With the almost sudden emergence of the social media playground and the immediate need for everyone to join as many as they can as quickly as possible, it is often a common mistake to overlook some of the most important social networks and their features.

Most ‘power users’ of the internet have a profile on all the major social networks and have reserved their own personal URL. The average user does not realize the potential and the impact that the web will have on important professional changes. I highly recommend reconsidering your internet presence. Is it just a dumb MySpace page and an empty Twitter account? Before you do anything else, visit Go Daddy or any other major domain/hosting provider and reserve (if available) your own personal URL, starting with your first and last name (.com). Next, head over to LinkedIn.

If you haven’t set up a LinkedIn profile yet, do so now. LinkedIn is a place where you can connect professionally with those you have associated with. It takes all the games, silly photo books and other unnecessary and unprofessional stuff out of the picture and provides a place to really build on your professional network. This is important on a number of levels, but above all, it’s fast becoming the first place employers turn to for job postings and the most trusted source for resume submissions. So, whether you’re looking for a job or not, LinkedIn is an important piece of your personal online puzzle. Treat LinkedIn like a professional portfolio, your resume online and visible to a huge network of other professionals.

Here are some important tips for first-time or experienced LinkedIn users to help you get on your way.

1. Complete your profile – LinkedIn offers a helpful ‘progress bar’ as you settle in to point you in the right direction. Focus on the important stuff like adding a full work history, importing contacts, adding education, listing awards, and one of the most common areas left unaddressed… adding a photo. Most companies and schools are available in a pick list within LinkedIn that helps you automatically connect with others with the same credentials. Finally, be sure to add a summary. This is like your cover letter and should detail important achievements and qualifications that help you stand out from the rest.
2. Add the professional experience in detail – Your experience is vital to a complete LinkedIn profile. Treat this like a resume and keep it brief, but be sure to list any highlights or notable tasks you were responsible for. Also, be sure to try to keep the dates you were employed as accurate as possible for each of the companies you worked with.
3. Join groups – Groups are a fun way to connect with other people who share similar interests. Adding groups adds credibility to your profile and shows viewers at a glance what interests you most. Contributing by adding conversations or commenting on other conversations helps build your visibility within these groups. Proactive groups host local meetups with highly informative speakers that also allow you to network with other like-minded professionals.
4. Link to Twitter account – This is a fact. LinkedIn asks you to do this in various places and at different times during your profile setup. This will allow you to easily connect a Twitter account that will work as an automatic status updater for Twitter and LinkedIn profiles. Once linked, you won’t have to visit both sites individually to post status updates; if you post something on Twitter, it will carry over.
5. Get recommendations – Being recommended is one of the most important and beneficial features of LinkedIn. As I said earlier, LinkedIn is becoming the source companies go to first when posting job availability and its trustworthiness to job seekers through the service is better than if you simply sent a resume in person. LinkedIn adds credibility through recommendations endorsed by real people, because while anyone can add fake recommendations to a printed resume, LinkedIn recommendations are written by real people who can be reached by potential employers.

There you have it, 5 simple tips to help you get started or restart your LinkedIn profile. Be sure to keep your LinkedIn profile public so that it appears in searches. Unless you are hiding something, keep it public. Good luck!