Beyond LinkedIn Basics Tip #2: Listen In
By Leah Berk, JVS Staff
Social media updates (i.e, the comments people post to their profiles that show up on your news feed) are like cocktail parties; it's hard to separate the substantive discussion from the chatter. Fortunately, there's a search function on LinkedIn that takes out the guesswork.
Here's how it works:
1. Go to the Search function in the top right-hand corner of LinkedIn (to the left of your name and the green "Add Connections" link). Click on the drop-down menu next to the Search function and select "Updates from the list.
2. Enter your search term. I've used the word "networking."
3. The search results will show all the relevant updates on LinkedIn. You can filter updates by degree of connection, company, location, etc. (see arrows below). LinkedIn also recommends search terms based on the keywords in your profile (see red box below).
Searching updates allows you to find out what people in and outside your network are talking about in real time. You can research jobs, industry trends, networking opportunities and other pertinent information and filter accordingly. Now you can listen in on useful conversations and ignore unrelated chatter.
Learn more about LinkedIn and other job search tools at Catch The Career Express - Next Stop MetroWest on June 5, 2012 at 6:30 PM in Framgingham. Click here to register.
