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Ever heard the saying about being in the right place at the right time? Or perhaps the one about it’s not what you know but who you know?

Social media has most definitely taken the modern world by storm and, while some might think it’s all about letting people know what you’re having for dinner, those in the know will have already used it to good effect for career development too.

Put it this way, you know you’re the perfect person for the job, but how do you go about making sure that everyone knows it? Well the social network for professionals could be the best answer to that question.

And, if you’re wanting to know why Linked In is key to developing your career, this is a great way to get yourself seen by the right people in the right places, while saying the right things at the right time. Here’s how to do it…

Firstly, to use Linked In successfully to further your career, make sure you’re selling yourself in the best possible light. This means you can’t just stick a profile up and be done with it. It needs to be fully up to date and sound the best it can – so, begin with a professional, yet approachable tone (sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people put  a profile up in a hurry without giving it much thought).

Show yourself in the most natural, credible and personable way possible. Use key words and key specialist functions that employers will be looking for and make sure you include them in your headline and summary – this way they’re more likely to discover you. If you’re struggling, imagine you’re them – what sort of person would you be searching for?

While only your connections can see your contact details, maybe consider adding a contact into your summary so that everyone who sees you is able to get in touch.

Give examples of why you’re the perfect employee and by doing so, enhance your credibility.  Consider attaching testimonials from people you’ve worked successfully with in the past. Also, you could include professional photographs, videos, industry specific blog posts or presentations – whatever shows that you’re experienced in your field.

After you’ve got an excellent profile set up on Linked In that puts you in the best possible light, it’s time to start growing your network. See if people you know and have worked with before are on there. Do they have any good contacts? Maybe they might introduce you.

Once you’ve begun to make good connections, keep them engaged and increase your visibility at the same time. You can do this by posting industry relevant blog posts, keeping up to date with forums that relate to your field and participating in them, as well as keeping on top of industry trends.

Try and keep your status updated on a daily basis with interesting and relevant content, which shows you are interactive, yet not prone to time wasting.

Finally, if you’ve got something you really want to shout about to get you noticed, take a look at Linked In Pulse – which enables you to publish larger articles to your network, which in turn may well share it with their own networks, giving you even further visibility. Just make sure that the headline is an attention grabber and makes the reader want to read on. Think about what your potential employer might be interested to read about and see if you can grab their attention with appealing and interesting content.

You could also take a look at the Linked In Connected app to grow your business connections even further and keep you updated on important events happening in your network.

When it comes to developing your career and ensuring that the right opportunities come your way, there’s a lot to be said for using Linked In and using it the right way. Set yourself up with a top notch  profile and be active on it for all the right reasons, then it’s time to watch the employers find you. Sounds like a great way to be discovered!