So, just what is thought leadership in the context of a job search? Let’s start with a few sample definitions. RELATED: 7 Ways To Improve Your Failing LinkedIn Strategy The term “thought leadership” was first coined by Joel Kurtzman, then Editor-in-Chief of Booz& Co’s Strategy & Business Magazine. Wikipedia defines a thought leader as “an individual that is recognized as an authority in a specialized field whose expertise is sought and often rewarded.” Daniel Rasmus described thought leadership a little differently in his Fast Company.com article, The Golden Rules for Creating Thoughtful Thought Leadership, “Thought leadership should be an entry point to a relationship. It should help start a relationship where none exists, and it should enhance existing relationships.” Michael Brenner noted in his LinkedIn post, “What is Thought Leadership? Why You Need It. And Steps to Get it Right,” that “thought leadership is about becoming an authority on relevant topics by delivering the answers to the biggest questions on the minds of your target audience.” Brenner raises a good point in that demonstrating thought leadership is ultimately about answering relevant questions. Which leads me to the reasons why thought leadership is worthy of a job seeker’s time – because demonstrating your expertise on key issues in your industry can help attract recruiters and hiring executives to your candidacy. Think about it this way. If your candidacy is the proverbial needle in a haystack, then to get the attention of recruiters and hiring executives you need to somehow clone yourself to make it easier for them to discover you. Thought leadership is the perfect solution. Done right, this strategy helps your target market to find you, to get to know you, and to validate your knowledge when compared to other candidates. That’s no small thing in a market in which there are three unemployed persons for every job opening and 250 applicants for every corporate job posting (for the full infographic see CareerEnlightenment.com). Okay, so maybe you understand why thought leadership is important for job seekers to consider. But why is it important to do so on LinkedIn? Well, if that’s the #1 place where recruiters and hiring executives are looking for candidates (and it is), then it makes sense to focus your initial thought leadership efforts on LinkedIn. Don’t limit yourself to this social media site, however; consider adding Twitter and other valuable sites such as Quora as your comfort level with thought leadership grows. Before we review the key ways to build thought leadership on LinkedIn, I’d like to reference some key points Brenner made in the article I referenced earlier. He suggests that thought leadership needs to focus on five key elements. His ideas deserve a full attribution in this quote “translated” to relate to job seekers: