I discovered a useful way to use linked-in in regards to networking a job search.

At an unemployment services, it was recommended that we use link and as a possible resource to find contacts and see if they have heard about job openings. The idea I came up with is to put the name of the company into the search box of LinkedIn that is currently listing job openings. When I do this under the company name will be every employee that has identified their employer in their bio. Underneath each person will display shared relationships between that employee and one of my contacts in LinkedIn. Then all I have to do is send a message to the person that I know and see if they are open to connecting me with the person that is an employee.

In my original query to the people I know I asked them if they would be willing to be my contact with that employee. But I received some good advice at an employment center. It was suggested that instead of saying; please connect me that I may be better to ask if that employee has ever talked about the company and how he or she felt about working there. By asking the question in that way it doesn’t sound as intrusive. Anyway, I was pretty excited this new idea of networking.