Why I love LinkedIn (and why you should, too!)

Why I love LinkedIn (and why you should, too!) An executive LinkedIn profile can help you stand out. LinkedIn is my favorite networking tool. It is the largest professional networking site with 300 million users. It helps open doors and uncover opportunities on a broad spectrum while building contacts and relationships. I am constantly asking clients, Have you joined LinkedIn yet? or Have you beefed up that LinkedIn profile yet? or If you dont have the time, let me know and Ill do it for you just make sure you do it! By now you can probably sense my passion about the site. Ive only lately become overzealous about LinkedIn because of some very useful information Ive heard at conferences AND because of the success my clients have had with it. Did you know that some employers are hiring directly from within LinkedIn? Some are also posting their job openings ONLY on LinkedIn. This is a big deal especially since the majority of these companies are huge. LinkedIn also has other benefits: 1) Unlimited amount of exposure and visibility of you and your business. Connect with as many people as you can. If you are job searching this is a great way to network. Once you start connecting, you become visible on other peoples pages, increasing the chances of getting to the top of a page when people are looking for someone to hire. 2) Use your LinkedIn profile to research companies you would like to work for. Go to the Companies tab and type in the name of a company you are interested in.   Check and see if they are hiring and inquire! 3) Boost your Search Engine results. If you are a business owner, we all know its all about Search Engine Optimization. The great news about LinkedIn is that it allows search engines to index your profile information. Adding your LinkedIn link to your signature line while posting to other sites further strengthens your visibility to the search engines. This is just a quick version of how LinkedIn can help job seekers and professionals. Create your profile and see for yourself.