Have you ever applied to a job on LinkedIn only to find yourself amongst hundreds of candidates? Not surprising, since there are roughly 150 to 200 job applicants for EVERY SINGLE JOB. Your chances of beating your competition are 1 in 200, or 0.5%. All in all, your odds of getting the job you are applying for are nearly as grim as being abducted by aliens. Why is that, you ask? Roughly 546 million business professionals participate in LinkedIn right now, and that number keeps growing. Sure, the number of professionals may decrease depending on the industry in which you work. But even observing your own network and the connections of your connections, you likely have millions of people in immediate reach. The numbers are staggering. So the question remains--how you can become the one-in-a-million who knows how to prospect the riches LinkedIn promises? How can you unlock this vast network and direct recruiters' attention to you? Even if you're not actively looking for a new job, it's encouraging to get an unsolicited invitation to an interview based purely on how you've displayed yourself on LinkedIn. The fact remains that to some degree, all users are competing with you for that next best job. We all hope a new opportunity will take us out of our current job and propel us to better-titled and paying employment where the work is challenging, co-workers are exclusively team players and time is spent in productive meetings which bring results. Right? But consider this--just like Google or Amazon, there are powerful search engines at work within LinkedIn that deliver to recruiters a group of best-fitting candidates. Trying to outsmart the search engines with a single strategy is likely impossible. It therefore comes down to patience and knowledge for you to climb up the LinkedIn ranking system so you will receive a steady inflow of opportunities. The good news is that it is absolutely possible to be top-ranked and to receive regular in-mails from recruiters. What's even better is this knowledge is available for anyone. You don't have to be a LinkedIn SEO/SMO expert to beat the system and stand out from the competition. However, it does take some work, diligence and discipline to get there. After reading this book and giving your Profile and Groups time and attention, you'll be prepared to receive contact requests or even an interview. The book will guide you through the different aspects of LinkedIn and offer you food for thought. I encourage you to immediately take action on what most appeals to you and what you think is important to know about you. Once your Profile represents who you really are, recruiters will come to you. Companies will reach out to you and you may find the job of your dreams. It's that simple. Think about it again. Do you know exactly what recruiters are looking for in a candidate? Does the job description reflect everything a candidate must have in their repertoire to be considered? What are the unknowns about the culture of a company and the background of the hiring manager? If you have all the answers, go ahead and apply, for your odds may be slightly increased. Otherwise, STOP applying for jobs where you can't control your chances. Bet on yourself through LinkedIn and truly increase your odds.