LinkedIn is one of the most popular "social networking" sites on the web. In contrast to Facebook, which is more casual, LinkedIn is geared more towards professionals and other business contacts.

(Quick definition of the term "social networking:" a site that lets you set up a list of your friends, and allows all of you to communicate and/or interact in some way. It's a bit like a community bulletin board, except that it adds games, notifications, event planning, and other neat online features.)

How It Works

LinkedIn is free, and guides you through the process, conveniently enough. Just go to their website, type in the name of a company or school you attended, and click the "Join now" button. The site will guide you through everything you need to do.

To take most advantage of LinkedIn, add every company you've worked for and all the schools you've attended. Or, at least, as many as you can. You may be surprised at how many of your former co-workers you'll find.

My LinkedIn profile

Features

Once you're logged in, LinkedIn's homepage will provide you with lots of ways to make use of your network:

My LinkedIn contacts (names and email addresses blurred for privacy)

• You can answer questions asked by others, which increases your reputation, as well as ask your own questions of like-minded peers.
• You can read news articles about your company.
• LinkedIn will display new employees at companies on your resume, and new connections they've made. This lets you easily add peers to your network.
• Job offers are also listed on the site.

One of the biggest advantages of LinkedIn is when you're searching for a job. Not only can you view job offers through LinkedIn, you can ask others in your network to recommend you for a job, thus boosting your chances of getting hired.

Note: Don't wait until you're job hunting to join LinkedIn. The amount of time and effort you put into your friends on LinkedIn will determine how well they'll respond when you ask them for help. You can't get unless you give first.