How useless is LinkedIn?

shakeitoff

Honestly, on first glance it seems like a pretty cool tool to be able to bring to life so to speak your CV. I don't know what it's like elsewhere but I can only speak from an Irish perspective, and the reality is we aren't American or anyway like Americans. We don't really take too kindly to overly expressive self-indulgence that you might find in a Linkedin Bio or summary(even though they provide excellent opportunity to put across the type of person you are and theoretically would maybe open up opportunities that your CV. may not)

IMO, LinkedIn just isn't fit for purpose in Ireland. At the end of the day, you either have qualifications and/or connections, or not.

Krombopulos Michael

I work as a contractor in the IT and Finance sector and for the last 4 years, all of my contracts have come through companies or recruiters on LinkedIn.

It depends on your trade and how willing you are to expand your network to other companies and agencies.

deletthis

LinkedIn can be great, as long as you're selective with connections.

A few years ago I would accept every request I received looking to build a network. That resulted in relentless contacts from recruiters/headhunters/BDM's that got pretty annoying, pretty fast.

Cue a cull of people I had either never met/dealt with in person or had no interest in/use for their services.

Now I find it an interesting and useful tool to keep up to date with my industry, what former colleagues are up to in their careers & an eye on the jobs market without being repeatedly harassed for seemingly irrelevant jobs.

shakeitoff

deletthis wrote: »

LinkedIn can be great, as long as you're selective with connections.

A few years ago I would accept every request I received looking to build a network. That resulted in relentless contacts from recruiters/headhunters/BDM's that got pretty annoying, pretty fast.

Cue a cull of people I had either never met/dealt with in person or had no interest in/use for their services.

Now I find it an interesting and useful tool to keep up to date with my industry, what former colleagues are up to in their careers & an eye on the jobs market without being repeatedly harassed for seemingly irrelevant jobs.

True, I can see it being a nice tool once you're actually on the 'inside', but as an outsider trying to get his foot in the door, I find it useless.

I should probably have wrote: 'Is LinkedIn useless for fresh graduates on the job hunt?'

verycool

deletthis wrote: »

Now I find it an interesting and useful tool to keep up to date with my industry, what former colleagues are up to in their careers & an eye on the jobs market without being repeatedly harassed for seemingly irrelevant jobs.

Or "professional voyeurism" :pac:


I don't have one as I'm a very private person and would like to keep it that way. Either that, or I just can't seem to "sell" myself.

Graham

shakeitoff wrote: »

True, I can see it being a nice tool once you're actually on the 'inside', but as an outsider trying to get his foot in the door, I find it useless.

I should probably have wrote: 'Is LinkedIn useless for fresh graduates on the job hunt?'

Join some of the groups related to your industry, start following some of the people in your industry.

As a fresh graduate you're unlikely to just join and find a stream of opportunities landing in your lap, Linkedin or otherwise.

Your Face

shakeitoff wrote: »

Honestly, on first glance it seems like a pretty cool tool to be able to bring to life so to speak your CV. I don't know what it's like elsewhere but I can only speak from an Irish perspective, and the reality is we aren't American or anyway like Americans. We don't really take too kindly to overly expressive self-indulgence that you might find in a Linkedin Bio or summary(even though they provide excellent opportunity to put across the type of person you are and theoretically would maybe open up opportunities that your CV. may not)

IMO, LinkedIn just isn't fit for purpose in Ireland. At the end of the day, you either have qualifications and/or connections, or not.

This is just a rant with a few jabs at the Americans.

I made good contacts with LinkedIn that helped me progress my career.
I keep a fairly low profile there too and like another poster mentioned, I'm selective I'm my connections.
It's a service for professionals so I use it in a professional manner.

deletthis

Your Face wrote: »

This is just a rant with a few jabs at the Americans.

I made good contacts with LinkedIn that helped me progress my career.
I keep a fairly low profile there too and like another poster mentioned, I'm selective I'm my connections.
It's a service for professionals so I use it in a professional manner.

Also, don't be one of those attractive early twenties 'professionals' that post selfies with an inspirational misquote week in week out, interspersed with posts complaining about men inboxing them as though it were a dating site.

The hypocrisy is unreal on there sometimes, and I bet more than one or two otherwise respected professionals have fallen foul of the comments section having seen some of the posts people leave...

RebelButtMunch

Graham wrote: »

Join some of the groups related to your industry, start following some of the people in your industry.

As a fresh graduate you're unlikely to just join and find a stream of opportunities landing in your lap, Linkedin or otherwise.

Good ideas there, also start 'following' companies that you might like to work with. They can announce hiring drives there.

hots

shakeitoff wrote: »

True, I can see it being a nice tool once you're actually on the 'inside', but as an outsider trying to get his foot in the door, I find it useless.

I should probably have wrote: 'Is LinkedIn useless for fresh graduates on the job hunt?'

Very different question, and yes pretty much, you haven't got a lot to fill out a linkedin profile yet as a grad, or any connections yet to build a network. Grad roles are easier to find normally as most companies have set applications etc. It's more useful for experienced roles. I get 2/3 roles 'offered' up by recruiters a week I'd say? 'Offers' because most recruiters do no more than check you're human before offering you a role as CEO of Awesome Company Ltd.

shakeitoff

Your Face wrote: »

This is just a rant with a few jabs at the Americans.

I made good contacts with LinkedIn that helped me progress my career.
I keep a fairly low profile there too and like another poster mentioned, I'm selective I'm my connections.
It's a service for professionals so I use it in a professional manner.

It was more a jab at Irish mentality tbf

Graham

deletthis wrote: »

Also, don't be one of those attractive early twenties 'professionals' that post selfies with an inspirational misquote week in week out

+1

fridge-magnet philosophy the hallmark of the linked-inadequate

deletthis

Graham wrote: »

+1

fridge-magnet philosophy the hallmark of the linked-inadequate

100%. Screams "I have nothing of value to offer commercially so validate me on my appearance instead".

mickoneill31

I find it useful. I've signed up to groups that are of interest to me so I see more relevant posts than not.
I also use it to bounce questions around that are in my area.

I only accept connection requests from people I know, or who are relevant to my career.
And for my last two jobs I've gotten them through connections on Linked In.

However my industry is very IT focused so we're probably represented more than most.
And the posts telling me some inspirational story or overcoming adversity are of no use to anybody.

ayux4rj6zql2ph

This post has been deleted.

5rtytry56

deletthis wrote: »

LinkedIn can be great, as long as you're selective with connections.

Don't bother connecting with anyone suggested by LinkedIn.

King of Kings

Krombopulos Michael wrote: »

I work as a contractor in the IT and Finance sector and for the last 4 years, all of my contracts have come through companies or recruiters on LinkedIn.

It depends on your trade and how willing you are to expand your network to other companies and agencies.

im 10years an IT and Financial services contractor. Not once has linkedin contributed to my employment.

Ive applied for 10 roles on linkedin. I got one rejection email...

But in the real I seem to get jobs handy enough..that 10 years has taken me to 5 different employers

perhaps you make a fair point about networking through it...im not great about shouting out on the platform

I see linkedin as a platform for pompous fcukers...they big up their roles, brag about how forward thinking they are, like the right people , brag about being aware of mental health etc..

Its just facebook at work imo...with added bravado..

Ive worked with people who from their linkedin you'd swear they were the love child of steve jobs , nelson mandela and gordan gekko but my experience is that they are the average joe

I've had two really good approaches on LinkedIn in the last few months, at advanced stage of the interview process with one and a possibly entering the process in the other. So I think it can be pretty decent.

rivegauche

http://waterfordwhispersnews.com/2016/06/15/microsoft-bid-26-billion-for-worlds-biggest-collection-of-exaggerated-cvs/

The high horse brigade

I got my present job 2 years ago through LinkedIn, proof that it works, but I am the only one I know who can say this.

Ohmeha

I find Linkedin useful as an alternative to searching through jobsites but I don't find it to be any ocean of opportunities unless you're at it most days making industry connections outside of people you know or work colleagues

SureYWouldntYa

Is it worth setting up while in college? Don't know anyone in the industry I'd be looking to go into and our program is a very small one so how would you even get started, it feels like it would just be a professional facebook

Mrs OBumble

SureYWouldntYa wrote: »

it feels like it would just be a professional facebook

It is exactly that - Facebook for grownups.

Leave the cats, chats and spats for the real Facebook (Twitter / snapchat / instrgram / whatever). Present your professional face on LinkedIn.

Facebook has started listing jobs. But don't be lulled into these. Career positions are not likely to be found there, unless the supervisor of your local deli-counter is as far as your career aspirations go.

OMM 0000

I've gotten job offers via LinkedIn. I don't think it's useless at all.

Sometimes I'm not interested in their offers. I politely decline and thank them for the opportunity.

Maybe I will need them in the future, so why be rude?

Lux23

I used to think it was useless, but I wasn't posting anything on it. Now I am sharing stuff that I am working on in work, and I get the odd message from in-house HR people about roles. I think where it will be most useful is when I get called for an interview, and the panel may already know a lot of my work.

Plus, I get a giddy thrill from sharing all the deadly stuff I get to do now with people in my former place of work who stupidly didn't promote me.

Esse85

Its lost it's professionalism for me.

Too many idiots on there looking for likes.

Spammy recruiters on there saying "oh look at me, I hired an 80 year old homeless person for an admin role"

shakeitoff

Could someone give me some feedback on my Linkedin. Will DM you.

razorblunt

The amount of recruiters that come asking you about your availability is incredibly annoying, especially when a) the job isn't relevant to your experience at all, b) the job isn't relevant at all and c) they never thank you for responding. Those recruiters get dropped quickly.

razorblunt

Mr.S wrote: »

If you don’t reply, they can’t message you again. So best to ignore.

General rule of thumb is only pay attention to in-house recruiters.

Oh I didn't know that. Thanks for the heads up!

razorblunt

Another one yesterday. The job actually looked interesting from the description...'grand, send me on the job spec and company name' I replied. No reply from her since. FFS.

As soon as I get it, I'm going to the company directly and applying with them.

OMM 0000

Don't you hate it

When you see LinkedIn posts like this

Sort of like a poem

Except they are just humble bragging

About how they were offered a job for ONE MILLION EUROS per year

But they turned it down

Because they are experts at one thing

And one thing only

And that's what they do

So no matter how much money they're offered

They will say no

And even though

This post is really annoying

And unnecessarily using excessive line breaks

It will get hundreds of LinkedIn likes

shakeitoff

It's just so cringeworthy. I think people are told to put stuff up.

optogirl

Reminds me of an Onion article after a data breach

'LinkedIn hacked. Thousands reminded they have a LinkedIn account'

IvoryTower

shakeitoff wrote: »

It's just so cringeworthy. I think people are told to put stuff up.

my bro had to post lots of cheesy stuff as part of his college course

ted1

shakeitoff wrote: »

Honestly, on first glance it seems like a pretty cool tool to be able to bring to life so to speak your CV. I don't know what it's like elsewhere but I can only speak from an Irish perspective, and the reality is we aren't American or anyway like Americans. We don't really take too kindly to overly expressive self-indulgence that you might find in a Linkedin Bio or summary(even though they provide excellent opportunity to put across the type of person you are and theoretically would maybe open up opportunities that your CV. may not)

IMO, LinkedIn just isn't fit for purpose in Ireland. At the end of the day, you either have qualifications and/or connections, or not.

My last three jobs were found in LinkedIn