LinkedIn - You're either there, or you don't exist.
A dear, longtime pal of me had a great job. She was a senior auditor for a massive, global corporation. She travelled the globe for her work and made huge, important financial decisions that directly impacted the company's financial health.
She wasn't looking for a new job, at all.
That dear, longtime pal, however, was always smart enough to keep her LinkedIn profile current, and her connections up-to-date on what she was up to with her job.
Guess what happened a few weeks ago?
Her commitment to LinkedIn paid off, massively ... and quite unexpectedly.
She was approached by an incredibly cool company in the pet industry (she's a huge dog lover), for a financial leadership role. This one didn't involve as much travel, but as a new mom, she was more than happy about that.
And so guess what?
My dear, longtime pal has a great new job, courtesy of someone finding her on LinkedIn.
The moral of this story?
LinkedIn is absolutely not just for professionals actively working to find jobs. Certainly, it can be incredibly beneficial for this purpose, but LinkedIn is a vital resource for all professionals, throughout your career.
We are at the spot in which, if you're not showing up on LinkedIn? As a professional, you very nearly don't exist.
That's right. You don't exist.
More than 90% of recruiters are using LinkedIn every day to find talent, some of them ONLY use LinkedIn. This means that, if you're not there? You don't appear in their searches.
And then guess who gets that dream job for which you were perfectly suited?
Mmm hmm. Her name is: Not You.
You've got to be there. You've got to align your profile to the types of roles you'd like to be contacted about. And you've got to participate, throughout your career.
Like it or not, technology platforms that enable us to better engage us with others -- both socially and professionally -- are here to stay. It's time to make the most of them, both through job search and beyond.
Need some help?
If you don't know how the heck to set up your profile or use LinkedIn to your best advantage, be sure and check out our brand new Ridiculously Awesome LinkedIn Kit.
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