!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics --> WiserUTips: October 2009

Maximize LinkedIn groups to get a job


maximize LinkedIn, make the most of LinkedIn, maximizing LinkedIn groups, joining LinkedIn groups,
LinkedIn groups can help you get
acquainted with movers and shakers
in your field or community.
A great way to expand your network, find job opportunities, and get your name out into the marketplace is to take advantage of LinkedIn groups. If you haven’t joined a LinkedIn group yet, the process is easy and free.

From your LinkedIn home page, go to My Network and then under "Recommended for You", select “Groups”.

Even if you have joined some groups, make sure you are maximizing your usage of them to grow your network and increase your name recognition with the people who could be most influential in your job search.



Some of the most obvious groups to join are:

  • College or high school alumni group
  • Former company alumni group
  • Professional groups (such as for communicators, engineers, etc.)
  • Nonprofit groups (charities you are passionate about)
  • Networking groups (local job seeker groups, singles, groups, etc.)
  • Hobby-type groups (like the Movie Addicts group, etc.)


Consider groups that can help you grow your job skills. For example, when I was looking for work in communications and wanted to grow my social networking knowledge, I signed up for groups like eMarketing Association Network, Social Media Marketing, and Web 2.0 for Higher Education. I found a wealth of information on those group discussion boards that I referenced when I went on job interviews.

Once you have determined which groups you want to join, click the “Join Group” button and then check whether you want to receive a daily or weekly digest email from the group. When I first joined groups, I elected to receive daily digests, but when I kept adding groups, I scaled back the frequency to weekly.

You can join up to 10 groups at a time and can belong to a total of 100 groups. Some professional groups may deny your request if they only allow dues-paying members to join. You can also start a group.


types of LinkedIn groups, join up to 50 LinkedIn groups, making the most of LinkedIn groups for job search,
Here are examples of the types of groups I've joined.


Participate in the group discussions, post blog entries or links to interesting articles to gain recognition within the groups … after all, it could help land a job that you will love.

What LinkedIn groups do you like and why? Share your comments via the Contact tab. -- Kathy
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Get more and better LinkedIn recommendations

maximize LinkedIn, make the most of LinkedIn, LinkedIn recommendations, how to get LinkedIn recommendations,
LinkedIn recommendations will
impress your profile visitors.
Request recommendations from LinkedIn connections ... but take extra steps to secure the best recommendations possible. Here's how: 

To request a recommendation:

Visit the person's profile, click "More" and then select "Request a Recommendation. Note that the person must be your 1st degree connection. 



To ensure you get more and better recommendations:


  1. Determine who you should ask to recommend you. Do not send the recommendation request to every contact, but rather just send it to people who know you and your abilities well enough to vouch for you. In addition to requesting recommendations from past company leaders and bosses, also request recommendations from previous peers and subordinates ... it's really a numbers game, so seek recommendations from all levels.   
  2. Recommend others first and then ask them to return the favor. To recommend someone, visit the person's profile (he or she must be one of your 1st degree connections) and then click the triangle next to 'Send a message'. Follow the prompts to recommend the person as a Colleague, Service Provider, Business Partner, or Student.  
  3. Send an email to the same people, letting them know you have asked them for a LinkedIn recommendation through the LinkedIn system. If you notice (from viewing their LinkedIn profile) that they are LinkedIn novices, provide them with basic instructions so that they will know how to give you a recommendation.
  4. Attach your resume or include a list of relevant skills and work experiences that make you uniquely qualified for the jobs that you want. Also tell them specifically what type of positions that you seek. 
  5. Encourage them to call you if they have questions … or job leads, for that matter!
  6. Follow up with the people if they have not provided you with a recommendation within a week or two.
  7. Accept the fact that not all people will be comfortable with or technically savvy enough to provide you with a recommendation. Don't pester them if they are unable or unwilling.
Note that you can reject or hide a recommendation and you can ask a person to revise his/her recommendation (but don't be a pain in the butt with multiple change requests). 


Secure valuable LinkedIn recommendations! Doing so can help land a job that you will love.


How do you maximize your LinkedIn recommendations? Share your suggestions or questions via the Contact page. Thanks! -- Kathy
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Re-energize Your Search; Here's How!

be strategic in your job search, re-energize your job search, improve your job search,
Discouragement is to be expected in
a prolonged job search. How you
respond will help you overcome.
A friend of mine who is ever the confident, successful career woman, emailed me last week to say she didn’t get the job she wanted. She was discouraged and vowed to stop searching. 

I emailed her back and said, “Whoa! Stop right there. You ARE the perfect person for a great position. The company that will hire you just doesn’t know it yet.”

I say the same thing to you. 

If you are feeling defeated (and no doubt you have good reason to feel that way), you MUST STOP. A defeatist attitude will hurt your job search and destroy your confidence. 

Tell yourself and believe it: You ARE the perfect person for a great position. The company that WILL hire you just doesn’t know it yet.

Take steps immediately to
1. Re-energize your job search
2. Restore your confidence

Tips to re-energize your job search

Build and inform your network about your job search
  • Invite everyone you know to connect with you on LinkedIn. Getting people to accept your invitation reminds you that they find you relevant.
  • Look through each of your LinkedIn connections’ connection list and invite mutual friends and past coworkers to connect (then look through their connection lists and so on)
  • Change your LinkedIn status bar update weekly to remind your network that you are job seeking.

You must limit your wording in the status bar to 140 characters or less, including spaces, so when I was unemployed, I said something like …

I’m seeking a position where I can use my communications, advertising, and PR leadership experience to help a company grow. Leads welcome!

… and then I would change the wording slightly the next week to say …

I’m seeking a position where I can use my communications, PR and advertising leadership experience to help a company grow. Leads welcome!


  • Each time you change your status bar, LinkedIn includes the status change in all of your connections’ weekly update email. So changing this one line of text can alert hundreds of your friends to provide you with leads.
  • IMPORTANT! Make sure your “Current” position on your LinkedIn profile says you are looking for work. I can’t emphasize this tip enough. Don’t keep in your old job title or put in a fake position title like President of [Your Last Name] Company. Why? People will think you landed a position and will stop sending you leads. Pack your current position with all of the job duties that you can do, saying things like "Proficient in ...", "Able to ...", "Capable of ...", etc.


Focus on re-energizing your job search … it can help you Get a Job!


How do you keep you energy up when your job search isn’t going well? Please share your comments via the Contact page. Thanks!
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Keep track of jobs for which you applied

be strategic in your job search, improving your job search, keeping track of job opportunities,
Are you tracking your job leads?
I received a call from a recruiter at a hiring company once about a position I applied for that I didn’t remember anything about.

I did my best to fake my way through the unexpected phone interview, but resolved to be better prepared the next time a recruiter called.