LinkedIn Answers lets you tap the knowledge of your professional network. It also allows you to answer questions, and in the words of LinkedIn “By providing the best answers to questions, you earn expertise.”

One of the goals for any professional seeking a new job opportunity in any online marketing campaign should be to gain “expert status.” Because attorneys are service professionals who deal in the intangible — information and knowledge — it is crucial to “package” oneself in a way that relates to current and potential employers.

One of the best ways to do this is to provide guidance without seeming to blow your own horn too loud.

LinkedIn has provided an opportunity to do just that with their Questions and Answers area

You can browse through Open Questions as well as through different categories — such as Law and Legal Questions. It is important to note that many of the questions are asked by folks who are already in your industry. However, the questions usually focus on some specific area within that industry … an expert’s area.

By participating in such an environment, you are connecting with other like-minded people, creating a network of contacts, and perhaps getting a qualified lead or connection in your job search.

A good strategy is to look at questions in related industries. for example, a corporate attorney may want to look at questions in a business owner related category where legal questions come up. Of course, there will always need to be a disclaimer for most professions to seek out competent advice, etc.

Kevin O’Keefe, owner of LexBlog, makes some great points in a recent blog article titled: Law school students using LinkedIn : It’s a no brainer.  My favorite is:

“As for the placement office telling you to go slow on the use of social media? You know ‘Everything can be used against you, you’ll ruin your career.’

Tell them you’ve got hundreds of thousands of dollars invested in tuition and lost income while in school. Tell them traditional methods of gaining employment don’t work as well anymore. Tell them employers are using social networking like LinkedIn in spades.”

Wendy Maynard @ Kinetic Ideas also makes an excellent point that relates well to legal job searching:

People don’t buy things. They buy solutions to problems; they want to fulfill a desire or meet a need. To market your business effectively, you have to KNOW your target audience and what problems they face. In your marketing efforts – whether written, online, or in person – you should be able to provide your audience with a solution that is specific and directly benefits them…AND you should care about their problem.

Other helpful Links about Using LinkedIn to Find an Attorney Job:

• How law students should use LinkedIn

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