LinkedIn Street Cred and Cover Letter Mishaps: What I Learned While Recruiting a Marketing Contractor
It’s amazing — after a couple weeks of writer’s block, I’m back to finding something to write about every day. Right now, my company is recruiting a marketing contractor which triggered some Funnelholic-type thoughts.
1. If you’re not on LinkedIn, you’re not trying. It’s amazing to think LinkedIn is roughly 5 years old. Now, the first thing any self-respecting recruiter does is check candidates out on LinkedIn and vice versa — if someone has an interview with a recruiter or other company representative, he or she looks them up on LinkedIn. So, as I’m reviewing marketing contractor résumés, I can’t believe some applicants have the nerve to not be on LinkedIn, have incomplete profiles or only have six friends. That’s not to say I eliminated anyone because of this, but it’s pretty surprising considering the prevalence of LinkedIn, particularly in the marketing realm.
Face it: Employers almost always consider the following on LinkedIn. Here are some observations:
- Your connections: Sorry, it’s true. Being wired is an ADVANTAGE.
- Your profile: But only just a bit. For marketing jobs, LinkedIn is a test on how you market yourself.
- Your groups: This is a great way to gain credibility and show you are “in the know.”
2. It’s not a very good idea to misspell, especially when you’re applying for a copywriting job. Caveat: I misspell ALL the time, but I’m the Funnelholic and I’m not trying to get a job with you. In general, spelling errors stand out, and not in a good way. You might not think it matters much. But, if you’re applying for a job involving copywriting, that’s a big no-no.
3. The economy sucks. I’m seeing too many candidates with lots of experience. I’ve only put one post on craigslist.org and I already have an inbox full of résumés.
4. Good copywriters are hard to find. Enough said.
Written by Craig Rosenberg - The FunnelholicSign up to receive emails when new articles are posted
The Funnelholic
About.com choose 3 websites where job seekers got the best results -
http://www.linkedin.com (networking for professionals)
http://www.indeed.com (aggregated listings)
http://www.realmatch.com (matches you to the perfect jobs)
For those looking, good luck!
Well said… Linkedin is the first place I go when I am preparing to make an unexpected introduction (notice I do not use the word cold call - hate that word!).
You can find out quite a bit about a person’s via their profile. Do they have a picture posted and is it formal or fun? What do they showcase as their expertise… which translates to what do their consider their strengths?
If a sales or marketing executive is not on LI, I am pretty sure that any conversation I have with them about how to combine inside sales efforts with social media will fall on deaf ears.
Net/net..I am on your bus with the LI street cred theory! Now, off to look at my profile which I am sure needs work!