Blonde MBADocumenting the life of a blonde MBA student in sunny California. Maybe some blondes DO have brains!

I’ve talked here before about the increase in my Facebook usage since joining the MBA program…just about every student is on Facebook or multiple social networks, and it is changing the way we interact (i.e. catching up with purposely forgotten classmates over a Facebook-planned 10-year HS reunion). NOW it is changing how we get a job…

Personal marketing has gone 2.0 with LinkedIn. I attended a workshop last week on using this professional social network, and learned the surprising statistic that more than 30,000 recruiters troll this network for job leads. While we can put crazy or incriminating pictures out on our Facebook, how we present ourselves in the LinkedIn setting is crucial for creating the right impression or “brand image” of ourself for potential employers as well as the professional network we have built via our “online rolodex.”

How do we do brand ourself then? We already brand ourself in the “real-world” in various ways, and  many of these be transferred directly AND improved on in our virtual world:

• From a resume & cover letter…to a complete profile
• From the 30-second elevator  pitch…to a 6-word headline
• From a business card exchange…to a reach extending way BEYOND six-degrees of separation
• From a pre-selected private recommendation…to an ongoing catalog of public recommendations
• From positive (but undocumented) peer respect…to a ranking of “expert opinion” based on votes for your answer to a LinkedIn question
• And finally…from pre-interview company research…to researching current & former employees (or the new hire that took the position you applied for)

While obviously your 2.0 brand is of increasing and necessary importance and LinkedIn has a number of great  tools that can propel you and your name farther than ever before, proponents all agree: LinkedIn (or any social network for that matter) is NOT a substitute for human interaction. To get your online rolodex, you have to network - in person.  To get a hold of someone important and convey your voice, you have to pick up a phone.  LinkedIn is just one part of your overall brand strategy!