Why LinkedIn and How LinkedIn?

There is no doubt the most effective networking site for working professionals today is LinkedIn. Should one be able to use it correctly they can not only land their next job but also sustain their future professional growth. While the following discussion is focused on how best to leverage one's presence on LinkedIn, one must be aware that most social networking sites function in similar way and most topics in this article shall apply to other networking sites as well.

When you first join LinkedIn your goals are two-fold: you want to be discoverable by recruiters and you want develop professional connections that help with your job search and perhaps with the more general issues if career management. There are certain steps that can be taken to ensure that one can make the most of the social networking experience:

(a) Register and create a profile, followed by connecting with everyone you know or have worked with in the past.

(b) Expand your network by joining special interest groups that are relevant to your profession and connect with members whose acquaintance could prove mutually beneficial more on the specifics of who to connect with shortly.

(c) Join job search groups for mutual support, exchange of information about openings and tactics.

(d) Increase social media presence, activities and postings relevant to your profession to increase your visibility and attract others to you.

(e) Follow/connect with recruiters, engage with their content to increase perceptibility.

All of the above begins with creating a 'star' profile, making it attractive, putting your best foot forward and making the most of all sections of the profile page and keeping it updated. Lets dive more into the ways to enhance the profile in the next article in the LinkedIn series.