In 2009 I wrote an ebook on using LinkedIn for personal branding and executive job search.

I did a minor update in 2010. Not too much had changed.

But after all this time, a major revamp was needed.

It is now called “Smart Personal Branding with LinkedIn – How to Use LinkedIn to Build Your Personal Brand and Land a New Job Faster!”

As always, the ebook is FREE and you’ll also receive my popular weekly newsletter with job search tips and strategies.

Just click on this link, sign up and you’ll get the ebook. (The link will take you to the Executive Career Brand site.)

8 Reasons LinkedIn Is a Job Search Must

1. Your branded LinkedIn profile helps position your promise of value to your target employers, advance your thought leadership, and expand your brand community.

2. Recruiters have embraced LinkedIn as their #1 tool for referrals, candidate research and sourcing, and for publishing job openings. That makes LinkedIn one of the best places to be found online by recruiters and hiring decision makers.

3. LinkedIn constantly adds new features and tools to help you advance your job search and career.

4. Networking to uncover leads and stay top-of mind with people who can help you are the best ways to land your next great gig. LinkedIn is the most important place for professional social networking.

5. Many of the people competing for the jobs you want, with the employers you’re targeting, are using LinkedIn to be found and network their way into these jobs. Just to keep pace with them, you need to do the same.

6. Having a strong, fully fleshed out, keyword-rich LinkedIn profile boosts high-quality search results for “your name”. When hiring professionals do a Google search on “your name” to assess you (a standard practice), your LinkedIn profile will likely show up within the first 3 search results.

7. Having a strong LinkedIn profile indicates that you’re social media savvy and up-to-date with the new world of work. NOT having a strong LinkedIn profile can actually be detrimental to your job search.

8. Your LinkedIn profile provides critical “social proof” corroborating the claims you’ve made about yourself on paper (resume, biography, cover letters, etc.).

Which LinkedIn Sections to Use

In the ebook, I’ve included each of the LinkedIn profile sections available to you – from the top of your profile down to the bottom – and tips on how to best make use of each one:

• Professional headline
• Headshot
• Public Profile URL
• Contact information
• Summary
• Articles & Activity
• Experience
• Education
• Skills & Endorsements
• Recommendations
• LinkedIn Groups

You should fully populate ANY and ALL sections that apply to you.

Packed full of juicy tidbits, my updated ebook will help you understand:

• How to write and strategically position the right kind of content for your LinkedIn profile. You’ll start by defining your personal brand, and then write compelling content that will resonate with your target employers.
• How to build out and brand your LinkedIn profile using the various sections.
• Why keywords are so important and how to incorporate them into your LinkedIn profile.

And, once you complete your profile – fully populating all applicable profile sections with keyword-rich and brand-reinforcing content . . .

My ebook will also help you:

• Understand why LinkedIn Groups are important, and how to choose the right ones and use them wisely.
• Position the content to your best advantage “above the fold”, or high on the web page, where humans and search engines pay the most attention.
• Leverage Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to boost the number of profile views you see. The more views you get, the more potential leads you may receive.
• Use LinkedIn to research your industry and target employers. When you know how you can help them with their current pressing needs, you’ll have a better handle on how to present yourself in your LinkedIn profile content to attract them.
• Keep your job search undercover, as you use LinkedIn. Although there’s no guarantee that you can keep your search entirely under wraps, there are ways you can minimize that risk.

Just one helpful tip from the ebook regarding how many connections you should have:

“Opinions differ on whether it’s more important to amass a lot of connections or concentrate on building fewer high quality connections. That’s up to you, but be aware that the more connections you have, the wider you’ve cast your net for opportunities. And note that having at least 500 connections will boost your ranking in LinkedIn search, making you more findable.”

It won’t take you very long to read this ebook, but you’ll find yourself going back to it again and again, as you navigate your job search . . . and beyond, as you use LinkedIn for career management and ongoing networking.

You may also be interested in my 2 other personal branding and executive job search guides.

I updated both of these ebooks this year, too:

23 Ways You Sabotage Your Executive Job Search and How Your Brand Will Help You Land . . . A practical guide to executive branding, marketing your ROI and navigating the new world of job search

20 Little-Known, Insider Tips to Accelerate Your Executive Job Search.

More About LinkedIn and Executive Job Search

Essential Checklist to Optimize LinkedIn For Executive Job Search

5 Nifty LinkedIn Hacks That Make Executive Job Search Easier

How To Exploit the New LinkedIn for Best SEO

LinkedIn Hashtags: A New Personal Brand-Building Tactic

How to Network Into the Goldmine of Hidden Executive Jobs

Executive Job Search and Personal Branding Help

Need help with personal branding, your LinkedIn profile, resume and biography, and getting your executive job search on track . . . to land a great-fit new gig?

Take a look at the services I offer, how my process works and what differentiates my value-offer . . . then get in touch with me and we’ll get the ball rolling.