We love to talk about social networking in this space, and today I want to talk about strategies for making the most of this networking. If you are on LinkedIn, you know there is money to be made if you work it correctly. Here are some of the tips I’ve found for optimizing your LinkedIn profile.

1. Don’t create your profile from your resume, create your resume from your profile. You should optimize your LinkedIn page as a professional site that is a sort of landing page for your business or yourself. Then, from that profile, create targeted resume’s are specific to each company you apply to.
2. Include volunteer and freelance work into your profile. This is good because it will show any employer that, while you may not be employed currently, you are keeping your skills up to date. Plus, volunteer work shows that you are a self starter, and don’t have to be micro-managed.
3. Don’t be a connection whore. As crass as that may sound, people who accept any and all connections are going to find that many of those connections aren’t really that helpful. In fact, even if you have a smaller number of connections, you are going to do much better with the people you “know” rather than a connection with someone you just found.
4. Pay it forward. Simply put, you just never know when paying it forward can end up paying you back.

There are many tips, tricks and opinions about using LinkedIn, and many of them are valid. Your main task with LinkedIn is let your personality and skillset shine through. Doing this will ensure that whoever finds you on LinkedIn, will discover the real you. This is great for developing a strong professional relationship from the outset, and that is never a bad thing.