I often browse LinkedIn, connecting with people in the industry or with my clients to stay in touch. If I don’t see someone I know on there and inquire about it, I always seem to get a similar response: “Oh, I’ll set one up later. I don’t need one right now, so there’s no point.”
My friend, you are wrong there. You do need one now, and there is a point to it. A LinkedIn profile/account is not something that is built overnight; sure the physical page can be created quickly, but the connections, blog posts, and group affiliations take time to establish. In such an interconnected society, putting yourself on the web and positioning yourself as an established professional creates endless opportunities.
You might see a friend post about an upcoming job that is opening up, or connect with someone powerful in your industry over a mutual friend, and that’s not even going into the recruiting side of things. Recruiters not only search for candidates online, but they will often look candidates up after reviewing their application for a position. Creating a foundation for yourself now is simply being proactive, and ensuring that when the time comes to find a new job, you’ll be well prepared.
It might seem like a lot of work, but do yourself a favor and take some time to establish yourself in a professional manner online. Post a professional profile picture, connect with some friends, join some groups, and if you’re really ambitious, write a post or two! As a precautionary manner, you may want to take down any inappropriate pictures/posts from your other social media outlets as well. If you wouldn’t want a future boss to see it, it probably should not be up on the internet.
For any additional info or specific questions, go to my website at http://www.writestylesonline.com for contact info.