My 2 seconds of fame...or one way to use LinkedIn strategically

Yesterday, I was sitting in a workshop and kept getting emYesterday, I was sitting in a workshop and kept getting emails from friends saying, "I saw your name on TV." I was confused, because they didn't say, "I saw YOU on TV." 

So, I shot back emails asking for more details.  Turns out that reporter Len Ramirez featured a story on CBS5 news on Monday night about how LinkedIn is helping unemployed people to find jobs.  So, if you watch the video, you'll see at one minute, thirty five seconds into the coverage (1:35) that my name shows up in a story about LinkedIn job seeker David Stevens.  Voila!  My two seconds of fame. 

You don't see my adorable mug hamming it up for the camera.  You even don't see a picture of me.  You just see my name and a network update, "Dr. Susan Bernstein is now connected to Kim Fisher."

Why does all of this matter?

I share this to tell you the "behind the scenes" story of how this all came to be.  Not because I want you to know about my fame -- this is not exactly Oprah-worthy news, after all.  No, it's because I want you to know how LinkedIn made this all possible, so that you can use LinkedIn, too, in innovative ways.

Flash back about three months ago.  I wanted to learn about ways to build publicity for my business.  In particular, I wanted to know how to build media connections that might be useful one day. 

First aha - Use LinkedIn Q&A to pose questions to a bunch of people!  I had a question, and I could either post it on LinkedIn Q&A or I could search for an expert in my network.  In this case, I didn't wind up doing either of those. 

Second aha - Check out Q&A -- because you never know when you'll find someone useful to you!  I happened to also be looking for information on networking, and saw in the Q&A section that David Stevens (who worked for a radio TV station in a PR capacity). had answered a question on myths and misconceptions about networking that Krista Canfield had asked. Instead of posting one or more questions on Q&A (when I didn't really know what questions I'd want to ask), David's reply made me think I might be able to have an extended conversation with him about media PR!  At the time, he was a Marketing Solutions Provider at NextMedia Group.  

I decided I wanted to get in touch with David.  So I sent a request for introduction to Krista Canfield.  She's always been amazingly gracious and helpful, and I figured she'd help facilitate the introduction.  And, as I usually find on LinkedIn, the connection was successful, and David was only too happy to talk to me about media PR.  He called me and we spoke for nearly an hour.  I got some vital insights from our conversation, thanked David, and told him that if I could be of assistance to him, I'd be happy to return the favor.  We joined each other's LinkedIn network so we could stay in touch.

Third aha --what goes around, comes around. Just a few weeks later, David sent me a note saying, "You said if there was ever anything you could do for me you would be happy to."  Although I didn't know David well, I loved his enthusiasm and his assistance, so I wrote something honest, "“I asked David for some perspective on radio PR, and he was extremely knowledgeable and helpful. He gave me some interesting insights as I learn more about this media.” 

Fourth aha - getting recommendations can help you get a job...or at least get attention.  As I suspected, David was being wise as he saw that his job was coming to an end, and he gathered recommendations so that a future employer would be able to learn more about him.  Sure enough, he found his next job through LinkedIn, as the Channel 5 news about his job search success story makes clear.  

I truly love success stories like this.  I'm a self-proclaimed "power user" of LinkedIn, and I estimate that upwards of 60% of my clients find me through LinkedIn.  I'd love to show you how to leverage LinkedIn in your job search...whether you're conducting a job search right now, or anticipate that you'll need to be on your toes about using LinkedIn in the near future.  On Thursday, November 13, from 6-8 pm Pacific, I'm offering a webinar, Using LinkedIn Strategically in Your Job Search.  It's very reasonably priced, and 88% of the people who attended this same webinar on October 22 were "very satisfied" with the content.  C'mon, check out the details -- and start using LinkedIn much more strategically, with better results!

Happy linking!

Susan

Dr. Susan Bernstein
Job Search Coach & Founder
The Job Search Gym
www.JobSearchGym.com