You’ve heard about LinkedIn. You have a skeleton of a profile and a few contacts…now why isn’t your phone ringing off the hook?
It isn’t that simple. Your LinkedIn profile needs to have quality content. It needs to convey a message about you. Invest the time to make your profile 100% complete. There have been some great articles on how to do this. Please don’t make excuses or say you don’t know how.
Here is two explanations of HOW to complete your profile:
Make Sure Your LinkedIn Profile is 100% Complete from BrandYourself.com
Leverage LinkedIn for Personal Branding and Targeted Executive Job Search by Meg Guiseppi.
Once you have your profile complete, begin to use LinkedIn. There is no greater teacher than experience.
If you don’t think you need LinkedIn, you should read this post about how to be found using LinkedIn:
How to Be Found By Recruiters On LinkedIn by Marci Reynolds from Job-Hunt.org
7 Ways to Get More Out of LinkedIn by Sharlyn Lauby from Mashable
Please, don’t just stop here. Begin to really USE LinkedIn. Consider it your networking rolodex or address book. It will keep track of all the great people you meet as you go through your career. And there is no need to update your contacts information, no more bounced emails or disconnected phone numbers. It is done by them when they change jobs. It is an virtual contact list that never gets outdated!
LinkedIn is not a fad, it is not a toy, it is an investment in your future. Learn it and use it to your advantage.
Hannah Morgan speaks and writes about job search and career strategies. She founded CareerSherpa.net to educate professionals on how to maneuver through today’s job search process. Hannah was nominated as a LinkedIn Top Voice in Job Search and Careers and is a regular contributor to US News & World Report. She has been quoted by media outlets, including Forbes, USA Today, Money Magazine, Huffington Post, as well as many other publications. She is also author of The Infographic Resume and co-author of Social Networking for Business Success.
