(Guest Post by Dorine Sinigaglia)

For years, I have been using social networks like Facebook & Myspace to reconnect with old friends and make new ones. As much as I love my social networking time and devote hours of my day to it, I have become an even bigger advocate of LinkedIn – a social network that I consider covers my “professional side” – and feel that it doesn’t get as much recognition as it should in the social media world. My friend and I recently got into a brief debate about the effectiveness of LinkedIn, where I stated my strong views about this site being a great source for job hunting, and his response was: “LinkedIn? That’s not a fun website!” I disagreed immediately, for expanding my professional network is genuinely fun for me! This network has made such an impact on my professional career that I felt the need to share how much I value my LinkedIn profile.

Earlier this year, I moved to Israel after growing up in the US and obtaining my Bachelor’s degree. Arriving in a new city, new country, leaving all my former connections behind, I was a bit worried about ways of connecting with potential employers for employment opportunities and establishing myself again. I signed up with a few employment agencies and job hunting websites, and even got a few callbacks and interview requests to the hundreds of resumes I sent out. But I must say, the biggest influence on my professional network and what has helped me the most with my job search prior to getting an offer was my dedicated involvement with LinkedIn.

LinkedIn has helped me connect and reconnect with so many people on so many levels. From former employers and clients to colleagues and classmates from college, my professional social network began to grow exponentially and my job search soon became fun and productive. Rather than simply sending employers standard emails with a simple cover letter, my resume and sign my name with my phone number (as if they would really call me, right?) I started including a link to my LinkedIn profile as part of my email signature. The added benefit of adding a link to your profile “enables people to see all your credentials, which would be awkward if not downright strange, as an attachment,” according to Guy Kawasaki’s blog post in Ten Ways to Use LinkedIn.

But before sending my resume to any employer that somewhat appealed to me, I did the proper research about the company on LinkedIn to see if they had a presence. By checking on the company and by screening through their list of employees and who may possibly be holding a position I am applying for, I could get the inside scoop on the company, my potential future colleagues and managers and my growth potential within the company. According to Guy, the LinkedIn network consists of “more than 8.5 million experienced professionals from around the world representing 130 industries.” How cool is that?! Still, it was surprising to me as to how many companies I searched for that did not have a company profile on LinkedIn, and this factor sometimes made it easier for me to pass judgment on the credibility of the company and of their growth potential in their industry.

When it comes to connections – the more the merrier, as the more connections you have the more opportunities you are exposed to. Your contacts have the potential to help you grow your career, find a job opportunity, be a source for referrals and reference checks and expand your professional network. According to Guy’s blog post, “people with more than twenty connections are thirty-four times more likely to be approached with a job opportunity than people with less than five.” The format to adding connections on LinkedIn (when compared to Facebook, for example) is a little more reserved, as it asks you to state where you may know this potential connection from. I found that by joining relevant groups or networks within the career field I was interested in, I could participate in forums and offer my opinions about topics within the industry, and this actually made it easier for me to connect to others within that group. Joining groups within the industry I was interested in pursuing – such Marketing & PR Innovators - opened many doors for me in terms of making new connections and expanding my knowledge about the industry.

Another way that I was able to connect to someone that I didn’t know personally was by turning to a current connection of mine to “introduce” me to their connection. This was a great way for me to express my interest in the connection’s industry, let them know I am interested in learning more about their company, inquire about potential job openings that I might be suited for – all while a formal introduction was sent through my trusted connection. I was amazed as to how many people accepted the introduction and were so helpful with my job search.

As I write this post and sigh with relief that my job search is over and am happily employed at Blonde 2.0, I know that I am where I am today because of the help of my professional network and can thank LinkedIn for providing me with that outlet. Since resumes can be long and tedious to read at times – and never simple to fit all of your accomplishments on one page – as employers suggest, having a LinkedIn profile is a direct and effective way to show people who you are professionally without confining yourself to a conventional resume. Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn.

Dorine Sinigaglia is the Account & Content Manager for Blonde 2.0

Dorine is a dedicated individual with experience in account management, sales and business development for large corporations. She gets to know all the ins and outs of each account she handles and gets up close and personal with everyone she works with.