Bob Littell, ‘Chief NetWeaver’ who coined the term ‘NetWeaving’, said, “Good things happen to people who…make good things happen.” LinkedIn, a professional networking site, gives you that opportunity for a personally rewarding experience by being a resource for others.

You probably have friends who has fallen victim to corporate cutbacks. Some of your co-workers may even be facing layoffs due to staff downsizing. Establishing and growing your LinkedIn network opens many possibilities for you personally, but it also provides an opportunity for you to help others during a time of crisis in their lives.

In this seemingly tough job market, there are thousands of jobs available. Job seekers just need to know how to look for them. Richard Bolles, author of the bestselling book What Color is Your Parachute, cites research that assigns an 86% effectiveness rate for jobseekers who use ”… personal contacts to get in to see…the person-who-has-the–power-to-hire-you (not necessarily the human resources department).”

Three ways LinkedIn can make you a hero: 

Let’s look at three ways LinkedIn can make you a hero in the eyes of your job-seeking friends or displaced professional relationships.

• Reconnect – in this economic downturn, everyone needs a friend. Reconnecting to your friends, former co-workers, and professional contacts through LinkedIn can encourage and lift the spirits of a job seeker during their job search. Support is critical to them.

• Recommend – a LinkedIn recommendation provides a wonderful opportunity to provide positive feedback to your connections. You might only write a couple of sentences, but your words may catch the eye of a recruiter scanning the LinkedIn profiles in search of a qualified candidate for one of their requisitions.

• Refer – you may know a hiring manager looking for a person with a specific skill set. If you’re familiar with your contact’s skill set, you can refer the hiring manager to your contact. Perhaps your job seeker friend finds an opportunity in a company where you have a contact. Use LinkedIn to introduce one to the other.

Rewards of helping others:

One of the richest rewards you can experience is that of helping a job seeker friend connect to a job opportunity. By helping someone else, you will:

• Receive the personal satisfaction of helping someone else in their time of need.
• Build a larger network of contacts that can help you enhance your career.
• Increase your LinkedIn recommendations by recommending others.
• Gain a new level of respect and appreciation from those you help.

LinkedIn provides a unique opportunity for connecting, networking and netweaving with like-minded professionals and needy job seekers. It only takes a few minutes to engage your network to benefit someone else who needs your help. If you can be a resource to connect a job seeker with a job opportunity, you will be helping yourself while helping someone else.

~Mike Mitchell

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