Yes.

(Well, that was easy...)

If you ask me if you need to be on Facebook or Twitter, I'll say, "It depends." But with VERY few exceptions—you're retiring in less than six months, you're Steve Jobs, you hate all people—you should seriously consider joining LinkedIn.

Why? Well, the simple answer is that professional networking has never been as important as it is today. With unemployment rates expected to remain high for at least the next year or two, a great resume isn't going to do you a whole lot of good if it's buried in a pile of a thousand others.

Think about it. If you were hiring for a job and had already gone through 50 resumes and found 5 that were qualified enough to interview, would you go through another 150 just in case there's that one candidate who's that much better than those others? I wouldn't. But if someone I knew sent me an e-mail saying, "I used to work with this person and she's really great, check out her LinkedIn profile," I'd definitely do that.

Maybe you're wondering why your friend wouldn't just e-mail your resume directly to the hiring manager. Well, he probably would. But if you have a LinkedIn profile as well, I can learn a lot more about you that can weigh in your favor. For example:

• You're taking advantage of as many channels as possible in your job search. That tells me you have initiative.
• You know social media. That tells me you like to learn new things.
• If you have a lot of connections, those are people who are happy to be publicly associated with you professionally. You're liked and respected—I can't get that from your resume.
• I can see what groups and associations you're affiliated with. Maybe you're involved in animal welfare causes, something very close to my heart. I'm not going to hire you for that if it's not related to the job, but it will help make me remember you.

But probably the most important advantage of a LinkedIn profile vs. a resume is that when I see something that interests me—a company you worked for, a tweet you've posted—I can immediately click through and get a better picture of who you really are and what you have to bring to the position. For example, if someone has written a testimonial on your behalf, I'm not just reading what they said, I'm checking out who they are and seeing why their opinion matters. If you've answered questions on topics related to the work you'll be doing for me, I can see that you really know what you're talking about. It's not just "resume-speak."

I'm going to talk about these different LinkedIn features over the next week to show you ways to make the most advantage of them. If you have specific questions about any aspect of the service, let me know and I'll be sure to cover it.

The other question that comes up a lot, not just in terms of online networking but networking in general is, "I'm not looking for a job right now, so why do I need to worry about this?" The answer is that you can't wait until you need a job to start networking. For one thing, it takes a while to build up a strong network. Also, when you're actually looking for a job, you usually have a lot of other things you have to deal with. By having a good network already in your place, you're way ahead of the game.

Here's a great article that Mashable posted recently:

4 Steps for Effective Online Networking

Click to go to Amazon page

Also, one of my friends who writes business articles and books recommends, Dig Your Well Before You're Thirsty, by Harvey Mackay, for more great information about the importance of networking.

Do you have any other resources you'd like to share? Let me know and I'll be happy to post them.

Posted in LinkedIn, My Two Cents, Series, Social Media