Imagine you are at a huge face-to-face conference where you sit with everyone else for the main part, but then in the afternoon, you get a choice of talks you can attend. Looking at what’s on offer, you will probably choose something that interests you and where you may meet ‘like-minded’ people in the industry that you work in or that you want to join.
You could be all day trying to find someone in the main conference hall who could answer a burning question you have, perhaps on how to break into the field of Journalism.
Now, if I said that we had 3 talks in the afternoon, one on Journalism, one on Engineering and one on Marketing, which one do you think you’d get the most benefit from? And where are you likely to meet like minded people in the exact field you want to enter. All that talent and experience in one room! Can you see why joining that group would be of benefit now? You may get your questions answered and so much more – new contacts, tips, hints and crucial industry updates.
It’s the same with groups on LinkedIn but in a ‘virtual’ space. They all congregate in the same place and help each other. Join groups and ask questions, contribute to other people’s problems by offering solutions, build rapport and give advice if you can. Swim in that talent pool with the industry experts and get known! Recruiters often sift through groups too to search for specific candidates.
What are you waiting for? There’s an open door there – get through it!