You may know that you can follow companies on LinkedIn, but
do you know WHY doing so can dramatically improve your job search or sales
efforts?
Simply put, following LinkedIn companies can help you find and impress
companies where you want to work or sell your wares.
For example, say that you wanted to work at, or sell to,
marketing/advertising agencies in Kansas City.
Use categories on the left side of the Search Companies page to narrow your search to your target companies.
In this example, I sorted by Location and Industry to learn about Kansas City marketing/ad agencies.
To find and follow multiple companies ...
Visit Interests …
Companies … Search Companies.
Click the Add link under Location (on the left side of the
page). Type your city into the search box.
Under the Industry tab, select your industry from the list or
add a different industry by clicking the Add button).
Search the results and follow your preferred companies, or
use the tools on the left, such as Company Size, to narrow your search.
Click the Job Opportunities link to view only companies that
have open positions.
NOTE: To follow companies without alerting your network, go to
your Privacy & Settings page (found by hovering over your little picture in the upper right corner of any page) and un-check the Turn on/off your activity
broadcasts option under Privacy Controls first).
To follow one particular organization’s Company Page,
type the company name into the LinkedIn search box and select the company from the search
results. Click the yellow Follow button.
Visit all of the sections on an organization's Company Page to learn as much as you can.
Why follow companies? Company Pages can contain a ton of useful information for
job seekers or salespeople. For example:
On a Company Page HOME PAGE: Read company news updates and
then scroll to the bottom to find general company information (street address,
web site address, company size, industry, and more). Use such news and
information to impress company representatives.
On a Company Page PRODUCTS PAGE: Discover all the products
and services that a company provides. Because
these entries are brief and include a picture, you can quickly learn
more about a company’s product or service than you could by wading through a
company’s web site.
On a Company Page CAREERS PAGE: View all of the jobs that
the company has posted on LinkedIn in one convenient place. Also read what
employees say about their company, and view a video about the organization.
(Not all companies feature job postings or videos, but many do).
INSIGHTS: Learn interesting facts about an organization's employees, such as who you know, its competitors (listed in the People Also Viewed box),
top skills and expertise that the company seeks, and its most recommended employees (so that you can reach out to these top people or learn what type of employees
excel at the company).
Visit Interests ... Companies. Click the Companies Home page to check on all of your target companies at one time.
How to benefit from
following companies
Quickly view all recent updates about your target companies
(including company news, job openings, new hires, and recent employee
departures). To do so, hover over the Interests tab and select Companies from
the drop-down menu. Click the Companies Home tab. On the left column, view
Followed Company Updates, or type a company names into the “Search for Companies”
box to learn what a specific target organization is up to.
Opt to “Like” or positively “Comment” about your target
companies’ updates. The company will appreciate the positive attention!
When on an organization’s Company Page, look for the “How
You Are Connected” box on the home page to see who you know at the company.
Click the “See all” link to observe your 1st, 2nd and 3rd
degree connections at the organization, as well as former employees. Use this knowledge to ask key people to help
you land a job or make the sale.
Recommend a company's products and services on its Product
page. Providing recommendations makes the company look good on LinkedIn and shows them that you care about their success. Like Getajobtips.com’s offerings? Follow Getajobtips.com
Company Page | Recommend
Getajobtips.com Services. Thanks!
Realize that a representative at each target company can see
who is following his/her company (by clicking the followers link on their
Company Page Home Page). By being on their followers list, you’re telling companies
that you are interested in them, which could be huge plus
for you if they are seeking to hire someone like you, or if they are interested in the type of product that you sell.
A client of mine, an experienced, Phoenix-based health care communicator,
landed a job specifically because he followed companies. Here’s what happened next:
A representative at a Phoenix hospital viewed her hospital’s
Company Page follower list and saw that John was following her company. (The list not only includes followers' names hyper-linked to their profile, but also their picture and LinkedIn headline).
She clicked to his profile and learned that he was qualified
and available.
She contacted him because he had included his phone number
and email address in the Contact Information and “Advice for Contacting NAME” profile
sections.
Voila! He got called for the interview and talked his way
into the job.
Try the same simple steps that John did to improve your job
chances or sales opportunities using LinkedIn. Follow companies on LinkedIn! Doing
so can help you … Get a Job, or Land that
Sale! -- Kathy
Did these tips help
you follow companies? Share your comments!
Getajobtips.com can optimize your LinkedIn profile and
follow the right companies on your behalf to help you land a job or grow your business. We can also create a powerful Company Page for your organization. Learn more on the Services page.
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St. Louisans! Join Kathy for these upcoming
seminars
Sept. 21 -- Using LinkedIn to Land a Job, 9:00 - 11:30 a.m. at Geyer Road Baptist Church, Kirkwood. Learn more.
Oct. 1 -- Mastering Online Job
Application Systems, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. at St. Louis County Library -
Sachs Branch. Learn more.
Oct. 11 -- Solid Steps to Land a Job
after 50, half day AM at ExecuTrain - St. Louis. To register / learn more,
visit ExecuTrain
of St. Louis.
Oct. 11 -- Using LinkedIn to
Land a Job, half day PM at ExecuTrain - St. Louis. To register / learn more,
visit ExecuTrain of St.
Louis.
Oct. 16 -- SHOW and TELL You're
the Best Job Candidate, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. at St. Louis County Library -
Sachs Branch. Learn more.
Oct. 22 -- Using LinkedIn to Further
Your Business Goals - all day at ExecuTrain - St. Louis. To register / learn
more, visit ExecuTrain of St.
Louis.
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