“LinkedIn Groups : Make Things Happen”

LinkedIn has rapidly become a job seeker’s basic tool along with the resume, cover letter and networking.  In fact, some may advocate that is even more vital than the resume because of its power to help one reach and connect  “to people who know people”.

LinkedIn recently made changes to their “Groups” features which are summarized here in Mashable.com’s March 20, 2009 blog post titled “LinkedIn Groups Add Marketing Power”.  Take note to read the comments too, as the community of users is not always happy with changes that seem to  help LinkedIn more than its users.

Here is a LinkedIn primer for those not yet or fully familiar with this Web 2.0 social media phenomena. It includes a neat and short animated video.

Here are my favorite features of its “Group” features:

• Ability to find groups which resonate with your professional interests, especially for those in career transition who have more than one, i.e. legal and marketing.
• Ability to join a group without being directly connected to any of the group’s members.  Some groups have moderators who may require one to state why they desire to be in that specific group. Upon approval, one now has access to more people with a common interest. This in turn can facilitate meeting and growing your connection list.
• I advocate joining your high school group or even working with your high school alumni department to start a group. Why? It may turn out that some of your closest neighborhood friends are now in key positions or know people who are.
• Ability to post and share news articles which are central to your expertise and new position aspirations. Many are job seekers, but few are thought leaders. Let the prospective recruiter or hiring manager see one’s brilliance at work!

The most creative job seekers do not rely on things to happen to them, but rather are doing things to make things happen.

Popularity: 3% [?]