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Why or Why Not? I started a LinkedIn account over 4 years ago when I left the Service as a means to network for employment connections. I didn't use it fully until about 2+ years ago when I become unemployed. This is when I realized the disconnect many Veterans suffered when seeking civilian employment. A few months later I started a Group on LinkedIn called Florida Veterans Transition Network to assist Veterans in their endeavor to find civilian employment. I use this group to connect Veterans and Veteran Supports to assist Veterans in their Job Search Endeavors. Last year I was recognized by LinkedIn as the Top 5% Most Viewed Profile on LinkedIn. I now hope to duplicate the same efforts here on RallyPoint. Feel free to connect with me on RallyPoint, LinkedIn and my LinkedIn Group.
Employment
Transition
Networking
Posted 12 y ago
Responses: 29
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SGM Zarnes, I only started a LinkedIn account when I started my business. I'm not sure I'm utilizing it to it's full extent but do believe it helps me network in many different aspects.<br>
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SGM Clarence Zarnes
<P>CPT R, </P>
<P>At least you are on the right track. LinkedIn is a great tool to assist with professional networking, with building your business and much more. It is a process; so work to build your profile, connections and groups. It's not a fire and forget tool, I like to think of LinkedIn as your own personal website. So you have to be engaged regularly to build your online presence and thus it will build your ROI.</P>
<P>Good Luck, Clarence</P>
<P>At least you are on the right track. LinkedIn is a great tool to assist with professional networking, with building your business and much more. It is a process; so work to build your profile, connections and groups. It's not a fire and forget tool, I like to think of LinkedIn as your own personal website. So you have to be engaged regularly to build your online presence and thus it will build your ROI.</P>
<P>Good Luck, Clarence</P>
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I just logged off LinkedIn prior to posting here.<div><br></div><div>I am a strong advocate of LinkedIn, even more so when I got my free upgrade. Not only am I using it to find work and network, I used it to crowd source information. </div><div><br></div><div>I posted my resume to a discussion and received a lot of feedback. Amazingly, I received an interview request shortly after my changes. </div>
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SGM Clarence Zarnes
<P>SGT M,</P>
<P>That is great news! You sound like you are on the right track with the use of LinkedIn.</P>
<P>Good Luck on the Interview!</P>
<P>Thanks, Clarence</P>
<P>That is great news! You sound like you are on the right track with the use of LinkedIn.</P>
<P>Good Luck on the Interview!</P>
<P>Thanks, Clarence</P>
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I would love to learn more about LinkedIn, can you recommend any training on it or did you just learn everything yourself?
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SGM Clarence Zarnes
<P>SGT H,</P>
<P sizset="0" sizcache [login to see] 9454063="54188">I did a little of both, but mostly school of hard knocks. There are many tutotials via Google or YouTube, plus I believe LinkedIn has it's own learning tool called LinkedIn Learning Webinars in the Help Section at <A href="http://help.linkedin.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/530">http://help.linkedin.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/530</A>.</P>
<P sizset="0" sizcache [login to see] 9454063="54188">Thanks, Clarence</P>
<P sizset="0" sizcache [login to see] 9454063="54188">I did a little of both, but mostly school of hard knocks. There are many tutotials via Google or YouTube, plus I believe LinkedIn has it's own learning tool called LinkedIn Learning Webinars in the Help Section at <A href="http://help.linkedin.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/530">http://help.linkedin.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/530</A>.</P>
<P sizset="0" sizcache [login to see] 9454063="54188">Thanks, Clarence</P>
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I signed up about for LinkedIn about 4 years ago when I got laid off from a previous company. Since then I have updated it from time to time but didn't really have the time to put into it what I needed due to being in college and working full time. Now that I have gotten my BSIT I am working on getting my profile here on RP current as well as LinkedIn. I am also starting to get more active in conversations on both sites. In LinkedIn I have been contacted by a few headhunters but they are always wanting me to move out of state. That's not something I am willing to do for personal reasons. LinkedIn is going to be an integral part of my job search in the coming weeks and I have even encouraged others to sign up as well realizing and understanding the value it can bring to ones career.<br>
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SGM Clarence Zarnes
<P>SrA,</P>
<P>Your story is very similar to many of us. We may have started a LinkedIn account, but never really got engaged until we became unemployed. However, the better option would be fully engaged in LinkedIn at all times, so it can pay off when you become unemployed. It's that hind sight is 20/20 thing.</P>
<P>Thanks, Clarence</P>
<P>Your story is very similar to many of us. We may have started a LinkedIn account, but never really got engaged until we became unemployed. However, the better option would be fully engaged in LinkedIn at all times, so it can pay off when you become unemployed. It's that hind sight is 20/20 thing.</P>
<P>Thanks, Clarence</P>
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SrA Eric Olsen
SGM Zarnes,
Great advice and one that I'm working on now. What I've noticed is that one needs to stay on top of things and the conversations in networking sites like this.
Great advice and one that I'm working on now. What I've noticed is that one needs to stay on top of things and the conversations in networking sites like this.
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Suspended Profile
I have only been a member of LinkedIn and RallyPoint for a very short period of time. Â Perhaps I have missed some key benefits and/or distinctions. Â But, for me and for my colleagues, both networks provide unique capabilities for individuals and organizations.
Many of my friends and colleagues, including active duty, reserve, and veteran service members, use LinkedIn for a wide variety of purposes. Â It provides a natural first point of contact for a quick look at a potential employment applicant, manager, collaborator, business partner, or investor. Â It provides an opportunity to post a resume in a format that is widely recognized by civilian organizations. Â It provides concise summary with selective privacy options for connections with individuals, membership in professional societies and groups, professional skills, recommendations, etc. Â It provides a highly organized and broad range of forums for professional discussions and organizations. Â More than anything else, it provides a rich environment for establishing connections between potentially interested colleagues without the barriers of a gated community. Â For individuals seeking professional employment in the civilian world, there is no more target rich environment heavily populated with recruiters and employers. Â Therefore, for the purpose of putting your credentials in a place where they are most likely to be recognized, I cannot think of any better environment than the LinkedIn environment.
That said, for the purposes for which RallyPoint was organized, RallyPoint is the most accessible and reasonably private environment for reaching out to military colleagues for discussion, mentoring, and/or to offer assistance to other service members. Â The unique resources on RallyPoint provide more of an opportunity to discover both new opportunities and to gain inside information about the conditions at a new command. Â More than anything else, RallyPoint provides a private protected environment where service members feel free to ask questions and express opinions w/o public criticism.
The one thing I would like to see in these online communities is a means to send a private message or reply to an individual without necessarily commenting publicly or being perceived as seeking to establish a longer relationship for a limited discussion.
Perhaps it might also be helpful for the organizers to post a mission statement with comparison of the intended purposes of RallyPoint vs LinkedIn etc in the masthead. Â Simply stating that RallyPoint intends to become the LinkedIn for the Military (while attractive to potential investors) misses the opportunity to differentiate the product.
I think it might also be interesting to provide readily accessible statistics about the number and rate of increase in user accounts and accounts active in a past month - maybe with charts tracking growth of the RallyPoint community over many months.
SGM Clarence Zarnes
1LI,
I appreciate your very in depth and on target response. Both LI and RP are very similar, but unique at the same time. Thus far, I believe that LI to be the premier site for ones' future growth as a civilian professional.
Thanks, Clarence
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SGM...Yes, Linkedin is a great tool. I joined back in June of this year. Although I do not plan to retire from the Air Force until June 2016, it is never too early to join. I just sent you an invitation to connect on Linkedin.
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SGM Clarence Zarnes
Lt Col,
You are correct! It is never too early to join. Actually, the earlier ther better, but at least a couple of years prior to leaving the service. One needs time to build a network and to fully understand the civilian job market requirements. Thanks for connecting with my on LinkedIn!
Thanks, Clarence
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Great post! I've been using LinkedIn since 2009, and because of my advocacy and activism in Veterans Employment, I started a group called Michigan Veterans Employment Solutions. MVES is for veterans, employers, service providers, and other stakeholders dedicated to closing the employment gap. I welcome connections also!
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Linked In is used almost exclusively by corporate America for posting jobs that are serious and finding new candidates. The mistake most veterans make is their profile screams info about their service position and capabilities and not about how they can save the hiring party money or increase their sales. Make the transition.
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