I'd NEVER hire this guy!

Anyone who’s in sales has probably encountered Navigator.

This LinkedIn tool allows subscribers to find sales leads by geography, job title, company size, etc.

Recently, research on Navigator introduced me to “John Jones. Unemployed. Looking for a job so hire me.”

Many LinkedIn users post “Searching for new opportunity” headlines, so I’m not repelled by his being unemployed.

But the headline should provide compelling reasons for someone to choose you. The mere fact that you’re looking for a job or client isn’t enough…even in a tight job market.

Making Mr. Jones’ message worse was his unemployment’s six-year duration.

This gent is listed as a construction professional, but has zero contacts, no job experience listed, and no photo.

I’m suspecting he’s having a little fun to see if anyone will respond.

Marketed as the world's largest professional network with over 530,000,000 users in 200+ countries and territories, LinkedIn has become the overwhelming favorite for professional networking and job recruiting.

Anyone serious about growing their personal or professional bottom line needs a substantial presence there. To provide a legitimate image, your profile must incorporate the following:

·        A professional profile photo (not a selfie or group picture)

·        A concise, impactful profile headline

·        A well-written summary

·        A well-constructed list of professional experience

·        A well-developed skills/endorsements section

·        Recommendations from customers, peers and colleagues

·        Involvement in industry LinkedIn groups

·        Education appropriate to your industry

·        Results demonstrating your industry prowess

·        Written works appropriate to your audience

It’s this last item that ties everything together. It supplements your online footprint, demonstrating your understanding of online presence.

To maximize that presence, comment professionally on items, recommend articles for others to read, and provide motivational quotes.

And remember: if I publicly LIKE your article or quotation, my entire network will be exposed to it as well.

Making my audience of 4000+ a potential audience for your materials, and me the gatekeeper. Get past me and they’ll see your story, photo and headline.

Whatever you sell, LinkedIn is now THE way to market it to millions of professionals worldwide. And while they’ll let you advertise or do direct marketing, the most personalized communications effort you can utilize is building an informative professional profile and regularly reaching out to the larger community to remind them you’re there.

With that said, I wish you a week of profitable marketing.

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Learn to present yourself more effectively at www.marketbuilding.com.