Congratulations!  You got an account on LinkedIn.  To sort of post your old resume – and maybe connect with a few friends.  Check in every week or so.

You’re not looking for a job, so it’s just not on the radar.

Here’s a news flash:  You’re missing out.

You are looking for a job. Everyone is, even if they’re gainfully employed right now.

Companies downsize at the drop of a hat these days. Nobody’s immune, so it’s pretty much imperative to keep your profile current and complete, to be growing your contact list, to be watching industry news and researching opportunities.

If you’re not connectable online, that’s bad. But if your online presence is shoddy, that’s worse.

LinkedIn is now the largest business network in the world.

When you joined LinkedIn, you automatically became part of a 150 million-member professional business networking community.  The largest in the world.  So what are you doing about that?

Not only do you have access to employers around the world, but the B2B leads and partnering potential is astounding – as long as you cultivate your LinkedIn presence and stay focused on your objective.

And let’s face it: Your objective is to make money.

If you own a business, your well-focused LinkedIn profile lets you connect with your ideal customers and partners in only a few keystrokes and clicks a day.

LinkedIn also makes it easy for you to:

  • Keep up-to-the-minute with industry news and trends
  • Show off your particular expertise
  • Find great professional referrals
  • Promote your events
  • Recommend people to others (which has a funny way of coming back to benefit you)
  • Get hired for jobs you weren’t even looking for

I am continually amazed at LinkedIn’s unique ability to connect me with so many like-minded professionals.  Again and again, these connections prove invaluable, and they increase exponentially the more I’m involved.  Plus, LinkedIn provides an ever-growing number of networking tools that allow me to engage others in conversation.

LinkedIn is NOT Fancy-Suit Facebook

A big extra bonus of Linked in is that you can ask for – and quickly receive – great advice and info from bona fide industry experts in a matter of minutes, simply by posting a question in the “Answers” section.  And if you’re an expert in a particular field, it’s especially beneficial to give great advice when you can; I’ve been hired many times after I answered questions.

Ever since I completed my LinkedIn profile, made it SEO-friendly, grew my connection list and engaged in industry Q&A, I’ve gotten many consultancies and outright job offers – even though I’m not even looking.

This proves to me that as long as I remain an involved and professionally-presented LinkedIn member, I’ll  never have to worry about finding a new job if something unforeseen suddenly happens.

Facebook can’t do that. Not even close.

Whether you’re an employee, a marketing or sales professional, a job seeker, recruiter, entrepreneur or business owner, your own personal gold mine is right in front of you. Right now.

Next time I’ll detail how to create a LinkedIn profile that works hard for you.

About the author 

Ted Prodromou

Would you like me to help you?

I'm the #1 best-selling author of Ultimate Guide to LinkedIn for Business and Ultimate Guide to Twitter for Business. People call me America's Leading LinkedIn Coach.

I'm the founder of Search Marketing Simplified, LLC, a full service online marketing agency. The SMS team designs and implements advanced LinkedIn and social media lead-generation strategies for small to medium-sized businesses. SMS will set up and manage your marketing funnels using organic, social and paid traffic.

Did you know I've been working with the internet since 1991, long before Al Gore invented it?

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