Yo! I have been working! When I started this, I was telecommuting which meant I didn’t have to spend two hours commuting each day and could use that time with this. That isn’t the case anymore. They have me earning my money…every red cent of it. No down time, PLUS an hour commuting each day, PLUS the hour it takes me to get dressed. As a result, I have been slacking on writing content that isn’t a result of questions you guys and gals submit. I don’t know when that will change. ?

Question from CW: How important is a LinkedIn profile? I’ve read that half of the users of LinkedIn are recruiters, so in terms of job hunting, that would seem important, but I wonder if you can be just as successful without a Linkedin profile? If it is crucial to have a one, do you have any tips for constructing a profile that would entice recruiters?

Personally, I am a very private person. I barely update my Facebook and have no personal photos displayed at work. The thought of allowing superficial professional acquaintances (and the people in their network) to have access to who I know always bugs me. I feel like if I choose to let someone have access to someone I know, I’d rather introduce him or her personally. I don’t know, maybe that’s just me.

Answer: I hate to break it to you but a LinkedIn Profile is VERY necessary. I get hit up regularly because recruiters did a search and my profile contained the words, software, phrases they were looking for.

Part of successful networking is putting yourself out there. Keeping in touch with former co-workers and bosses is also a part of successful networking. With regard to security, there is functionality that allows you to hide your name…if I recall. There is also functionality that stops sending notifications when you make updates to your profile. You can also use your middle name instead of your first name.

Profiles with pictures appear to get more hits, according to some research I read (can’t find it now). But I bet they don’t consider race. I use a specific picture that isn’t associated with me anywhere EXCEPT for professional purposes. If they reverse image another picture of me, or even if they do a reverse image search on the picture on LinkedIn, it won’t find my profiles for anything but the website I created fo4 professional purposes.