Powersearches power your network

One of the most interesting and simultaneously most powerful functions available to XING Premium Members is the Powersearch. There are a number of special search functions, all of which can be very helpful for maintaining a contact network.  Some of these functions are also available to basic members. It’s worthwhile to spend some time and play around with the Powersearch: the results are often very helpful, and almost always a lot of fun. I’d like to spend a moment and introduce some of my favorite Powersearches:

If you want to see who has been checking out your profile recently, just click on “Members who recently visited my profile”. Lest you forget: each one of these people is a potential customer of yours, and by visiting your profile, they’ve crossed the threshold into your virtual storefront. With a bit of luck, they won’t stop there… It’s up to you to approach the person in a friendly manner, and ask them what they might be looking for-that’s the first step in getting your cash register ringing. This doesn’t only apply to you if you work in sales: a recruiter who is eyeing your profile is also a very good sign.

You can find out more information about how a person found you under the “Info” header.

There are also Powersearches for displaying the last profiles you yourself visited, which members have clicked on your current or former company homepage, and who has recently viewed your “About me” page.

The “My matches” category can put you in touch with members who are in the same groups or organizations as you, or who went to your alma mater. Best of all: there’s a Powersearch to show you members whose “Wants” match your “Haves”. All in all, a perfect way to find relevant new contacts. In order to get the best results here, it’s essential that your own profile have the right keywords in the “Wants” and “Haves” categories. We’ll get to that in a later edition of MaximiXING.

Personally, I also like seeing who shares several contacts with me. This is another way to get worthwhile contacts in a hurry.

For real networking secrets, look no further than the “My contacts” category. “What’s new in my network” displays all key changes in your professional network. Changes in “Company” and “Position” are visible, as are the “Contacts of my contacts”, an important source of networking potential. You can view both upcoming birthdays and those just past. The perfect way to stay on top of the latest in your network!

So, be sure to check out these and even more search options.

PS: Absolute networking pros can subscribe to the RSS feed of the search results.

Good luck searching, and have a great Spring weekend!