It’s time to get LinkedIn

LinkedIn.com is a professional, online network that boasts about 50 million users. Some are using the popular site as a job-search locator, while others are trying to build their businesses one contact at a time. Although a LinkedIn profile appears to just be your résumé, in reality it’s so much more. Here are my tips on how to make the most of your experience.

How to get started:

1. Establish your profile by copying the contents of your résumé into the various LinkedIn fields.

2. Think about keywords that a recruiter might use to find someone with your expertise, and spread those keywords throughout your profile.

3. Edit your “public profile” to include a custom URL for your brand name, such as linkedin.com/danschawbel.

4. Your headline should position you for the career you want, not the job you have or had. It shouldn’t read “Marketing Associate at XYZ Company.”

5. Get a recommendation from a previous job by giving a recommendation to one of your contacts first, without asking for anything in return.

6. Add three links to Web sites, blogs or profiles that best represent your work professionally, using the full name of each Web site.

7. Join LinkedIn groups and start your own group based on your interests, either professionally or personally.

8. Add the Wordpress or Typepad application to your profile to showcase the last few blog posts you’ve written.

9. Import your contacts from your other social networks and e-mail database so that you have a foundation to build upon.

10. Search for specific jobs on LinkedIn, and try to locate people in your network who can forward introductions for you.

Unlike Facebook and Twitter, which are meant for social communication, LinkedIn is the place to job search because it’s built as a professional network.

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