Monday, September 19, 2005

The true opportunity that LinkedIn presents

LinkedIn is supposed to be a tool for individual empowerment, enabling people to network sincerely in order to help one another.

Unfortunately, so many people use it purely for marketing purposes, in the same way that a company would use a website to promote itself.

There's nothing wrong with that, of course. However, I believe the true opportunity lies in establishing our authentic identity and communicating who we truly are.

Ironically, when you communicate who you truly are and what you really do best, you stand out. You convince. You sell.

It's what I call the Unique Professional Value, or UPV. Your UPV is what you offer to employers and clients. It is the MAIN REASON why they should hire you.