LinkedIn and the Permanent Campaign

As I like to say, being visible is critical; they can't hire you if they don't know you exist!  And they're not going to care about you if they don't know how you can help them!

Here's Lisa CHAU, in her June 11, 2012 article in www.usnews.com:

In a rather extreme example, Dorie Clark warns in It's Not a Job Search, It's a Permanent Campaign, published by Harvard Business Review:

"If you're invisible, you're probably a fraud. Resumes and even clever cover letters will become increasingly meaningless when employers are looking not for words, but for demonstrated knowledge and results. If you've got a strong online personal brand, you're in. And if you don't? One firm I consulted for almost didn't hire a qualified senior executive because—lacking almost any online presence—they strongly suspected he had fabricated his background. He hadn't, but the elaborate process of verifying his story nearly cost him the job."

 In Forbes, Josh Bersin reports in LinkedIn's Growth Continues: Fueling the Corporate Talent Machine that LinkedIn's "hiring solutions" business accounts for $102.6 million or 54 percent of company revenue, which were up 101 percent this quarter. In the corporate recruiting market, LinkedIn's revenues overshadow those of its rivals: SuccessFactors, which SAP just acquired for $3.4 billion; Taleo, which Oracle just acquired for $1.9 Billion; and Kenexa.

LinkedIn has become the new standard in corporate recruiting, and in this economy it's a buyer's market. Social media usage will continue to integrate itself into personal and professional lives. Rather than avoid it, we must adapt to it.  (My emphasis.)

Who you are professionally, what you've done, how you've contributed to the success of current and past employers and clients, all make you compellingly attractive to potential employers and clients.  You need to be visible, to be seen and heard, and then set yourself apart from your competition to let your specific world know what you can do for them!

What do your customers, clients and/or employers value most about your skills, talents and services?  Those whom you've assisted professionally can become your marketers, your references, your fan club, when you post their evaluations of your work on LinkedIn.  

Is your knowledge of your field, industry or profession up-to-the-minute?  Demonstrate just how sharp you are by posting updates on your home page, joining in professional discussions in your groups, and answering questions related to your industry.

Become a known quantity, a "thought leader," a pundit, a specialist, an expert, an authority.  And be visible, so that customers, clients and employers can beat a path to your door!