We spend a lot of time on this site talking about how to market your company, your products, your services. But we don’t spend nearly enough time talking about how to market yourself.

Luckily, a lot of the same tips for marketing other things apply when marketing yourself. You still want to stand out from the crowd. You still want to highlight the value. You can still use the same communication channels.

One great way to market yourself is LinkedIn.

If you’re in the business world and you don’t have at least a basic LinkedIn profile, you’re falling behind. When you need (or want) a new job, that’s not the time to get started on LinkedIn. The time is now.

Everyone should have a profile with a recent photo, a list of past employment with key achievements highlighted, and a basic description that tells people what you do and why. Your LinkedIn profile should be able to stand in for your resume.

Once you have the basic profile down, it’s time to start making connections and filling up your recommendations. Your connections on LinkedIn are encourage to add recommendations for you based on certain skills you possess (like SEO or Social Media). Not everyone will value those recommendations, but some will.

Connections alone will open up new opportunities. You may find out you know someone who works at a company you’re applying to. You may learn about open positions through your LinkedIn network.

Any time you are being considered for a job, your LinkedIn profile will get viewed. So make sure it’s up to date and includes everything recruiters and hiring managers want to know about you.