I am sure you don’t need me to tell you how important LinkedIn is to your jobsearch. I thought I would add something that you should add to your jobsearch routine.

When you join LinkedIn you should also join some groups that relate to your professional specialist area. Groups provide the ability connect with members of your specialist area. To find a group you should go to the Groups page and use the search function. Enter a topic you are interested in. Search for a group in your area of interest and apply to join.

When joining a group it is wise to write to the group manager telling them why you are interested in their group. Normally it is important to share something about your background. The group manager may write to you for further information if they wish tom clarify anything with you. Some groups are configured to auto accept new members.

Generally groups will include 1) interested professionals, 2) specialist recruiters, and 3) assorted hangers on e.g. journalists in the area. At one time there were a class of professional group joiners, but this has reduced with the limit of 50 groups per person.

Each group has an associated discussion area where any member can contribute. I am sure the intent was to introduce a specialist Answers environment, but this has also attracted 1) recruiters or firms advertising jobs, 2) professionals requesting connections, 3) postings by professionals that are currently looking for work, and 4) companies ‘advertising’ their capabilities.

Each Happen member should leverage their LinkedIn groups and advertise themselves and their availability. This can be a written form of your 30-second infomercial.

You will also see jobs advertised here, for example:

• Hyperion DRM/Planning professionals required for a challenging Opportunity
• We are currently looking for potential prospects with 3 - 6 yrs of experience in the area of Hyperion DRM/Planning.
  
  Location: Bangalore, India.
  Duration: Long term, permanent employment.
  
  If there is anyone interested in returning to India, and/or if there is anyone who can be referred for this position, I look forward to hear from you.

• I tried to find a Canadian example in some of my groups, but could not find one.

The point is that jobs are advertised here and you should be looking at them in order to get the full benefit. Remember that for the recruiting manager this is free advertising (a rare thing these days).

With the groups that are important to me I have a daily digest sent to my email, this allows me to contribute to new discussions and be aware of any recent job postings. You can do this by selecting the option on the ‘Settings’ tab.

Good hunting!

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