7 Reasons Why You Should Be on LinkedIn

What? You’re not on LinkedIn yet? What are you waiting for? These seven reasons outline why you should be on the social networking site.

1. Because That’s Where The People Are. LinkedIn is the number one social network for professionals — and, arguably, the most important website for job seekers — with more than 650 million members worldwide. Not only are people you know already on the site (friends, family, co-workers, colleagues), but so are people you should get to know — recruiters, hiring managers, and your future co-workers.

2. To “Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty.” In his book of the same name, author Harvey Mackay advocates building your network before you need it — and joining LinkedIn now gives you time to build your network of connections.

3. To Strengthen Your Offline Network. LinkedIn helps you keep track of people you know “in real life” — what they are doing, where they work now, and who they know.

4. To Reconnect With Former Co-Workers. Sometimes it’s hard to stay in touch with the people you used to work with — making it difficult to find them when you need them (say, to use as a reference in your job search). LinkedIn allows you to search contacts by an employer, so anyone who listed that company in their profile can potentially be found in the search.