15 Amazing, Sneaky Little Ways To Use LinkedIn to Advance Your HR Career
by Alan Collins
With over 37 million members, LinkedIn has become a very powerful business and career management tool.
It’s also huge for HR with about 450,000 human resources professionals currently belonging to the LinkedIn network.
However, based on talks I’ve had recently with many of my HR colleagues, very few of them are maximizing the value of LinkedIn. A lot of them barely use it once they sign up. And, even more HR folks are not even signed up at all!
Let me tell you, if you fall in these categories, and want to enhance your career in HR, you’re missing the boat. Big time!
In the short time I’ve been a part of the LinkedIn universe, I’ve picked up some amazing insights into the ways a handful of human resources folks have been very quietly using this tool to advance their HR career.
And, I thought, hey, why not share these with you and other HR folks so that everyone can benefit. There are at least 2 or 3 of these tips you can get value from – whether you’re an entry level HR generalist or a C-suite HR senior executive.
So, without further ado, here’s my list of 15 sneaky, amazing little ways your HR colleagues are using LinkedIn to advance their careers — and how you can too. Enjoy!
1. Use LinkedIn to help you ace your next HR job interview.
People who will interview you for an HR job will know a lot about you from your resume (and by googling you) long before you set ever foot on their hallowed ground. Why not use LinkedIn to turn the tables and check out all the people on your interview schedule too? Knowing who went to your same school, who likes to play tennis, who is reading the latest Ulrich book, or who knows the same people you know is a heck of a lot better than an awkward silence after, “I’m doing fine, thank you.”
2. Get the inside scoop on the job you’re interviewing for.
Some HR folks are discreetly checking out the people who used to have the job that they’re interviewing for. You can do this too by going to the “People” tab and searching for job title and company, and by checking “Past titles” box only. Now, this doesn’t work all this time, and it doesn’t work at all if this job isn’t listed in their profile. However, if you do strike gold doing this, you can use this information to reach out and contact the people who used to hold the position, and get the inside scoop on the job, the manager and what growth potential exists for the job. Frankly, I’m not gutsy enough to do all this, but many aggressive HR job-seekers I know have.
3. Get the inside dope on the company you’re interviewing with.
Perform an advanced search for company name and check the “Past” box. This will enable you to get a rough idea of what turnover looks like and whether or not folks seem to be bailing out of this organization like rats from a sinking ship.
4. Get up to speed fast in your new HR job.
One of the toughest challenges any HR person faces is getting up to speed quickly in a new job. It doesn’t matter what kind of job it is. When you start a new job, ordinarily your roots aren’t that deep in that new role. And if you’re joining a new company, it’s even tougher. You face the hurdles of learning the new culture, building new relationships and trying establish chemistry with people when you’re the unknown guy or gal from outside. With Linkedin, if you’re the new HR kid on the block, you can study your new colleagues’ profiles and quickly use that info to find areas of common ground, ways you might be able to support them in their careers and ways to establish rapport with them more quickly.
5. Determine how competitive you are for the next HR promotion.
When a new promotional opportunity opens up, it would be great to know how your background, training, experience and the size of your network compares with that of others who may be competing with you for this position too. Now you can. In addition, some HR professionals have found it especially helpful to see how their peers explain what they do in HR and what they choose to highlight about their HR experience, work and lives. One person confided to me that she’s probably updated her profile 7-8 times based on something she’s seen on a peer’s profile.
6. Scope out the resume of someone who beat you out for a job.
If you’ve been passed over, you can walk around pissed at the world. Or you can learn from it. If you’ve ever wondered what the resume of someone who beat you out for a job looks like….well, now you can.
7. Position yourself as a subject matter expert in your area of HR expertise.
If you want to make your mark in specialized areas like compensation, labor relations, OD, staffing or benefits, LinkedIn makes this a lot easier. Here are the steps you can take to do this:
- Get recommended as an expert resource by asking those who value your insights to write a testimonial that promotes you (and them!).
- Start regularly posting questions in the Answers area.
- Regularly answer relevant questions with specific information based on your expertise and work your way up to becoming an expert by giving top-rated answers.
You’ll find that by using the Questions and Answers feature of LinkedIn, you can start conversations, create community, and position yourself as a subject matter expert in a relatively short time.
8. Keep your resume up to date – easily.
Today, everyone in HR needs an up to date resume, on their hard drive, ready to send out at a moment’s notice. Years ago, when I wrote my first resume, I did what everyone else did. I typed it out, went to Kinkos and had them make 200 copies on their nice, expensive, high-grade, shiny, off-white paper. Shiny so it would look slick and stand out. Then when I found a mistake, I had to type it up, edit it, print it out again, go back to Kinkos and repeat the process. After all that, I might have given out 12 copies – half of them to my family. Now, if I meet someone, I don’t say “here’s my shiny new resume.” Instead, I say “here’s my contact info” and provide them a link to my LinkedIn profile or if they’re not on LinkedIn, I can use LinkedIn to auto-email them a copy of my profile. Easy.
9. Differentiate your HR resume and experience from everyone else’s.
An HR headhunter told me recently that he is increasingly seeing HR resumes in Word format that contain testimonials about the candidate at the end of the document. In a tight job market, HR job candidates are now using testimonials to elevate themselves from the rest of the pack. Nice idea! For example, imagine if you had 3 or 4 different testimonials at the end of your resume that read like this…
“Rarely in my career have I worked with a more positive, insightful, and supportive HR leader than Jill Doe. She has a deep insight into the business, a passion for getting results and an approach to working with people that brings out their best. Would be thrilled if the opportunity presented itself to work with her again.” — John Smith (Vice President – Human Resources at ABC, a division of XYZ) who worked with Jill at XYZ Corporation.
Since Linked-in testimonials are impossible to manipulate, all a user can do with an average testimonial is not add it to their profile — they cannot change it. That lends an air of authenticity to Linked-in testimonials, which is great. If you are a Linked-in user, get some testimonials and add them to your resume. Ideally, you should have testimonials for each job you have held. Linked-in testimonials will legitimize your claims of functional expertise, and they will help a hiring manager understand exactly where and how and when you have created value in the past.
10. Help in your job search.
If you’ve lost your job or seeking out a new opportunity, besides everything else I’ve talked about so far, you can use LinkedIn to…
- Attract recruiters looking for people in your HR specialty. Think about what search terms or keywords recruiters or hiring managers enter in the LinkedIn search box to look for people like you. Example: “Compensation Specialist,” “Human Resources Generalist,” “Recruiting Manager” or “Director – Organization Development,” Make sure those terms are in your profile.
- Find open HR jobs you’re interested in. Search for jobs on LinkedIn by looking at the second tab of results called “The Web.” There are over 5 million jobs listed. Tons of opportunities are listed in HR.
- More quickly gain entry into organizations you want to work for. Type in the names of the 10 organizations you most would like to work for and see which of your contacts know people there or know people who know people there. Then contact them and ask for referrals.
- Relocate to your dream location. Search for people in the region you would like to live in. Under “interested In” select hiring managers. Contact people in your second degree. Instead of asking for a job, offer them something of value and ask to meet.
- Get referrals from old classmates. See what your former classmates are up to. Some may be in a position to hire you and may give preference to someone from the same alma mater.
11. Fill up free time on your next business trip by connecting with people in your network.
This is one of my personal favorites. Here’s the situation: You have a business trip planned and you have some blocks of free time while you’re there. You want to make good use of it by meeting some new people, preferably folks that might be relevant to your business or your career, or meeting up with some people that you’ve perhaps only met online. Maybe a former colleague or classmate lives there and you didn’t even realize it. Having all your contacts all in one place, makes it easy just to e-mail them beforehand, and set it all up.
12. Get help and support you need to do your job better.
The “what are you working on” feature can be a powerful way of getting help, support and guidance on work-related projects. If you’re struggling trying to determine “how to best retain engineers during tough times” or looking for “best practices in rolling out elder care benefits,” make it known to your network. There might be contacts in your network or outside of it, who could offer assistance, trade war stories or make recommendations for service providers.
13. Get noticed and recognized for the work you’ve done and can do.
I’ve seen a lot of HR people that have sparse profiles. Don’t be lazy. You want a meaty profile that lays out on a silver platter what you’ve done and what you’re capable of doing. If you want an example, go to my profile. Now, you don’t have to write a novel or go all overboard like I did. And, you may not want to go back to beginning of time in your job history like I did either.
But the point is to put enough information out there about your background, job history, and areas of interest so that people know what to contact you about. Write a summary section that clearly outlines your personal brand or HR specialty that gets people jazzed up about what you do. Many profiles on LinkedIn are just a shell with a name and a short chronology. You would never submit a resume to a potential employer that only listed employment and dates, so why in the heck would you use this tactic on-line when your information is available for millions of people to see? Take the time to create a robust profile. It will get you noticed.
14. Build a network without making networking your full-time day job.
Those who have used LinkedIn successfully, will tell you need at least 50 connections. They’ll also tell you that this doesn’t mean you should connect to every single Tom, Dick and HR person who sends you an invitation. LinkedIn is most effective when you connect with:
- Your top HR contacts
- Important HR or business folks in your industry
- Co-workers
- Individuals you’ve worked with in the past
- People who know you well.
These are the people who can help you do your job, find new career opportunities and pass on ideas that can improve your career, impact and success on the job. LinkedIn doesn’t replace traditional networking, it facilitates it. Always supplement your on-line efforts with face-to-face networking.
15. Instantly stay in touch with your network – whether it’s 5 or 5000 people.
I’ve saved the best for last. This is my #1 favorite way to use LinkedIn – and I’ve included a video at the end to emphasize this point. But first, a confession. Over the years, I’ve been horrible at staying in touch with people. It’s not because of no interest – it’s because of no time. But now, I no longer have any excuse. And, neither do you.
Now, when you have significant change in your life or career — for instance a new assignment, a job change to a new location, an award you’ve just received, or a new baby, or you’ve just divorced and you want to get back in circulation (hey, just kidding!) – you can use LinkedIn to notify your contacts by way of making a profile update. All it takes is about 1-2 minutes to do this and all your contacts are instantly updated.
And if you want to reach out, you can do this too with a follow-up email message to your contacts saying “I would love to catch up with you to give you the scoop on what’s happening – call me when you get a chance at (xxx) xxx-xxxx!” It’s that keeping-up process that sparks conversations, keeps your relationships fresh and will enhance your career and your life.
Now, to drive home how absolutely CRITICAL this last point is, check out the video below called “Christian The Lion.” It’s from YouTube. It’s only 2 minutes long and well worth your time to view. Watch it now. However, Be Sure To Watch It All The Way To The End — With The Volume Turned ON!
Again, I believe this video captures the biggest benefit you’ll ever get from being on LinkedIn.
So, there you have it, my 15 amazing, sneaky little ways you can use LinkedIn to advance your HR career and enhance your life.
You should try to spend at least 30 minutes per week managing your LinkedIn presence.
If you do that, I believe you’ll find that it will pay off well for you in the future.
For additional insights and strategies from Alan Collins for enhancing your HR impact and career, check out: UNWRITTEN HR RULES: 21 Secrets For Attaining Awesome Career Success in Human Resources — including TWO FREE CHAPTERS you can download immediately — at http://UnwrittenHRRules.com.
About The Author: Alan Collins was formerly Vice President – Human Resources at PepsiCo where he led HR initiatives for their Quaker Oats, Gatorade and Tropicana businesses. He is now President of Success in HR, Inc. and the author of “Unwritten HR Rules.”
Would love your feedback. CLICK HERE to add your comments or any additional tips on this article.
If you’d like even more information on how to take your LinkedIn presence to the next level in your career, I’d highly recommend getting LinkedIn Master Strategies which provides ten free tips you can use right away. You can get it by CLICKING HERE.
© SuccessinHR.com
March 30th, 2009 at 11:20 am
Good information but I cannot watch the video as I have seen it and start crying every single time I see it. Now, I am not one who wears her heart on her sleeve so this is unusual for me.
Seriously, it is a GREAT video clip. Heartwarming? Yes but worth it.
March 30th, 2009 at 11:44 am
Ravish from LinkedIn…
Alan
You are fantastic and your work is going to be recognized very soon, I’m forwarding this ur mail in my network contacts, Thnax for shairing the same.
Regards
Ravish
March 30th, 2009 at 11:58 am
Barb and Ravish – thanks for posting your comments, very much appreciated.
I’m glad someone other than me cries when they see the video;-). That’s one reason I put it at the end, rather than at the beginning so that folks could get through the bulk of the article before viewing it.
Hopefully HR folks will see value in other tips contained in the article as well.
All the best,
Alan
March 30th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
Ravish – also thanks for forwarding on this to your network contacta…
March 31st, 2009 at 12:11 pm
From Jacqueline Brusino from LinkedIn…
Hello Alan, That is a great article, very well written. I have forwarded it to several of my colleagues that I know would benefit from using LinkedIn but just aren’t there yet! Thank you, I enjoyed it and the links to other articles you have listed.
April 1st, 2009 at 10:50 am
Comment From Deborah Tyson from LinkedIn.com
Alan, great article: I had used some of your suggestions but not others so I will definitely expand my horizons. Best of all, I loved the video and it did indeed drive home reconnecting with friends and past acquaintances. Thanks so much for sharing!
Deborah
April 1st, 2009 at 11:54 am
Dear Alan,
I completely agree with what you have written about Linkedin Usage. I have recently moved to Dubai from India,hence I DO NOT have contacts with Dubai HR Fraternity, however ever since I have started spending time on Likedin, I have gathered a lot of information and also made very good contacts.
As fas as your suggestions on Linkedin usage is concerned, I have to say that you have explained every feature of the site very precisely and more than that how it can benifit the user in making the next carrer move.
Video: It is too good.
Thanks
Lata Punjwani
April 1st, 2009 at 10:19 pm
In a word, stunning.
April 3rd, 2009 at 10:51 am
I would like to share the article with those in career transition at the Community Career Center in Naperville, Illinois. The content is right on target.
April 3rd, 2009 at 10:56 am
Gary – sounds great! Hopefully, they will find them helpful. Let us know how it goes.
Alan
April 5th, 2009 at 4:36 am
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April 7th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Alan,
In my life, doors open when I need them to and then present me with options or solutions to my current needs. I am currently unemployed, and I decided that today I would spend time updating my LinkedIn profile to make it more attractive and enticing.
Door Number 1: A local HR professional wrote a comment to say that she had gotten offers from recruiters based upon her profile, so I decided to use it as a template for mine.
Door Number 2: I went to the HR Group on LinkedIn and I came upon your article “15 Amazing, Sneaky Little Ways to Use LinkedIn to Advance Your HR Career.”
Door Number 3: ??? Who knows? All I know now is that I have the information necessary to improve my profile.
I loved your article and the video is priceless; I will definitely forward that to friends and family.
I appreciate you and your article being the gold nugget behind door number 2.
Thanks,
Joyce
April 8th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
Alan,
Thanks so much for your excellent tips.
I was one of those Hr professionals that signed with LinkedIn, created profile more just because many of my friends were there and forgot about LinkedIn existence.
My situation has changed after I became one of those HR folks in ranks of unemployed. Now, I try to come up with ideas how to put myself out there or just find information that could benefit my search and also pay it foward.
Alan, your article put valuable tips into one material that is easy to refer.
I am a big fun of all your recent articles as well as your website.
As a young HR professional in transition I appreciate you sharing your experience and telling like it is…
Thanks again,
Jolanta
May 3rd, 2009 at 10:03 pm
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May 14th, 2009 at 6:49 am
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May 14th, 2009 at 9:17 pm
Alan:
I found this article (and others you’ve written) valuable and the video inspirational. Please – keep writing!
Kind Regards,
Betsy
July 19th, 2009 at 9:18 pm
This is great Alan. There’s lots of advice out there about how to use LinkedIn but I like the way your post focuses on using it for a personal reconnaissance mission for professional intel.
October 30th, 2009 at 10:48 am
Love the article! Helpful for HR but also for candidates researching companies and job opportunities. Will make sure to pass this link on to clients sill not utilizing LinkedIn.
January 13th, 2010 at 11:54 am
Alan, this is such helpful information for HR professionals….many of us are so busy propelling others’ careers that we forget to …..STOP…..and consider our own. THANK YOU! Great information..that I am going to follow TODAY!
Sandra
January 14th, 2010 at 8:05 pm
Thank you for this valuable information. I am trying to break into HR and am a graduate student. I like the information on advancing your HR career but do you have any advice on how to break into the HR field since most people are looking for employees with HR experience.
Thanks,
Summer