LinkedIn Worthwhile?

I'm not a fan of social media sites where one's identity is open to the public, but is LinkedIn really necessary and/or helpful in regards to seeking employment at least in regards to IT? I went to a job fair, and I got asked quite a few times if I had a profile. I'd rather not make a profile, but I wonder if it's a limiting factor in anyway. Any opinions in regards to this?

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Danielm7

karl88 wrote: »

I went to a job fair, and I got asked quite a few times if I had a profile.

Looks like you answered your own question there. You don't have to treat linkedin like facebook, but having an accurate, updated profile is helpful.

iBrokeIT

I think it is more of a pubic resume/business card than a social media site. If you are trying to get a job why not use every tool at your disposal?

tkerber

Without question.

I've personally found it very relevant in the IT sector and that there are a lot of other IT professionals on it. I've also personally added all of my old and current bosses and co-workers a long with some close family and acquaintances.

Some companies, and I've noticed a trend with tech companies, will even take your LinkedIn as a resume.

Lastly, looking at my inbox in LinkedIn I average a job from a recruiter every other week. Not all of them interest me and some are way below what I would consider at the moment. But I always give a polite reply and it's nice to know that you have options.

theitpro

As an IT manager that interviews and hires people, if they don't have a LinkedIn profile, I see it as they are not serious about their profession.

cyberguypr

Is it essential? Absolutely not. Is it helpful? Absolutely yes. It's not Facebook or Twitter. People who are there do it for a specific reason, not because it is the cool kids are doing (or did at some point). It is one of those things that you get out what you put in. Creating a profile and leaving it static will most likely don't help you much. On the other hand, keeping the profile fresh, participating in groups, etc. will definitely bring value. A big thing that I love is that it helps building your brand. By providing intelligent feedback in groups and sharing your expertise you get good exposure and establish credibility.

I am always getting messages and leads for jobs. Although I don't even respond many times the stuff recruiters send my way is always a good indicator of how healthy my local job market is. Instead of me reaching out and putting feelers I get that influx of data coming in all the time. I find it very useful to see what's hot and what employers are looking for.

One more thing OP, EVERYWHERE I go wearing my professional hat: seminars, conferences, vendor events, training, etc. people always ask for my LinkedIn info, not even for my business card. That should tell you something.

Doyen

I am a social person, but I don't participate in social media. The exception is LinkedIn, which I consider more of career/employment networking rather than social media. I never had a My Space, Facebook, Twitter, or Tumbler mainly because I consider it a "time suck", or waste of time. The reason why I consider social media a time suck is because of how many people spend hours in their day browsing someone's pubic life profile or editing to their own. I personally have better things to do.

I found LinkedIn to be different mainly because it is strictly about promoting yourself career wise. I put it in my resume because it is an extension of my resume that employers can view to gain more information about me & my experience. It also allows an employer to judge a person by who the candidate knows. I have had 4 job interviews so far that stated that I knew so and so (that I worked or school with) and they messaged them about their opinions about me before the interview process. At our latest college career fair, to my surprise, I have had many prospective employers ask if I had a LinkedIn account before they asked if I had a paper resume. I guess LinkedIn is the new digital business card due to mobile devices.

I have found that if you utilize LinkedIn properly, you can advertise yourself better to employers. I also use it as a resource template for viewing successful people in the industry. I don't consider this a time suck because I am getting information on what to do with my own career path by judging the success others have had with theirs. There are quite so many exceptional IT professionals on this site! It may sound lame, but I am honestly truly humbled when people with such credentials ask to connect with me. I really do not know what they get out of it from connecting with me, but I enjoy browsing their previous career experience, skills set, education, & certifications. To me, it is quite motivational piecing together how someone worked from the ground up in order to get where they are now.

Feel free to connect with me if you decide to invest your free time into a LinkedIn account.

Ismaeljrp

It's helped me. I met a a really nice guy that's had a similar career track as mine, and often he was nice enough to give me advice.

Funny thing is, we became coworkers 8 months later. He didn't help me get the gig at all, didn't even know I applied, until I was already done being interviewed. They hired me the next week.

It's the ideal job at this point in my career, I'm part of the first official NOC team at the company, it's kind of a big deal. I wou'dn't have known about the company if it weren't for meeting that person with the same interests as me on Linkedin.

I say it's another good tool to network with other professionals as yourself and obtain more visibility, but also you get to see what's out there even more so than not having a profile.

srabiee

I have had recruiters in various states contact me on Linkedin with job offers, even though I wasn't looking. So I guess another benefit is possible job opportunities.

thronetm

Yes

I have had recruiters contact me with job opportunities and a company come to me directly asking if I'd do work for them.

It doesn't take long to set up, and definitely recommended.

fredrikjj

If you don't have one you are not a conformist, and companies like conformists. That is, you don't fit the mold for how a worker should be if you don't do what everyone else does and this is bad.

As an IT manager that interviews and hires people, if they don't have a LinkedIn profile, I see it as they are not serious about their profession.

Stuff like that is obviously ridiculous as you can be very serious about your profession and not bother with social media. It's completely legitimate in my opinion to not be comfortable with a company harvesting all your personal information. However, perception is everything in the job game so the price can be pretty high if you think differently. Another side of the coin is that the people who don't have LinkedIn aren't comfortable with the self-promotion aspects of it which is healthy in my opinion.

iBrokeIT

fredrikjj wrote: »

It's completely legitimate in my opinion to not be comfortable with a company harvesting all your personal information.

What personal information are you talking about that get put on LinkedIn but isn't on a resume that you hand a company? Have you ever been on LinkedIn?

fredrikjj

iBrokeIT wrote: »

What personal information are you talking about that get put on LinkedIn but isn't on a resume that you hand a company? Have you ever been on LinkedIn?

I was referring to giving LinkedIn your information. For example, when you sign up they try to trick you into giving them your entire email address book. I am on LinkedIn, but I think it's a shady company. I totally understand if someone is not comfortable with using a service like that, that's all I'm saying.

olaHalo

fredrikjj wrote: »

Stuff like that is obviously ridiculous as you can be very serious about your profession and not bother with social media. It's completely legitimate in my opinion to not be comfortable with a company harvesting all your personal information. Another side of the coin is that the people who don't have LinkedIn aren't comfortable with the self-promotion aspects of it which is healthy in my opinion.

I pretty much agree with you, but what makes you think they don't already have this information?

jvrlopez

Get a lot of job offers and leads even when I'm not looking just by having a Linkedin profile.

JoJoCal19

LinkedIn has been a great tool with getting a new job. My current employer found me on LinkedIn and they use it a lot for finding talent (global Fortune 100 financial firm). As well I continually get contacted for new opportunities.

/usr

I don't actively participate in social media (have an Instagram and Twitter account, but mostly lurk). However, I keep my LinkedIn updated and am contacted regularly by recruiters.

As others have mentioned, what can it hurt? Best case, it lands you a job. Worst case, it just sits there. I do think it's a valuable tool and a way to expose yourself to folks who you might not have been able to otherwise.

MeanDrunkR2D2

Yes yes and Yes!. Definitely jump on LinkedIn and get connected with co-workers and old colleagues who know you and can write recommendations for you. Don't think of this much like facebook or any other social media site. Consider this your "Professional" social media and honestly, keep it rather there for a source for looking for jobs and for others to find you on there. Keep any "controversial" posts or updates out of this profile and just list your career goals/experiences and build off of that. I've used linkedin quite a bit and it has definitely helped me in my career by treating it this way. It's basically just a fancy online resume that others can easily find if I choose so that lists my talents and skills as well as my professional career.

Good luck and take all the time you need to set it up right and don't half ass it as it will be easy to spot and get you passed over. You can put in as much detail as you would like and its pretty much a good thing to detail out key tasks/projects that you have worked on and also make sure you put in your highlights as well.

Xavor

For those of you getting sourced weekly via LinkedIn, was there a particular skill/years exp they were looking for? I'm just wondering what the break point is for "no cold calls" to "voicemail full weekly". I.E. years of experience, networking, linkedin activity, or just buzzwords?

grave_digger

Because of this thread I join. I found it interesting to see the managers out there in IT.

JoJoCal19

Xavor wrote: »

For those of you getting sourced weekly via LinkedIn, was there a particular skill/years exp they were looking for? I'm just wondering what the break point is for "no cold calls" to "voicemail full weekly". I.E. years of experience, networking, linkedin activity, or just buzzwords?

i find that they are doing keyword searches by certification. Once I added my CISSP the floodgates opened.

Daneil3144

iBrokeIT wrote: »

I think it is more of a pubic resume/business card than a social media site.

That is probably my biggest issue. I always thought of Linkedin of another facebook.