Got An Interview? 2 Ways LinkedIn Can Help
Congratulations! You’ve just been offered a job interview. Now what? Enjoy a few moments of celebration, and then get ready to do your homework. Proper preparation involves research and a good deal of time and effort.
The internet is a good place to get a company’s PR department-approved message. Remember, though – a company website is a marketing tool. There is much more to the story behind the pretty pictures and graphics. Do a good job digging beyond the easy resources on the surface and you will set yourself above all the other candidates who will only be as prepared as Google search engines allow.
If you’ve been following our advice on this blog you are probably already deeply entrenched in the LinkedIn community. If you’re not, take a minute to go back and read what we’ve said about how LinkedIn can benefit job-seekers. (It is never too late to start!) The more connections you have, the richer the following techniques will be:
Company Search
- Log in to your account on LinkedIn.com
- On the top menu bar near the right side of the screen there is a search box defaulted to search for “People.” Click the box and choose “Companies” instead. Type the name of your target company.
- LinkedIn will then show you who in your network is connected to this company, as well as who you might tap to access a 2nd degree connection. Depending on the depth of information available, you might also find a list of new hires, and a searchable list of all company employees who have LinkedIn profiles. (Wouldn’t it be great to see a photo of your interviewer before you arrive?)
Your Connections – and their connections
- Log in to your account on LinkedIn.com
- On the top menu bar, click “Contacts”
- Along the left margin of the page you will find an area to filter your connections. You can use a keyword to search in the box (I found great success typing in the name of the city I am looking for) or scroll down and see your connections sorted by company name, location, or industry.
Using these lists as a starting point, identify a few people to contact individually to see if they know anything about your target company. LinkedIn is great but not perfect – no one has 100% of their real life connections represented online, so a human touch is the best way to fill in the blanks.
Michelle St. Onge
