Optimize Networking Opportunities

If you've got it, flaunt it. That's the new rule of thumb for professionals who hope to stand out in a vast population of job seekers inhabiting ever-increasing social media venues or who just want to be proactive in their field.

You can burn a brand into your virtual rump that says "quality." Fortunately, no hot metal irons are required; some thoughtful communication and care in presentation will help distinguish you as a candidate worthy of consideration. Use these tips to get started:

• An up-to-date résumé and bio are essential building blocks. Craft your profile page carefully because it is akin to that first impression-and you only get to make one. Keep in mind showing an appropriate sense of personality is a good thing-with "appropriate" being the operative word. This is a professional forum, so smiley faces and "LOL"s have no place. That said, too many profiles read dull as dirt. Try to instill a little conversational tone amidst the jargon. It can set you apart and make you more approachable.
• Include personal logistics. Although LinkedIn reaches an international audience, recruiters often are searching for people in nearby communities. So while you may not want to include an address for the sake of personal security, be sure to include some indication of your whereabouts, like "suburban Philadelphia," or "Montgomery County, PA" or "southeast Pennsylvania," whatever the case may be.
• Offer ease of contact. A telephone number or email address included on your profile page will help break a barrier to communication. If you do not wish to include that sort of personal contact information, then be certain to check your LinkedIn page for messages regularly.
• Recommendations from others may be included on your profile page. Ask contributors to showcase your unique accomplishments, work ethic, teamwork, ability to perform under pressure, detail orientation, deadline sensitivity, and the like. This allows another layer of your capabilities to be demonstrated by people who have experienced your work first-hand. Good word-of-mouth is still invaluable.
• Consistently update. Professionally, you will have better skills tomorrow than you have today. Every week, every month, you grow in your experience and capabilities. It's a good rule of thumb to update your LinkedIn profile several times each year, reflecting your growth and potential. Additionally, post weekly updates on your accomplishments for others to read. Give your page the "life" that comes only with change and progression.
• Make meaningful connections. Join groups that target the people you want to know. Do you belong to the LinkedIn group for ADVANCE for Administrators of the Laboratory? You should. It's a conduit to expanded interactions and that all-important growing list of contacts. When your online connections start to grow, optimize their value. Engage in professional discussions, listen to the opinions of others and follow up with comments. Be proactive in having a voice that is heard. Become a familiar and positive presence on others' screens.
• Be willing to give and take. Help others to whom you are connected with pertinent leads, tips, insights. They will be likely to return the favor. As you share information, so will you build a reputation as a helpful, go-to, online presence.
• Open auxiliary opportunities. For example, maybe you blog about safety in labs. Your LinkedIn page offers an opportunity to connect to your blog, personal website, company website and more. You can shine an extraordinary light onto your professional undertakings, which serves to further delineate your professional self.

Most relationships begin with a shared experience or common interest. And from that seed of commonality, a strong bond can grow. Imagine the branching networking team you could build if your passion for your chosen profession is at the center of new relationships. If you are not harnessing the power of social networks, you are cheating yourself out of an unparalleled professional bully pulpit.

Valerie Neff Newitt is managing editor of ADVANCE.