First of all, publish a complete profile, urges Macpherson. Nothing says unprofessional like a LinkedIn profile that's only 50 percent complete. Filling out your entire profile, complete with recommendations from colleagues and an appropriate photo, will improve your search results on the site, says Macpherson.

Second, come up with a under your name. If you don't, LinkedIn will default to your current job title and you'll miss out on an opportunity to brand yourself, says Macpherson. An attention-grabbing headline is key because that headline will follow you around, he adds. If you contribute to various groups on LinkedIn, your headline will show up when you post a comment to a group forum. "If all your headline says is CIO, it doesn't sell you among other CIOs," says Macpherson.

Third, go to town on the summary section of your profile. LinkedIn gives you 2,000 characters so you can sell yourself to prospective employers and recruiters. Use the summary to describe who you are, what you do, and who you can help, he says.

Finally, take advantage of . For example, says Macpherson, you can share PowerPoint presentations you've created or list books you're reading. "If you want to present yourself as a thought-leader, put up some of your presentations, links to articles you've written or recommend, or to videos," he adds. "You can turn a good profile into something really quite dynamic."