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So, what exactly is the purpose of Linkedin? I've been on it for several years, have a nicely polished profile, and when I get to know a new person in industry, add them after the requisite waiting time. How do I make it work for me now in the job search process and how do I maintain it for down the road?

I definitely noticed a spike in my number of profile views during OCI. I think you should just keep your profile as up to date and polished as possible. However, there's no need to put your entire resume on LinkedIn. Just put pertinent information relating to your job search focus.

The primary benefit of Linkedin is that it gives employers a professional first impression when they Google your name. Try to keep it up to date and generally reflect what is on your resume.

Some more uses / benefits:

It's also a really good way to stay in touch with alumni from your law school class, undergrad, and even high school as you all move through your professional careers.

For example, check out LinkedIn Classmates: http://blog.linkedin.com/2011/10/19/lin ... lassmates/.

Some people use LinkedIn like Twitter/Facebook, and post updates to their status. You can do that but be careful you don't come off as stupid.

Also, you can follow law firms you are interested in. Just recently LinkedIn allowed pages to make updates, so you will be able to see whatever updates firms are interested in pushing out.

It's interesting to look at a firm's stats on LinkedIn and check out where people go after; where they were before. This is a nice way to see lateral and exit options.

You can join career-related groups and follow discussions. There are some interesting legal recruiting groups with decent conversations about the legal market.

Definitely join the LinkedIn equivalent of groups you've participated in, such as extracurricular activities.

Try to get to 500+ connections. This is the highest that will show on your profile, and for better or worse, impresses recruiters and other people.

Easter egg: You can run ads on LinkedIn for your job search. For example, I ran ads before OCI targeting all Partners and HR employees from a certain firm. It only cost about $15 because there were only a few clicks, but it definitely got my profile viewed by partners of said firm.

Finally, put serious thought into the pro subscription, if you can afford it. The benefits are several--- you can see exactly who viewed your profile and most importantly you can create a custom linkedin.com/in/NAME URL. This has invaluable SEO (search engine optimization) benefits, and when people Google your name, your LinkedIn url will be high up in the results page (usually top 4). Also, you can use a custom URL in your email signature, and it looks sleek.

HTH.

My name is something as equally boring as Steve Johnson. When you google my name, no one would ever find me! I think this is both a blessing and a curse. I don't have to worry about sneaky employers but they'll also never be able to find me for good reasons either.

c3pO4 wrote:Some more uses / benefits:

It's also a really good way to stay in touch with alumni from your law school class, undergrad, and even high school as you all move through your professional careers.

For example, check out LinkedIn Classmates: http://blog.linkedin.com/2011/10/19/lin ... lassmates/.

Some people use LinkedIn like Twitter/Facebook, and post updates to their status. You can do that but be careful you don't come off as stupid.

Also, you can follow law firms you are interested in. Just recently LinkedIn allowed pages to make updates, so you will be able to see whatever updates firms are interested in pushing out.

It's interesting to look at a firm's stats on LinkedIn and check out where people go after; where they were before. This is a nice way to see lateral and exit options.

You can join career-related groups and follow discussions. There are some interesting legal recruiting groups with decent conversations about the legal market.

Definitely join the LinkedIn equivalent of groups you've participated in, such as extracurricular activities.

Try to get to 500+ connections. This is the highest that will show on your profile, and for better or worse, impresses recruiters and other people.

Easter egg: You can run ads on LinkedIn for your job search. For example, I ran ads before OCI targeting all Partners and HR employees from a certain firm. It only cost about $15 because there were only a few clicks, but it definitely got my profile viewed by partners of said firm.

Finally, put serious thought into the pro subscription, if you can afford it. The benefits are several--- you can see exactly who viewed your profile and most importantly you can create a custom linkedin.com/in/NAME URL. This has invaluable SEO (search engine optimization) benefits, and when people Google your name, your LinkedIn url will be high up in the results page (usually top 4). Also, you can use a custom URL in your email signature, and it looks sleek.

HTH.

Thanks all for the advice and keep it coming. Just a question though. I don't have a pro subscription and have the custom URL (my name and initials in six letters) and it's already the top g-hit for my name. Are the viewing stats (at this point after failing at OCI) really worth it?

Anonymous User wrote:
Thanks all for the advice and keep it coming. Just a question though. I don't have a pro subscription and have the custom URL (my name and initials in six letters) and it's already the top g-hit for my name. Are the viewing stats (at this point after failing at OCI) really worth it?

Probably not.

Kring345 wrote:My name is something as equally boring as Steve Johnson. When you google my name, no one would ever find me! I think this is both a blessing and a curse. I don't have to worry about sneaky employers but they'll also never be able to find me for good reasons either.

People who know how to use Google will be able to find you, if you have a profile. Think about how many people in your class have the same name as you (if there are more than 2 of your that would be weird).

Got my V10 job through Linkedin.

I contacted an Alumni from my school who used to work at the firm through a search on Linkedin, and he forwarded my resume to the firm. I was extended a call back interview with flight paid for across the country the next day, and an offer a few weeks later. All as a 3L.

Linkedin rocks!

Kring345 wrote:My name is something as equally boring as Steve Johnson. When you google my name, no one would ever find me! I think this is both a blessing and a curse. I don't have to worry about sneaky employers but they'll also never be able to find me for good reasons either.

they can google
your name + school
your email
your name + any other characteristic, geography

even with common names, this is really easy