Logging on

INTERNET: Networking — either in person or online — has long been important for job searches. But in today’s tough financial climate, it has become essential, say the experts. Especially useful are online professional networks.

“Professional networking is a ‘must do’ during unstable economic times,” says Janel Landel, who runs a public-relations consulting company in Chicago. “Given the state of the economy, I recently decided to jump on board,” Landel told Reuters.

LinkedIn, the market-leading professional network, reported 25 per cent more registrations in September than originally expected. “Nobody has ever seen anything like this before,” said Kevin Eyres, who is responsible for the company’s European operations. “Now we are growing by almost one new user each second.”

"We are growing by almost one new user each second," says Kevin Eyres of LinkedIn.

Martin Olaussen, director of digital media strategies at Strategy Analytics in Britain, says joining professional networks is a logical step. “Given that a lot of professionals are currently losing or are worried about losing their job, it makes sense that career-focused social networks such as LinkedIn should see a boost in traffic.”

Social-networking expert Soumitra Dutta of the European business schoolInsead believes that making new online contacts can help job-seekers. “Networks are very good examples of weak ties,” Dutta explains. “Traditionally it has been thought that we need strong ties to get jobs, but we often get jobs through weak ties, not strong ties.”