The LinkedIn Heavy User
What happens when you reach
Byhttp://www Ford Harding.hardingco.com– President and Founder, Harding and Company
The value of LinkedIn is evolving so rap-
Q: That’s it? It’s just a big directory?
idly that it’s hard to keep up. A few heavy users lead the way, Kasekas: No, but don’t underestimate the directory value.
discovering new ways to use it, and the rest of us straggle Identifying key decision makers in a company, a process that
behind them. Gary Pines, Harding & Company’s strongest used to take several phone calls or varying degrees of re-
advocate for using the network, suggested we interview one search, can now be done in mere seconds.
of these leaders to gain some insight into its future direction.
Konstantinos Kasekas, a recruiter for Hudson and an Q: How else do you get value from LinkedIn that
author of the blog,
www.beyond.jobs, has been a heavy people with fewer contacts might not?
user for three years and has over 8,500 1st contacts (over 16
Kasekas: Recently, I had the VP of Global Talent Manage-
million total). Always operating at high energy levels, he be-
ment at a Fortune 500 company contact me from Paris,
comes so joyous talking about LinkedIn that it sweeps every-
through LinkedIn even though she, herself, only had ten con-
one within earshot along. He kindly agreed to be interviewed.
tacts on LinkedIn. If my network was smaller, she wouldn’t
have found me on the site, and more importantly wouldn’t
Q: You can’t possibly have relationships with
have found me as attractive. A well connected professional
8,500 people. Why collect so many contacts?
with a large “rolodex” is generally viewed as a key strength
Kasekas: Because it makes the key decision maker visible in consulting. This could lead to global relationship.
to me, making part of my job as a “Lead Generator”, signifi- Increased visibility both ways is what it’s all about. That’s all
cantly easier. In the past, the identity of the decision maker that counts. It’s very difficult to gain trust on the internet, so
was obscure, protected behind a veil of corporate privacy. why bother? Go for maximize visibility and work on trust
Now that paradigm has been obliterated. Due to the site’s through other means.
depth and breadth, on LinkedIn I can conduct a specialized
key word search and identify key decision makers immedi- Q: So, how does one get 8,500 contacts?
ately. For example, Lululemon Athletica is a global clothing
Kasekas: I am a “super-user”. This does not mean I am
manufacturer, with a strict “No Names” policy. If you call into
super, but that I have more than 5,000 1st contacts. This
their HR department and ask to speak to a Recruiter, or Di-
group of users represents the top 98th percentile of LinkedIn
rector of HR (key decision makers in our line of work), you will
members. Unlike other members, super-users focus on one
immediately be turned down by the Operator and be for-
thing; growing our networks indefinitely. It is more a mindset
warded to a general mailbox where you can leave a message.
than anything else, as all my resources are either dedicated
However, a quick search in my LinkedIn network, gives me a
to using LinkedIn, or how to use LinkedIn to enhance my pro-
short cut around this process. The importance of “Size” is crit-
fessional goals. There are email addicts, and blackberry ad-
ical here, since a LinkedIn search is limited to my “network”
dicts; I am a self proclaimed LinkedIn addict. I check my
of contacts, defined as “my immediate contacts, their con-
LinkedIn account at least ten times per day to see if I’ve re-
tacts, and their contacts’ contacts. So Ford, if you conducted
ceived an invitation to connect.
the same search at Lululemon, you would likely get different
Like most super-users, I am an open-networker, which
results than I, simply because my network is larger than
means that I accept all invitations. I invite everyone I interview
yours. Simple economies of scale. The larger my network,
or call on to join my LinkedIn network. My LinkedIn profile is
the more I get to see.
listed in my signature file of my email. I write about using
LinkedIn on my blog, and host multiple LinkedIn-centric dis-
Q: Once you identify the person you want to
cussion groups on and off of
LinkedIn.com. While traffic
meet, do you ask your mutual contact for an intro-
varies, I try to add at least 100 new contacts per week to my
duction?
account.
Kasekas: Usually not. Usually I don’t know that person ei- Another great tool for access to the greater LinkedIn net-
ther, so I go directly after the person I want to meet. There work, is the use of the “LinkedIn Groups”. LinkedIn allows
are a number of tactics to get to them but they don’t involve you to join 50 groups at a time, I am a member of 50 groups
LinkedIn. at all times. Every few weeks, I remove myself from five-to-
ten groups and join new ones, to ensure that I am being ex-
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