Did you know Americans spend nearly a quarter of their time online frequenting social networking sites and blogs? It is apparent that these sites have streamlined into all parts of life, including the workplace. More and more employers are turning to these sites for help in the hiring process, forever changing the face of the working world.

This whitepaper will address how employers use these sites to obtain a more well-rounded view of job candidates, the effects of social networks on the current workplace, concerns associated with the use of social networking sites for both employers and employees alike and tips on how job candidates can make their online profiles employer-friendly.

For your copy of the whitepaper, click here.

When it comes to networking, going out there and meeting other professionals may play a big part, but it’s actually maintaining and keeping track of those contacts that will be most important thing you can do. Whether you are already employed or looking for a job, you never really know when someone in your network may actually prove to be the next MVP on your career path. That’s why it is so important to keep track of your contacts, even when you don’t need anything and aren’t looking for a new job. How can you keep track of these valuable network connections?

A good way to manage your network and keep in contact is to send periodic messages to each individual on a regular basis. To make this easier, you may want to set a goal of sending a few messages to a small number of individuals each week. These messages can be rather simple – maybe just a “hello, how are you?” or a link to an article that reminds you of them. These small notes can go a long way and will make world of a difference in the long run.

Social and business networking sites such as LinkedIn are good ways to find old connections and make new ones, as well. In recent months, LinkedIn has seen a huge increase in membership as more and more professionals jump on the site in hopes of building up their networks. Using LinkedIn can help make the challenge of creating and managing your network much easier, so consider getting a LinkedIn account if you don’t have one already (we have a great introductory post on LinkedIn and all of its features here).

More often than not, individuals lose touch of their networks because they don’t feel a “need” to keep in touch or don’t think they have the time. Later down the line, however, these same individuals may find that they need a network for a number of reasons, but haven’t maintained one. Once you’ve lost communication with your network, it can be a challenge to reconnect. This is one reason it is so important to build it up while you are still employed and keep track of it. But what happens if you’ve already lost touch with your network? Is there any way to regain your relationships? How can you rekindle the connections you established before?

If you are past the point of maintaining your network and find yourself needing to reconnect, it is important that your first few messages discuss things that will remind the individuals of you and your previous relationships. If possible, you may want to review old messages you sent to your contacts before you speak with them again. Consider mentioning things like when you last spoke, what you discussed and how you left things off.

Once you decide to send a message to reconnect, it’s best to start off by putting the focus on the other person first. Remember that the point of reconnecting is to reestablish the relationship.  Start off by asking the other person how they are doing and avoid stating what you need outright (for example, if you are looking for a job at their company or need to meet a mutual connection). Once you start building towards your relationship again, then you will be able to mention what you are looking for. Asking for something in this way will prompt a much better response from your connection.

Overall, the best thing you can do is simply make an effort to maintain your network from the very start! You never really know when someone may be the connection you needed, so treat everyone in your network as a valuable player in the success of your career.

A few weeks ago, I read an article on Mashable that broke down the revamps and additions to existing LinkedIn groups. I was very excited to read about the updates, but what caught my attention was something that actually wasn’t so new to these groups.

According to the article, “You may not know this, but the business social network actually gives you the option to ‘follow’ individuals if you want to see what they’re saying in different groups, but aren’t his or her connection.”

If you’ve read my previous post on LinkedIn, you already know that I am a huge fan of the site (yes, I really am). That being said, the idea of knowing I could be followed by a complete stranger – my every comment instantly shared with them at just the click of a button – made me a little uncomfortable. Could someone that I don’t even know really click on one follow button and instantly receive notifications for my every post within our shared groups? Without even giving me any sort of notification about their follow??

Some of you may be wondering, what is the follow button? Where can you find it? To give you a little breakdown: the follow feature was released in late 2009 and it allows users to quickly find the contributions made by fellow group members they “value.” When you post something on a LinkedIn group, a follow button is added right under your photo. If someone would like to keep track of your comments within your shared groups, they simply have to click that follow button. From there, they receive updates with your latest group comments and what’s more, they can sign up for e-mail notifications of the comments you post.

How can you check out who you’re following and who’s following you? It’s really easy. Hover over the groups tab at the top navigation on LinkedIn. Click following on the drop down list. This will take you to a page with all of your followers and who you’re following (as seen below). If you’ve never followed anyone and wonder why you have names listed under the “people I’m following” category, keep in mind that LinkedIn automatically adds all of your connections to that list, and vice versa for your connections (but being a connection is not necessary to follow someone).

After learning all of this information, I wanted to see what my fellow LinkedIn users thought. So what did I do? I did what any avid and dedicated LinkedIn user would do and I took it right to the groups and asked my fellow users the following question: how do you feel about being followed by someone not connected to you on LinkedIn? I’ve compiled some of the answers I got and am reporting them back to you here (I even got a LinkedIn employee in on the discussion!).

Overall, I received a wide range of responses. Some of my fellow group members felt against the whole idea and some were all for being followed. Both sides presented great points. I’ll let you decide where you stand for yourself, but here are some of the pros and cons to being followed on LinkedIn:

Based off of the findings listed above, I’ve come up with my own conclusion on the LinkedIn follow feature (for now). I think following can certainly present some good opportunities (and obviously, an overwhelming number of responses from other users all show they share the same sentiment) but I also think it’s important to use discretion in your online activity. While I still think there should be an option to opt out of being followed by anyone, as long as you’re aware that this feature exists, you can better protect yourself in the future. So, why not take a moment to stop by your LinkedIn page and check out your followers?

Would you like to read more about potential security risks on social networking sites similar to what you’ve just read? Download a copy of our latest whitepaper, which gives you advice on how to protect yourself on social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. If you would like a copy of the whitepaper, please click here.

I’ll admit it: I’m probably somewhere in the running to becoming LinkedIn’s #1 Fan. I’ve even been known to call LinkedIn “my new best friend” from time to time. Why? In the professional world, LinkedIn can open up a wide range of opportunities. Whether you want to make new connections or just get your name out there, LinkedIn seems to be the best place to do it.

Let me start by saying that there are over 65 MILLION people on LinkedIn. That number includes job seekers, recruiters, hiring managers, executives and regular ol’ joe schmoe’s like me and you. There are tons, and tons, AND TONS of amazing professional opportunities and resources available on LinkedIn.

So, I’ve written this blog post and I dedicate it to all of you out there who may not know, or understand, the power behind a LinkedIn account in your job search. Whether you’re new to the site or a self-proclaimed LinkedIn aficionado, this post is for you.

I’ve compiled a list of my favorite features on LinkedIn that will immediately ease your job search by leaps and bounds, and how you can use them in your job hunt right away:

1. Answers: This is a forum where you can ask questions about any industry or subject and browse questions and answers that others have submitted. You can browse business-related questions from both your network and the greater LinkedIn network. If you want to try posting a question, start off by asking one related to your job search and see what answers you get!
2. Search: Want to be found by recruiters and hiring managers who are searching for people with the required skills, experience and qualifications listed for the jobs they need to fill? Then make sure you’ve created a keyword rich, well-developed profile! Take a moment to look over your resume and pick out keywords that will make your LinkedIn POP out to recruiters and hiring managers. Do you have any certifications? Include those as well. You can also look at other LinkedIn profiles of individuals in your industry for some ideas. What skills, talents and qualifications do they have listed?
3. Status Updates: Status updates go directly to each of your connections’ homepages. If you’re looking for a job, make it your status update! If you’ve done something great in your professional career, write a status update about it too! That way, your connections will have a clear understanding of what you’re looking for and what you’ve been doing lately in your professional career. You can also increase the impact of your status updates by syncing your LinkedIn and Twitter accounts.
4. Connections: On LinkedIn, anytime is a good time to build your network and the opportunities are endless. Try connecting with recruiters and hiring managers immediately after you speak with them so they’ll have you in their network. Stay in touch with former, valued and trusted colleagues for potential future employment relationships. Connecting with other members and building your network can help you increase your visibility, which could lead to several business and job opportunities down the line.
5. Groups: Joining groups on LinkedIn gives you access to view job postings, ask questions, form a dialogue with other group members, etc. Groups can be a powerful medium to find peers in your respective industries that you’d like to network with. Why is this helpful? Not only is it free, but also effective – you’ll get responses from members of the group who already share a similar interest or background element with you. Keep in mind, your messages on these groups can lead to hundreds and thousands of potential opportunities! Find relevant groups to network, including industry-related, local, job seeking/career-related, alumni and recruiting/staffing groups.
6. Inbox/Messaging: I work in the marketing department at my company and I’ll tell you, I get at least a few messages a week from job seekers who ask about positions with our company. What do I do next? I point them in the best direction possible and I let our recruiters know they reached out to me. How is this helpful to the job seeker? If I tell a recruiter someone has contacted me about a job opening, I’ve planted the seed. A recruiter would much rather offer a position to someone who is genuinely interested in the job and shows a little extra initiative. And in today’s economy, you SHOULD be showing some sort of initiative. Getting a job isn’t easy, and if you’re not willing to put in the extra effort, there are thousands of job seekers out there who are.
7. People You May Know: “People you may know” helps you discover potential professional relationships that may be right under your nose! LinkedIn makes it really easy to do this. According to the LinkedIn blog, staying in touch with your current contacts and reconnecting with old or lost ones is a critical part of establishing your professional identity and “People you may know” is a powerful way to find those connections. You can even break down the connections further into a list of people you may know by companies and schools. Make it a habit to page through all of your suggestions on the landing page, and quickly filter them by company or school. If you decide to connect, you may want to add a personal note referencing your history with the contact.
8. Follow companies: LinkedIn recently launched a “follow companies” option, which allows you to keep track of key developments at companies that interest you. This feature allows you to stay in the loop on the latest updates, potential business opportunities and job opportunities by following companies you like. You can even personalize the volume of updates you receive and determine the type, frequency and format of updates for the companies you are following.

So now that you’ve got this list of great LinkedIn features that can make a world of a difference in your job search – use them! The truth is, if you ain’t using LinkedIn for all it’s worth, you ain’t making the most of that job hunt of yours, my friend.

If you want to learn more about what you can do with your LinkedIn profile, you can also check out a nice little one page LinkedIn tutorial we’ve included in our online Job Seeker’s Guide. It’s free and you can get a copy of it here.