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LinkedIn has over 500 million active users worldwide. It has been constantly working to strengthen itself in new areas like content and education and concentrate on adding new users from emerging markets. It has evolved into a social network for working people where ideas are exchanged and employment is sought.
Today, the company is set to roll out a new service which is aiming to enhance the most basic purpose of the network, finding a job.
Many times, the biggest hurdle in landing a job is the lack of proper guidance. The new service is all set to rectify that shortcoming with its matchmaking skills. The system helps to match potential mentors and people who are looking for guidance and mentoring in any specific areas.
How will it work?
People who showed their interest in receiving mentoring will get a list of handpicked mentor. From this, they can choose their desired mentor according to their requirements. Mentors will be given their preference. They can choose whom to mentor between first and second-degree networks.
For those who are looking to seek advice and feedback from their potential mentors, LinkedIn will give them their own potential parameters to narrow down the list as per their preferences. Just like mentors can choose whom to mentor, they can choose their mentors based on the same parameters.
Once the contact is initiated, it can continue for as long as either side is committed. Either of the sides can end contact at any time.
How does LinkedIn benefits in all this?
LinkedIn is looking to ease itself into a gap in the career market. This Mentoring Service will be an additional point of engagement for its users. It will give a whole new twist to the way people are already using LinkedIn to find employment. It is a free service and it will surely find takers in the existing user base and might entice new users with its promise of personalized career guidance.
The research found that 9 out of 10 people from the senior rank of users said that they wanted to give back. They had received timely help on their way up and now they want to do the same for others.
Maintain the Relationship:
Following-up and following through are key to having a good relationship with your mentor. Get to know their mentoring style. They may want to meet for coffee once a week or exchange emails twice a month. Tailor your follow-up tactics based on what is best for them.
When you receive advice about what job you could apply for or a change in the layout of your resume take action in a timely manner. Give your mentor updates about how things are going with your job search or show them your updated resume. They are going to be volunteering a lot of time and effort, so make sure that you thank them, employ their suggestions, reach out periodically, and give back when you can.
Show Gratitude through actions:
You went through all this effort to start this relationship, now you need to foster it. The best way to show appreciation to mentors is to demonstrate that you listened to their guidance and took action. Thank you cards and gifts may or may not seem appropriate, but the more you share the benefits and positive effects of their insights, the more encouraged they will be to share more.
Explain why you need them?
Be ready to explain what you want to get out of the mentorship. Tell them why you want them to be your mentor and explain why you value their expertise. If you can, share a story of theirs which you already know and what you learned from it.
Be sure to tell them that you’re not looking for a tutor, but for guidance. Explain your expectations and that you’re not looking for any handouts, just a push in the right direction.
Show your appreciation:
Because your mentor is taking time out of their busy schedule and offering you essentially free consultation, you can at least go out of your way to show your appreciation. This means saying thank you and saying it often.
Finally, you may reach a point in your career where people begin to ask for your advice and maybe someone wants to become your next mentee.