This document summarizes a presentation about leveraging social media, specifically LinkedIn, to find a job. It discusses building a strong LinkedIn profile with complete information and recommendations, connecting with a large network of professionals, becoming an active contributor in relevant industry groups on LinkedIn, and searching and applying for jobs posted on LinkedIn. The presentation provides tips for each stage of using LinkedIn to enhance job search efforts.

1. Leveraging Social Media
& Finding a Job with
Bruno Bensaid
18 Oct 2010

2. About the Speaker
About Social Media
Building a Linkedin profile
Agenda
Building a Linkedin network
Linkedin Groups: Anteroom to success
Linkedin Answers: You are the Expert
Getting the job

3. Bruno Bensaid
Founder of an investment banking advisory firm
and a mobile industry (non-profit) organization,
public speaker, geek, advisor and angel investor in
the China Internet & Mobile industries. Involved in
community work when time allows.
About the Speaker
Bruno Bensaid
Founder &
Partner,
Shanghaivest
Founder,
MobileMonday
Shanghai.
Linkedin member since 2003; 2716 linkedin
connections among which 75% are CXOs, 15% are
friends/classmates, 10% are unknown.
771 Facebook friends (30% are not real friends…)
790 Twitter followers (including 30% of spammers).

4. The Top Social Media Sites Around

5. 1/6th of the world’s pop. using SNS*
• Facebook, founded in 2004 ($987 Mil), 500 Mil members. Last
round valuation: $10 Bil., current transactions trade at $40 Bil
valuation (SharePost). Facebook is a consumer-oriented SNS.
• Twitter, founded in 2006 (raised $55.7 Mil), 145 Mil
members, est. valuation: $4.3 Bil (source: SharePost).
*SNS: Social Network Service = Social Media Website
members, est. valuation: $4.3 Bil (source: SharePost).
• Linkedin, founded in 2003 (raised $103 Mil), 75 Mil members,
est $2 Bil valuation (source: SharePost). Largest prof. SNS.
• Viadeo (France/China), founded in 2004, 30 Mil members,
mainly in France and China. The 2nd largest professional SNS.
• Xing (Germany), founded in 2003, listed (Frankfurt), 10 Mil
members (Sept 2010), mainly in Germany, Turkey, Spain.

6. Where 3 degrees of connections can lead

7. What you can do with Social Media
• Amass connections & impress your friends
• Avoid meeting people in person
• Find a date/mate/virtual friends…
• Find business partners , clients, suppliers, leads,• Find business partners , clients, suppliers, leads,
conduct business in any form,
• Research companies, markets and people,
• Meet like-minded people, share your activities,
• Lead discussions and groups, contribute & learn.
• Recruit and be recruited.

8. Building a profile “101”
• Don’t build a CV again, build an industry insider and expert
profile and highlight the salient points that fit you / your goal.
• Remain factual, achievement-oriented and honest.
• Get (good) referrals: pick referrers carefully, avoid
subordinates and friends, prefer native English speakers andsubordinates and friends, prefer native English speakers and
short referrals. Amend referrals if necessary. Refer back.
• Convey openness: share your connections, remain open to
connection requests and remain accessible.
• Share the groups you joined and what you write/read
(slideshare, amazon reading list etc) on your profile.
• Incomplete or botched profiles are worse than no profile at
all: explain achievements & ask for referrals asap.

9. Building a profile “201”
• Make profile public (use Linkedin Settings)
• Use keywords for search engines.
• Build short and impactful header – 1-2 lines with keywords (ie
Specialist of Energy sector in France | general manager| CFA)
• Custom & searchable URL: www.linkedin.com/in/johnsmith• Custom & searchable URL: www.linkedin.com/in/johnsmith
• Linkedin Status: refresh regularly, make it short and relevant
and highlight recent contributions (articles, blog post), public
speaking occasions, location (optional), and other content.
• Add links (websites of your company or organizations).
• Don’t put non-professional items in your profile
• Don’t get started 2 weeks before looking for a job. It takes
months to build a strong network and a complete profile.

10. A Snapshot

11. 1. Go for the low hanging fruits first: invite friends, (ex)
colleagues, classmates etc. Aim at quantity first, then quality
2. Research companies and sectors you are interested in,
search people and understand their progression path.
3. Read target people’s profiles carefully to understand their
Building a network “101”
expectations. Get a feel if the person is an open-networker,
average bloke, or hard-to-get kind of person.
4. Find the right angle to approach him/her keeping in mind
what you can contribute to him/her.
5. Connecting through a 1st degree “friend”: identify the
dynamics (relationship between this person and the
targeted 2nd degree connection) and the weight your 1st
degree “friend” can bring in convincing target to connect.

12. 1. WHAT’S IN IT FOR THE OTHER GUY ? When writing an
invitation message, highlight the value you bring to the
connection, and only after, what is your main motivation
but DO NOT TALK ABOUT JOB SEARCH IN AN INVITATION.
2. Send a “Thank you” note via linkedin and email to the
other party who accepts your invitation. In the note, offer
Building a network “201”
other party who accepts your invitation. In the note, offer
to communicate offline (skype preferred at first) or email
on a specific topic, at a time convenient for both (don’t
sound desperate by accepting all timeslots – play a bit
“hard to get” as well).
3. Contribute without being asked first: offer to connect the
person to someone else you have in mind, send industry
insiders’ news on a regular basis, pick a topics of interest.

13. 1. “There is no sympathy in politics Linkedin” (original quote
from Margaret Thatcher): accepting or inviting connections is
not about making friends but creating value for both (and if
that creates friendship subsequently, even better).
2. Reach critical mass (+500 connections is ideal) but through
quality invitations on the long run.
Building a network “301”
quality invitations on the long run.
3. Caveats: getting too many “dings” from members you invite
(but who reject your invitation) can get your Linkedin profile
frozen temporarily or permanently.
4. Why accepting connections? Do you want to accept a
connection request from someone who will not reciprocate
(like a head hunter) or from someone who has incomplete
profile (info asymmetry)? Shall you accept any Insead invite?

14. Building a network – the iPhone bug

15. Become a thought leader in Groups & Answers through timely
and relevant contributions & moderation etc.
1. Target the industry and company you are interested in.
2. Find the related Linkedin Groups and pick the groups with
the most members and highest activity.
Linkedin Groups: Anteroom to success
the most members and highest activity.
3. Reversely, target people you want to connect to, look at
what groups they have joined, then join the same groups
(maximum: 50 groups, non including sub-groups).
4. Read discussions & contribute by answering (or asking
smart) questions and offer to help moderate groups.
5. Build on these group discussions and invite target group
members using the “invite through a group” feature.

16. Linkedin Answers: You are the Expert

17. Getting the Job
Once foundation is laid out (complete profile, large and quality
network, relevant Groups involvement, participation to Linkedin
Answers), getting a job is far easier:
• Use Linkedin “Follow a Company”, “Follow Member” and/or
directly approach recruiting manager through Groups.
• Searching for Job Ads on Linkedin:
– If the company’s name is disclosed: reach recruiting manager (if this is
not an HR person) by getting a recommendation from an existing
connection already working in the company or who knows the person
well, and finally making contact once recommendation(s) done.
– If the company’s name is not disclosed (recruitment made by a
recruiter), DO NOT TRY TO INVITE THE RECRUITER AT FIRST, instead
send a linkedin message instead to discuss your profile’s relevance
with the job. Goal is to “force” the recruiter to review your profile

18. GOOD LUCK!
For more,
bensaid@fastmail.fm
China Cell: +86 13818184399
France Cell: +33 686056830
www.shanghaivest.com
www.mobilemondayshanghai.net
www.sh-angels.com