OK--so you're on LinkedIn...do you know what to do now?  One of the things that perplexes candidates is how to manage their LinkedIn connections.  Kevin Kermes, of Career Attraction, has some great advice for you if you're in the middle of this common problem:

The LinkedIn Job Seeker Connections Dilemma:  Quantity or Quality?

You'll learn which one is the best for your job search:  to go after as many connections as you can to maximize your chances of a job lead, or to nurture a smaller number of connections to make it a stronger possibility that someone who knows you will be more likely to recommend you for a job.  These are LinkedIn tips you won't want to miss.

(How's your LinkedIn profile?  Make it the best it can be so that you get noticed with this LinkedIn profile tutorial.)

These days everyone is all a twitter about Twitter, or at least so it seems sometimes. LinkedIn is the steady-as-you-go business tool that doesn't seem to be flashy and isn't too concerned about attention. LinkedIn has been built on competency. Twitter has been more "faddish" in its appeal.

The question at hand is:  which is better for the job search?

My short answer is:  LinkedIn is better, and the largest portion of your time on social media should definitely be spent there.

However, this isn't quite fair to Twitter because this sends a message suggesting an inherent inferiority, which isn't precisely the case. If you have a well-developed Twitter following, Twitter offers tremendously rapid capacity to reach a tremendously wide audience. Instantaneous communication can be pretty attractive when the communication is an opportunity, or when you want to reach hiring managers quickly.  With Twitter, you can follow recruiters, hiring managers, and others who could be helpful to your career.  When they tweet about job leads, you'll be right there.

But when I say LinkedIn is better, it's because most job searches eventually require digging into skills, experience, cultural background, work ethic, education, and other points.   Because of LinkedIn's well-developed professional profile area, contact management capacity, professional groups, and tools keeping members tuned to their network members' career changes, needs, plans, and development, it provides a great advantage that more often can approach the demands of a hiring decision.  (Having your own well-developed LinkedIn profile can be invaluable here.)  Because of this demand, Twitter will not normally carry the job search across the finish line, but particularly for more junior roles, Twitter can be a tremendous lead-generating tool.

In the end, Twitter and LinkedIn can both have a place in your job search, but if your time is limited, choose LinkedIn.

If you've spent much time on LinkedIn, you may have stumbled on the term "Open Networker" and perhaps seen the term "LION". A LION is a LinkedIn Open Networker. There are thousands and perhaps millions of LIONS on LinkedIN and you may not know any of them personally. However, if you are serious about your job search, you need to devote a portion of your allowed invitations to these networking beasts. Some of the LIONs have tens of thousands of first-level connections. Connecting to a just a few of these allows you to reach far across and deep into the LinkedIn network to reach your networking and job search goals.

What exactly am I proposing and how do you go about this?

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The very best time to look for a new job is while you still have your old one--but what if that means you need to keep it on the down low? Keeping your job search confidential can seem virtually impossible, but it isn't.

One great way to stealth job search is by using LinkedIn. It's entirely possible to reach out to others without it being a matter of public record. (And using LinkedIn to contact hiring managers directly instead of going through HR cattle calls is amazingly effective!)

So what do you have to do?

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Online social media is a fantastic tool for job hunting. The Big 3 (LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter) each have their own unique style that you can

what will employers find when they search your name online?

utilize in different ways for your job search. But while you're working these sites to land the perfect job, employers and recruiters are looking for you, too. And if you get their attention in the early stages of the job interview process, they're going to be actively searching for more details about you. According to one survey, 70% of hiring managers and recruiters have rejected an applicant based on what they found online. Have you Googled your name lately to see what they'll find out about you?

You can manage your online identity to control your reputation and your image in the job market in these 5 ways:

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If you haven't joined LinkedIn by now, you should. There are over 65 million professionals involved in LinkedIn, making it the most significant online business network around. Don't make the mistake of thinking of it in the same terms as Facebook or Twitter (although they have their place). And don't make the mistake of thinking it's only for job searchers (but it's fantastic for that). LinkedIn is a rock-solid, uniquely valuable, free tool for your career.

How can LinkedIn benefit you?

• Networking - You know how important a good network is. A well-maintained business and social network will serve you well throughout your life, and I would never discount the power of old-school person-to-person connections. But LinkedIn is "a rolodex on steriods." It exponentially increases your networking opportunities by providing an avenue for making connections in a much bigger arena than you'd ever be able to create on your own. Because those connections are built on introductions and recommendations, they are regarded as legitimate, credible business contacts. And, because people tend to keep their information up-to-date, you don't lose track of them.

Another way to use LinkedIn effectively to make connections is by joining groups. Find groups that are relevant to your career, and join the discussions.  Start with Sales Cafe for sales reps!  If you're making quality contributions to group discussions, it will make others more interested in knowing you and creating a connection.

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You should read this terrific article from Ask A Manager:  Are online application processes avoidable? A reader who has been frustrated by the black hole of online applications processes asks if the way to go is to contact the hiring manager with some attention-grabbing subject line or graphics in the email.  The answer (in the article) is that "it depends."

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One of the many, many fantastic applications of LinkedIn is that you can use it to land informational interviews. Informational interviews are just what they sound like: they are interviews that you conduct to gather information, usually about a job or a career field you're interested in. They last 20-30 minutes, and give you an opportunity to get answers about what a typical day is like, what the person likes or dislikes about the field, and what it takes to be successful. You can also use it as a mentoring session and ask for their advice on your situation and your best career/job search moves. Research tips for informational interviews to help you compile your list of questions. Informational interviews are strictly for you to get the "inside scoop" from someone who knows, and they help you to expand your network. (FYI: If you're lucky, you might get a job lead, but it's bad form to go into the interview expecting this person to help you get a job.)

But how do you go about setting up an informational interview if you can't do it through your current contacts?

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When searching for candidates, recruiters often conduct internet searches…through Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and sometimes, just a basic Google.

If you’d like a chance to be contacted, here’s a piece of critical advice:

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Do you feel like you're sending your resume down endless black holes?  Not getting interviews?  They might be getting hung up in HR--which means you need to go to the source:  the hiring manager.

Contacting the hiring manager directly sets you apart as a go-getter.  It's a concrete demonstration that you can do what it takes to overcome an obstacle and get something done.  It gives you a chance to present your case (helpful if you're transitioning into the field) that you might not get if you're weeded out by HR.

How do you do that?

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