As I've posted before, I am on LinkedIn the professionals networking site.  If you are not familiar with LinkedIn, this is like FaceBook only professionals can use it to build their business through networking and other can obtain jobs also through networking.  Not a bad idea.

I'm on it for the job search aspect.

With this I look at the home page and there is a box indicating people that I might know.  I click on it and it produces a list of various people.  Unfortunately the list is very limited.  I have no idea how the algorithm has been set up to pull these profiles.  It would be nice if it could be customized by the user.

From here I have been selecting various individuals not only from the real estate arena, but those my former company was in a business relationship with, recruiters and of course people from where I want to live, the Keys.  Granted 99% of these people I don't know personally.  I feel that is how all of the profiles on LinkedIn are especially those with 500+ connections.

Obviously I am not targeting other CTO's or CIO's for they might feel that I am after their jobs.  But if one reaches out to me to connect, I'd accept it.

Once I have the connection established I have been reaching out to the people one at a time with a letter thanking them to connect with me and why I asked them to connect.  And that is if they knew or so happen to run into or hear about a company that can use my skill set, to pass my name along.  With the recruiters I am using the same basic letter and am including a resume as well.  And with the recruiters I am not only targeting them in my local area, but nationwide as far as LinkedIn will allow.

Now why nationwide?  You never know if a recruiter say in Phoenix might have a NY client or one in the Keys.  Years ago before the internet was so wide spread recruiters would work on local accounts mostly.  But now with the way that the technology has grown including things like Skype I would not be surprised if a recruiter across the country has clients on the other side of the U.S.

As you know I am no fan of recruiters but you never know if one does come through.


A few of the things I do not like about LinkedIn, is that if you want to contact someone and you do not have their email address, you can use their in-mail.  You get 5 free ones with the basic account.  After that you have to pay for premium service and that too has limitations.  You also get so many introductions also before you have to pay.  So reaching out to people through there is difficult.

If I want to contact someone who is not in my network, they put some severe restrictions like you need to know their correct email address OR pay for premium service.  Now what if the person was the hiring manager of a company you want to get into?  LinkedIn makes it very difficult to make that happen. 
I am hoping that my job lead will come though the contacts that are not recruiters.  You know, tap into the hidden job market.  One person, a TV news anchor said she would pass my resume along.  And I think she did. 

Now if you are one of my FaceBook friends in the Keys (I have about 310 at this time) and would like to connect to me through LinkedIn please message my through FaceBook and we can move forward.  You never know if you hear of a potential opportunity that might be up my alley.  Mind you, you are not acting as a reference, just someone that is pointing me to a company or a company to me. 


'till next time.