1. Learn about social networking and get active - If you aren`t on LinkedIn, Facebook AND Twitter sign up now.

2. Go regularly to things you like and meet people. Everywhere you go, make an effort to introduce yourself to at least one new person and find out what they do for a living.

3. Be a joiner – get involved with every networking club and association in your field and be active. Participate in meetings and get yourself noticed by other members of the group.

4. Invite people to break bread – whether you are reaching out to an industry leader or you take a colleague out for coffee, connecting with people over food is always much easier. For more on this check out Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi.

5. Find the rockstars in your network and love them – get some big fish to notice you and watch how quickly your network will grow.

6. Be an asset to others – make yourself valuable to others by listening what they have to say and helping them out to the best of your ability.

7. Practice your elevator speech – figure out the best way to sell yourself without selling yourself and bundle it up in a twenty second presentation.

8. Stay connected – Keep in touch on a regular basis with people you like, respect, and trust even if you don`t see any short term gain.

9. Say Thanks – Send a thank you note for anything that someone in your network does for you.

10. Be genuine – don`t overpromise and don`t lie to people. It will get you nowhere fast.

11. Be the life of the party – Introduce members of your network to each other. It`s the easiest way to increase your value as a contact.

12. Write stuff down – Keep track of who you contact and what the conversation was about.

I gathered these from peers and subject matter experts but please feel free to share with the group if you have some other ones.

Whether as a recruiter or a job seeker, or simply an avid networker, there is quite a bit of merit to using LinkedIn (32 million users and growing) . Every user has joined with the understanding of the value of networking for business relationships. Quite simply it’s a game changer – a disruptive technology that has changed the way people recruit, are recruited, and search for jobs.

Just as in “real life” networking, virtual networking is completely dependent on your visibility to others who are worth connecting to. No one will use your services if they don’t know you exist, and you cannot ultimately see the people in your network if you are not connected to them. In other words – on LinkedIn – size of your network DOES matter. Big network = greater possibility of success.

So, what does this mean for you? Grow your network, unconditionally. Personally, I add anywhere from 50 – 100 people to my LinkedIn network weekly. Remember, the LinkedIn User Agreement stipulates that you only add people to your network that you know. As a result, I cannot condone or recommend that you invite people to your network that you don’t know.

This is a list of some easy ways to increase the size and visibility of your profile within your desired network.

1. Create A Detailed Profile – Remember, your profile is searchable via Google. A detailed profile will allow for people that were looking for you or people like you, to find you more effectively. Be sure to use keywords that best represent your skill-set and experiences.

2. Select A “FULL” Public Profile – That way everyone can see you via a search engine. Adjust your account settings accordingly.

3. Accept all LinkedIn Invitations – This includes people you know or don’t know. You may not think that you need to be connected to a Technical Analyst in India, but, you don’t know who s/he is connected to, you may need their contacts one day.

4. Add All Of Your Contacts – LinkedIn allows you to import your contacts from a number of email and address book programs. USE THIS FEATURE! Invite your friends/colleagues/acquaintances.

5. Join Groups – Make sure they reflect your professional goals. The “People” search function also allows you to see members of the groups you join. You are allowed to be a member of 50 groups, so join 50 groups. This is the fastest way to grow your network, exponentially.

6. Join The Largest Group you Can Find – More members, means more people in your own network. “GroupLinked” is a great example!

7. Become a LinkedIn LION – This is a group of “LinkedIn Open Networkers”. They are a group of users that agree to either accept all invitations, OR if they do not accept, they will at least NOT hit the infamous “I don’t know” button on your invitation. To join go to The Lion’s Lair and follow the instructions. There is a list of all the LIONs on this site that you can upload to your contacts. Then, once you do that, join the LinkedIn Group “LIONs” managed and owned by John L evans. There are over 15,000 members in this group.

8. Join TopLinked.com – TopLinked is another open networker group. This group lists the LinkedIn users based on the size of their network. Ron Bates is the most connected user on LinkedIn he is listed at the top of this list with over 44,000 1st contacts. Connect to him, and your network will increase by the millions, in one shot. He is an open networker and accepts all invitations. Even President Obama is listed!

9. Tell Your Friends – Ask everyone you know to join your LinkedIn group. Add your profile to your email signature, with an invitation to connect on LinkedIn, put your LinkedIn url on your business or call card.

10. Connect To Me – I am no Ron Bates, but I do accept all LinkedIn invitations.

So remember, how you grow your network is up to you so pick and choose the tips that you feel best fit your own goals. Los, if you try to add too many people that choose the “I Don’t Know” button on your LinkedIn invitation your account may be limited, suspended or even removed…So tread carefully!

LinkedIn is possibly the greatest networking tool to assist candidates in a job search. Creating a solid network of industry peers will work in your favor quicker than handing out resumes and searching job boards. The reason is simple, LinkedIn is designed to network and help professionals find other related professionals to interact, hire, and use as a resource.

I’ve put together what I feel are the right steps to take to build a successful network via LinkedIn:

1. Find the top 3 industries you feel you could best leverage your experience in (we can talk about the “why” later)
2. Find the “Top 50 Employers in Canada” or if you’re in the US, money.cnn.com and Fortune have similar lists for each industry, or find the best 2-4 companies in each of the 3 industries that you find in section a. using the top 35 list, and other sources.
3. Using LinkedIn, identify everyone in the network that you feel have important roles at each of these companies…and connect/interact with them. Call them directly, or send them an email. Talk to them, let them know what you are doing, and listen to what they have to say. If you are new to an industry, talk to Industry experts, and really listen to their insight…And after 10-15 minutes of listening. Ask them “Do you know anyone that would be interested in someone with my skill sets? Or that I could network with to help identify potential opportunities?”

Hopefully, this will give you a new solid list to work from as you begin your job search effort. Also, feel free to go through my network and if there is anyone you need help connecting with use me as a reference.