LinkedIn is a social network that really doesn’t get the attention that it deserves, especially when it comes time to get hired. A lot of recruiters and human resource departments rely heavily on Linkedin, particularly when evaluating candidates for a new position. In fact, more and more companies are leaning towards exclusively using Linkedin to post new job listings in hopes of attracting quality candidates. This benefits them because Linkedin offers them a set of special tools along with the opportunity to get all of the data on you that they need from one resource. So, you should definitely pay closer attention to LinkedIn and follow our tips for polishing your profile and making it one that will get the right attention.

Here are a few tips to help you make the most out of your Linkedin profile. By following these, you will be presenting yourself in a professional manner while enabling you to get the notoriety you deserve for the great work you’ve done.

Get Real and Get Focused

Stop with the gimmicks unless you are President or Chief Executive Officer of the well-known company. Stop with the ridiculous titles (like saying you’re the Director of Events when you hand out fliers for a nightclub). When it comes to a job title, it is most important to recruiters that they find somebody in a similar role so that they can contribute immediately. So since you’ll probably be applying to a variety of jobs that may have different titles, you should focus less on what your called and more on what you do. For instance, somebody who helps build an audience and website traffic is a much stronger sell than a promotion associate. Be confident in your abilities and show what you can do rather than just what you are called.

It’s About Quality, Not Quantity

Building a real network for making connections on LinkedIn shouldn’t be done by just randomly adding anybody that’s requested to connect. Rather, the best approach would be to start through your e-mail database and your current/past co-workers. This will build quality contacts who know you deeper than the snapshot on your profile page. In addition, join any groups that are related to your career path and start participating in discussions. The answers tab is a very good way to ask and answer questions that will help to build a name for yourself within your industry. By doing this you’ll be building long-lasting relationships and will put yourself at the top of the list when somebody hears of a new opening at their company.

Show Off, But in a Humble Way

Create a showcase for portfolio for your career and link to that from your profile. By adding your professional Twitter feed, your career blog, or links to projects that you’re most proud of, you’ll give recruiters more ways to see that you’re the perfect hire. Also, try to seek out at least 10 recommendations from current and past colleagues, clients, or anybody you’ve worked with that will help a fresh perspective on you and your quality of work. This will really give outsiders insight of how valuable of an employee you are.

You should definitely note that if your Twitter feed is non-professional or your blog is not related to career, you’re better off not posting it. If you have no webpage or presence on Google to show off, then sign up to get a free account at about.me. This way, you at least have a landing page with how to contact you and what you’re all about. It’s a minimalist page and is almost like a digital business card.

Get Personal

When networking or searching for some top dogs as your connections, it’s very important that you personalize your request. Mention a recent conversation or recent work of the person you are requesting to connect with and really show that you would value their willingness to accept your request. You want to show respect to earn respect rather than sending the general quest and showing that you didn’t even have five seconds to make it personal.

Following these tips will give you a strong and professional presence on Linkedin. We highly recommend you follow them to build a professional network and leads for new opportunities that could get you more money and more responsibility. Never forget, though – money doesn’t buy happiness. It may be a means to get there, but it is not the destination.