Are you LinkedIn?

LinkedIn has proven to be a powerful tool in the workplace. It provides professionals the opportunity to showcase their credentials to future employers as well as interact and make connections with other professionals. Just as it is important to be thorough and consistent in your work, it is also important to portray yourself as such on you LinkedIn, as it is the primary medium that your colleagues will go to in order to find out more about you. In an article for Ragan.com, Pete Cordella touched upon a few basics on getting your LinkedIn profile noticed for all the right reasons:

• Complete your personal profile-There's nothing more debilitating to your LinkedIn presence as having an incomplete profile. Filling out all of your information allows others to see where you have been as well as what your qualifications are for future reference.
  
• Join groups- Great minds think alike. By joining groups you will be able to easily connect with people who are in the same boat as you and may be able to help you find your ideal job, as well as collect support for a non-profit.
• Build connections-Be sure to share LinkedIn information after meetings, that way you will build a strong network to rely on when you are in need of a favor or an introduction. One way you can do this is by trading business cards and always entering in that person's information, because you never know when you may need that one connection to push you in the right direction.
• List your company-By making a LinkedIn for your company, you will have the opportunity to provide job opportunitites, contact and social media information, as well as showcase your services for the public to see.
• List your skills-Make it known that you have skills that set you apart from every John Doe in your field. By listing any languages you are fluent in, software that you are literate in, etc. you will create an instant resume for future employers to consult when deciding whether or not to pick you as a member of their team.

Consider these tips. Have you dusted off your LinkedIn lately? If not, try some of the pointers above, you may be surprised by the number of opportunities that come your way.