume is available upon request.” With this short note, you’ve done a few things

• Bypass the job posting itself and reach out directly to the person

• Because you belong in the same group, most people allow incoming messages from group members (bypass privacy settings that may exist)

• Made their life easier by having your profile updated so they can gauge interest in one click (making their life easier = making your life easier)

• Asked to connect offline where you can establish a personal relationship.

7. Figure out which camp the person you’re about to talk to falls under:

Independent Recruiters: People who are sourcing candidates (you) for a position at a firm

Secret Sauce for Independent Recruiters: Talk about the position at hand, but ask about what other positions they’re working on that may be a good fit for you. This way, you’re leveraging someone who’s very well connected in your space to inform you on what else is available.

Corporate Recruiters: People who are recruiting specifically for a position at a specific company. Be careful here, the moment you reach out also begins the “interview” process. While you do have the flexibility to ask what else is suitable (within the company, of course), let them take the lead in that conversation.

• Call them on the phone! Have your own personal executive summary ready and tell them what you’re looking for (more on this in a future post in terms of how to work with recruiters).

8. Iterate, iterate, iterate. Repeat steps 2 through 7 using different keywords, join different groups (max limit is 50 at a time) and network with different people.

To summarize, network and build strong relationships with recruiters now – you can leverage them for the rest of your life. I’ve met recruiters this way while searching for a job and have subsequently used them for my own recruiting needs or recommended friends to their services.

Feedback is always welcome (seriously, don’t be shy), as are suggestions/criticism (I need to learn!) or specific requests around a certain topic.  Get in touch below in the comments!

-Kevin
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