Today, we reported our financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ending December 31, 2011.

Here are the key highlights:

• Revenue for the fourth quarter was $167.7 million, an increase of 105% compared to $81.7 million for the fourth quarter of 2010
• Net income for the fourth quarter was $6.9 million, compared to net income of $5.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2010; Non-GAAP net income for the fourth quarter was $13.3 million, compared to $5.2 million for the fourth quarter of 2010. Non-GAAP measures exclude tax-affected stock-based compensation expense and tax-affected amortization of acquired intangible assets
• Adjusted EBITDA for the fourth quarter was $34.4 million, or 21% of revenue, compared to $16.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2010, or 20% of revenue
• GAAP EPS for the fourth quarter was $0.06; Non-GAAP EPS for the fourth quarter was $0.12
• For the full year 2011, revenue increased 115% to $522.2 million from $243.1 million. GAAP EPS increased to $0.11 from $0.07 and Non-GAAP EPS increased to $0.35 from $0.24. Adjusted EBITDA increased to $98.7 million from $48.0 million

I highly encourage you to review associated materials, including our GAAP and non-GAAP reconciliation. [1]

We’re also hosting a webcast to discuss our Q4 2011 financial results and business outlook today at 2:00PM Pacific Time today (Feb 9, 2012).

I will co-host the webcast with Jeff Weiner, which can be viewed on the investor relations section of our LinkedIn website as well. See slides below.

[1]

Safe Harbor Statement

The blog post and presentation contain non-GAAP financials measures relating to the company’s performance. You can find the reconciliation of those measures to the nearest comparable GAAP measures at http://investors.linkedin.com/ and additional details regarding the use of non-GAAP measures below.

The blog post and presentation also contain forward-looking statements about our products, including plans for 2012 and our Talent Pipeline product, our planned investments in key strategic areas, and our expected financial metrics such as revenue, adjusted EBITDA, depreciation and amortization and stock-based compensation for the first quarter of 2012 and the full fiscal year 2012.

The achievement or success of the matters covered by such forward-looking statements involves risks, uncertainties and assumptions. If any such risks or uncertainties materialize or if any of the assumptions prove incorrect, the company’s results could differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements the company makes. Please see our full disclaimer regarding this information as well.

Over the years I’ve observed the ways that people use LinkedIn to change career direction or perk up a slumping job search. Here are my three favorite reinvention tips:

1. Focus.  Do you belong to LinkedIn groups in 23 industries, list 41 skills on your profile and display a profile heading with 7 slash marks between each of the different descriptors of what you can do? I often come across LinkedIn users like this, who seem to believe that more is more. While I absolutely encourage you to cast a wide net in your job search and express all of your talents, you don’t want to confuse people.

A quick way to determine if your LinkedIn profile is too unfocused is to ask a few trusted friends to review your profile for 60 seconds each. After that minute has passed, ask each person to describe you (or the job you want) in just one sentence. If you don’t like the answers you hear, then go back and revise your profile to be more clear and focused.

“But, wait,” you might be thinking. “I’m trying to show employers that I’m open to a wide variety of possible jobs.” I understand the rationale, but this is a mistake. As a general rule, employers like certainty. For instance, if your LinkedIn profile says that you are interested in a job as a nonprofit fundraiser or a public relations coordinator, you’ll likely be less appealing to employers in each industry than those candidates who are passionately focused on just that field.

If you really can’t focus on just one path, then my best advice is to try to turn your lack of focus into an asset. Using the example above, you might begin your Summary with a sentence something like this: “I offer extensive experience as both a nonprofit fundraiser and a public relations coordinator. I am eager to serve an organization in either of these functions, and I believe that my unique combination of experience – raising money and promoting clients to the media — makes me more creative and resourceful in either activity.”

2. Rewrite. Most people, even the focused ones, are pretty terrible at describing themselves and promoting their unique talents. So, another great way to reinvent yourself is to reinvent the way you describe yourself. Why not ask those same trusted friends to go one step further and edit your LinkedIn profile for you? (You can show your gratitude by offering to rewrite theirs in return.)

While you may not use every word your friends suggest, other people’s input may help you discover a valuable new way to explain your capabilities or a strength you never realized you possess, such as resourcefulness or natural leadership ability.

You’ll also glean insight from what your friends leave out of their descriptions of you. Perhaps you’ve been promoting an unimportant credential or outdated skillset (e.g., profiles no longer need to promote knowledge of Microsoft Word or Internet Explorer) that you’re better off omitting.

You can also measure your profile’s effectiveness and impressiveness against the LinkedIn profiles of successful people in your field. Use Advanced Search and Company Pages to review the profiles of professionals working at the organizations where you’d most like a job. While you don’t want to copy sentences verbatim from other people’s profiles, there’s no reason you can’t borrow a fabulous phrase or two.

3. Give. My final recommendation for reinventing yourself on LinkedIn is to change the way you interact with your LinkedIn network. The majority of job seekers log in to the site each day with the goal of getting something — a piece of information, a job lead, a networking referral, etc. There is certainly nothing wrong with this, but what if you approached LinkedIn with the goal of giving something instead?

You might give by recommending an article in your status update, congratulating someone on a success, answering a question in a LinkedIn group or thanking someone for a helpful meeting. Beyond the good feeling of helping people, being a giver will positively influence your job hunt and long-term career prospects. When people consistently encounter you as a generous person, they see you as someone who has a lot of value to provide — to them and anyone they know who is hiring.

These small daily goods also will help you stay top of mind with your network and encourage reciprocity. And, by seeing how much you have to give, you’ll continually see yourself as highly valuable, too — a confidence that will serve you well during a job search.

What other ways have you used LinkedIn to reinvent yourself? Please share in the Comments!

Turning on https is very easy.

1. Go to Settings -> Account -> Manage Security Settings
2. Check the box and save changes.

(You may be asked to login before accessing the Settings page).

At any time, you can turn off https by clearing the checkbox. On this Settings page you will also see a link to the https FAQ with more information about this feature.

After turning https on, you will notice the “https” on your browser address bar whenever you are logged into www.linkedin.com.

Supporting https across the entire site is something we’ll be rolling out to all of our members. We take security seriously and would appreciate your sending us any privacy or security issues should you come across them. Please email security@linkedin.com.

It’s been a few years since I’ve been on the dating scene, but I never departed for a date without the essential precursor to heading out with any new beau: doing the Google check. It hasn’t taken long for this stealth, inexpensive and revealing trend to hit the job market, and while the predominant talk on the street has been about what not to do (those pictures of the holiday party shenanigans). The good news is that I have a few years of online dating techniques to lean on and YES, they work for your career!

Looking good: You may think you look fantastic in that picture that your friend took of you back in 1989, but unless you have been able to retain that same youthful glow (…not likely), you’re better off using a photograph that is no more than five years old. I hear the same lament on the job-seeking front as I do on the dating: “But I’m really talented and have a great personality  – I just want to make sure I get through the door.” I get it, but the problem is that when you walk through that door, will he recognize you? If you look too far off the mark, the person on the other side of the desk will need to get past the feeling of deception and wondering about your level of self confidence before he or she can even get to know that great personality of yours.

Beyond the interview, if you’re meeting a client at a busy Starbucks or trying to locate someone at a crowded conference better that they can actually recognize you. The best picture is simple head-shot of you in professional attire. Pull back those shoulders, chin up and a confident smile are all you need. And as for the question, “Can I use a picture with me and my dog?” No. Not unless you’re a vet.

It’s all about the Match: “Tall, Yankees fan, adventurous, great sense of humor.” I haven’t met a single woman (or man for that matter) that doesn’t have a physical or at least a mental list of what they are looking for in a date. I’m a big believer that you don’t get what you don’t ask for, and considering the fact that we spend more time at work than we do with our significant other, it’s not a bad idea to sit down and actually define what you’re looking for in a dream job. Now, I know this sounds like crazy-talk in light of the current job market, but trust me on this one: the same way having standards make you more attractive in your personal life, the same goes for your professional life.

How do you take initiative and actually find the job of your dreams? Take advantage of your own ability for some online reconnaissance. Follow Companies that you’re interested in, and identify Groups that contain your industry’s best and brightest. That way, not only do you get a sense of who you want to work for, but by the time you get to the interview stage, you’re also able to bring all of your unique talents and experiences to the table – and help them to see that not only are they the perfect fit for you… but also that you are the perfect fit for them.

Tell me about yourself:  “I like long walks on the beach and full bodied Cabernet.”  I’m not lying when I tell you I’ve actually read about a woman’s love of wine on a resume I received recently –  and she was not applying to be a sommelier. So, here’s the deal. There are so many ways in which you could summarize yourself, so where do you start, and even more importantly, where do you end? Not unlike the online dating world, the best place to start is not with you, but with whom you are attempting to attract. Of all the great talents and interests you have, the only ones the potential employer or client cares about are those that are going to benefit her business.

Do your research (see above), make a list of all the adjectives and ways in which the industry and/or company you’re interested in describes themselves, and then match your experiences and skills to what they are looking for using similar language. For example, if they say they are innovative, then so are you! On the more personal front, and ‘round about the point you want to be wrapping up, yes, if you’re a distance runner, avid skier or even wine collector, you can include it in your summary.  However, it’s not about the buzz you get off a great glass of vino – it’s about your ability to discern trends, distill research and be a disciplined collector.

Get Recommended: Your mom raves about the “great gal” she met in her virtual book club who is absolutely perfect for you …not so much. Your best friend who is dating his own super model turned inventor of the snuggle…more like it. The first step is to make sure you’re connected to the kind of people who reflect not only who you are but who you aspire to be (you know what they say about Birds of a Feather). And then ask for them to help set you up.  When it comes to getting what we want in either our personal or professional life there is nothing like the power of a solid recommendation and LinkedIn makes it easier than ever.

For more ideas on how to turn common dating rules into strategies for career success, pick up a copy of Girl on Top. Oh yeah, and the strategies work for men too!  

That’s fitting, actually, as the top two stories show how fluid the current business world is. Facebook is the giant today. But new platforms like Pinterest are popping up, rising and falling, and no business model can go long without finding itself at risk of being upended.  Here’s the list:

Top 5 most-shared articles on LinkedIn (Jan 25, 2012 – Feb. 1, 2012)
Follow @LinkedIn_Today

1. Pinterest Becomes Top Traffic Driver for Retailers (Mashable)
2. P&G To Lay Off 1,600 After Discovering It’s Free To Advertise On Facebook (Business Insider)
3. Forget Networking. How to Be a Connector (Entrepreneur)
4. Facebook Files for $5 Billion IPO (Mashable)
5. Web economy in G20 set to double by 2016, Google says (BBC)

The best example of the upending is Business Insider’s look at P&G’s decision to slash ad spending, realizing that it doesn’t have to buy media the way it used to. In its earnings call, CEO Bob McDonald laid it out:

I believe that over time, we will see the increase in the cost of advertising moderate. There are just so many different media available today … One example is our Old Spice campaign, where we had 1.8 billion free impressions and there are many other examples I can cite from all over the world.

P&G is the world’s largest advertiser. When it declares a shift in thinking — and starts talking about the benefits of “free” — other large companies and any companies that depend on advertising are sure to pay attention.

Then there’s Pinterest, the site that’s becoming a major feeder channel for retail. Members — about 60% of whom are women — post original pictures, photos of celebrity hairstyles, recipes, things they want to buy and more. Others comment or start their own threads based off the original post. The viral activity has caused traffic to soar, rising over 400% last fall to 7.2 million unique visitors by December.

Where this curve ends is impossible to know: Does it rise to a Facebook-like magnitude? Drop off like MySpace? Is there someone in a garage somewhere getting ready to reveal a site that tries to out Pinterest Pinterest? (No doubt, the answer is yes.)

Or, what happens if there’s a seismic shift and the Internet landscape suddenly changes? As the BBC notes in its story on the G20 “Web economy,” even the current desktop world is just a few years from being completely transformed:

By 2016 about 80% of all internet users will access the web using a mobile phone.

That giants will rise and giants will fall in this new landscape is about the only thing that’s certain.

Here are the most shared stories by professionals in the following industries:

• Banking:  Wells Fargo: The Bank That Works (Forbes)
• Venture Capital: Why Has Andreessen Horowitz Raised $2.7B in 3 Years? (Ben’s Blog) 
• Investment Management:  Bain or blessing? (The Economist)
• Higher Education: An Introvert’s Guide to Networking (HBR)
• Graphic Design: The Gmail Logo Was Designed the Night Before Gmail Launched (The Atlantic)
• Publishing: Jonathan Franzen: e-books are damaging society (Telegraph)

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