Linkedin for Blue Collar Workers

How I heard about it…• An article was passed along through the RRAF

group… http://www.marketplace.org/topics/tech/linkedin-style-job-network-blue-collar-crowd#.Uk7FhZMFNT0.email

• I checked it out and here is what I learned…

www.workhands.us

• This is the home page• I chose to sign up through Facebook

Welcome page

Welcome Survey

Getting started• Because I chose to sign up through Facebook, some

information was pulled in already• The rest I had to add, starting with my trade• For a few moments, I pretended to be a construction

carpenter…

Next• Add the number of years experience by sliding

the bar• Then enter your zip code

Following this• To fully utilize this site you will want to add connections (just

like Linkedin and Facebook)• This is your chance to do that• You can have it pull in your Facebook friends to choose from

or you can sync your Yahoo or Gmail emails

At this point…

• You have created your profile• Now it is time to learn about it and enhance

what kind of information you are sharing

Things like…

• What kind of equipment do you know how to use (and which do you own)

Also…

Projects

• There is a section called Projects where you can add in more info about a specific project you worked on – you are also supposed to be able to upload photos

• I had trouble with the photos – I couldn’t get it to work (it kept saying wrong file type even though I tried a variety of file types)… probably a glitch that will fix itself

In addition…• Because I signed up through Facebook and I already

had some information about my education in my FB profile, this came in automatically

Furthermore…• My work history also came in from Facebook• You can, of course, edit this or add additional

information at this time

Right now…

• The profile looks like this…

You can even…

• Ask for endorsements (like Linkedin) by email or through Facebook

• I tried the email for endorsement, but it didn’t go anywhere – just kept running… again, could be a glitch that will fix itself

• I didn’t try the Facebook one

This is what the Feed looks like

This is what the Jobs tab looks like• It looks like the jobs pull in from different sites (like Craigslist for example)

but it also look like employers can join and post jobs for free right now• When I clicked on a job to look at it more, it gave the option to apply

(now) or apply externally – I didn’t try this feature fully as I’m sure the poor soul who would have received my “application” would have been a bit confused!

Another shot of the Jobs feed

Cool feature alert! • Download your resume – takes the info in

your Work Hands profile and creates a resume

• If you get a chance to play with it, I’d love to hear how it works for you

• Also, if clients are using it and you get feedback, I’d love to hear that too!

• Again, great find Marney and thanks for sharing it – I think it could be really valuable for the skilled/trades fields!

• Sarah Rach-Sovich, sarahr@rmcep.com