Raising your profile through groups #2

Welcome to the second part of our maximiXING series on careers and job searches. Having taken a look at optimizing your profile for employers in the last post, here’s an insight into the most interactive part of the platform: Groups.

There are more than 24,000 expert groups on XING, many of which are English-speaking and some of which have several thousand members. The benefits that members derive from active participation in these groups are incredibly diverse, opening up countless opportunities to network offline as well. Thousands upon thousands of people come together through group events every month. The potential for exchanging expert opinion, the wealth of professional experience shared, and the organization of live events make XING groups a valuable interface for almost all fields of work and worldwide regions.

I recommend joining and participating in groups with a view to opening up interesting new networking opportunities in the long term, rather than just looking for a new job. This way you gain access to a valuable pool of knowledge specific to your field of work or area of interest, and gain a higher profile with potential decision makers and useful contacts.

Joining your local regional group is a good place to get started. Another useful approach is to check out industry-specific groups that are already active on the site. Becoming an active and respected poster in a group is of course no guarantee that you’ll be inundated by headhunters straight away. Slowly but surely establishing a good reputation for you though certainly won’t do any harm at all. Are you an Excel whizz? Do you have specialist knowledge in the SEO field? Don’t hide your talents! Make sure you demonstrate your skills and expertise in the forums and draw attention to yourself this way.

As I mentioned in my first post, you might want to consider entering “Freelancer” under the employer part of your XING profile. And if you do work on a freelance basis, you can benefit from a wealth of groups available, such as the Freelance Project Exchange or the Freelance Business Club. And there really is something for everyone, no matter what your career aspirations and goals are, be it founding a new company (see the International Entrepreneur Club) or taking time out to study for an MBA (see also MBA Central).

Next week we’ll be taking a look at how to make the most of the XING Jobs section for your career. If you have any questions or would like us to post or any particular topics in future, please feel free to comment below.