All right, now that you have a profile on Linkedin.com, you are wondering what to do with it.  I mentioned a cool feature about linking to current and former colleagues based on the fact that you have those companies on your profile.  It also works that way for schools you attended.  Anyone who attends during those same years, Linkedin.com will give you an opportunity to link.  More connections, bigger pool to network with, easier to find a job.  Are you with me?

Some other great Linkedin.com features include Recommendations, Groups and Search.  Let’s take them one at a time.  You should ask current co-workers, manager, etc. to write a recommendation for you.  When hiring managers search, they look for who has a lot of recommendations.  Please remember to be kind and write a recommendation for them too. 

There are several Groups you can join including corporate, alumni, etc.  Join a group or a few groups that are meaningful to you.  It is a great pool in which to network.  After all, the organization that bonds the group together can be very powerful.  I have several groups including my high school, college and a company I used to work for.

The Search feature on Linkedin.com is cool.  You can certainly look for one person or everyone that attended a certain school.  If you go to the People tab and only type in a company name and search, you will find everyone who works for that company.  Many times you will find the director of HR, or the VP of Sales, or a friend that you haven’t talked to in a while.  Regardless, these are people that you need to reach out to.

If you want recruiters calling you about job openings, get a profile on Linkedin.com and start connecting with as many people as you know.  The more the better!