At the end of the day, decisions on where we want to work, and who we want to work with, often come down to the people involved in that equation. Connection matters. Luckily there are great social tools out there to make connecting easy.

Successful hiring managers understand the value of having a great LinkedIn profile. It’s one the easiest ways to indirectly market who you are to candidates, and facilitate different ways to connect. It’s also the first thing a candidate checks when evaluating opportunities. They want to know who they will be working for – where you’ve worked in the past, what you’ve done, and where you went to school.

So, hiring managers – take the time to review and update your own profile when you’re in the market for talent. Make it relevant. Use it as an opportunity to market yourself, to facilitate the all-important connection between the principal parties in the relationship you are about to develop.

Oh yeah, don’t be an empty chair – have a profile picture! Empty never makes a good first impression…