Last weekend, my fiancé and I packed up my entire existence
in Orlando, FL and moved me to Atlanta in a 48-hour period. Not only have I had
to relearn a city that was my home for over 20 years, but now I’m having to
build my personal network from the ground up in order to find a new job.
So, here I am in one of the top advertising cities in the
country with no network, no chapter of Ad2 or the American Advertising
Federation (AdFed), no knowledge of friends or former colleagues in the
industry. What’s a girl to do?
My favorite go-to source? LinkedIn. There I find a plethora
of information, from decision makers at top agencies, to job postings that use
your profile to complete the application. But my personal favorite is the
ability to join groups. Every day, I receive emails updating me on activities
in my groups. Often it’s mostly articles with regards to the industry, but
sometimes some really great job opportunities can be found in those emails.
Recently, my best friend forwarded me an opportunity at a
non-profit organization that screamed “Didi”. I used LinkedIn to research the
organization and their company culture. I researched who I would be working for
and what their resume looked like. With this information, I was able to tailor
my resume and cover letter and submit the most appropriate writing samples,
ensuring I put my best foot forward.
In a place where I have no physical network, I have to rely
on my virtual one. And quite frankly, the virtual one isn’t so bad. If you know
how to leverage LinkedIn, you may find that your dream opportunity is just an
InMail away. Check out these infographics for more information about LinkedIn
and how to use it.
