Author Topic: Do you have LinkedIn?  (Read 7823 times)

Auckland Stubble

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Do you have LinkedIn?
« on: August 24, 2015, 07:34:58 PM »
I'm 26 and looking outside my company for new roles.

Is having a LinkedIn profile essential these days or does it not matter?

I work in logistics/transport in New Zealand.

chiconix

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Re: Do you have LinkedIn?
« Reply #1 on: August 24, 2015, 07:48:40 PM »
I've had a LinkedIn profile for about... five years? Maybe more.
As far as I can tell, the only thing it's good for is that you can include a link to it in your cover email, and then see if they read your email / clicked the link. But then what good does that do you?
It's also good if you lose touch with a coworker (perhaps due to only using their work email address to communicate, then they leave the company).

mickeyj

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Re: Do you have LinkedIn?
« Reply #2 on: August 24, 2015, 08:18:08 PM »
This may be different for other countries, but here in Singapore, a LinkedIn profile is a must because it's the main tool used by recruiters who are hiring for companies who are looking for quality employees and are willing to pay more.

My past few job changes and career progressions all came from LinkedIn and these opportunities are still rolling in.

Papa bear

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Re: Do you have LinkedIn?
« Reply #3 on: August 24, 2015, 08:43:53 PM »
Yes.  It's a very powerful tool.  Many companies are posting their jobs through the site and in discussion groups to avoid paying high costs to job boards. You can also easily find out who a manager is and contact them directly as well or set up a time to network. 


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stlbrah

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Re: Do you have LinkedIn?
« Reply #4 on: August 24, 2015, 08:45:09 PM »
I have it, but I don't use it as a facebook like some do.

tvan

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Re: Do you have LinkedIn?
« Reply #5 on: August 24, 2015, 08:49:21 PM »

Yes.  It's a very powerful tool.  Many companies are posting their jobs through the site and in discussion groups to avoid paying high costs to job boards. You can also easily find out who a manager is and contact them directly as well or set up a time to network. 


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Agreed. Literally every recruiter that has contacted me over the last few years has been through LinkedIn. It's also a way to keep your CV/resume current.

Fuzz

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Re: Do you have LinkedIn?
« Reply #6 on: August 24, 2015, 09:16:58 PM »

Yes. Get it and use it. Don't let it access your email contacts though. It could spam your company contacts and then they'll know you're looking.

FIRE me

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Re: Do you have LinkedIn?
« Reply #7 on: August 24, 2015, 11:01:48 PM »
I'm 26 and looking outside my company for new roles.

Is having a LinkedIn profile essential these days or does it not matter?

I work in logistics/transport in New Zealand.

LinkedIn is a nasty bit of work. Once you get an invitation to friend someone, if you have no profile / account, the spam will keep coming forever. No way to unsubscribe or say “no thanks” if you don't have a profile or account.

I had to email the person involved, explain the circumstances, and ask him to withdraw the invite.

a

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Re: Do you have LinkedIn?
« Reply #8 on: August 24, 2015, 11:09:19 PM »
LinkedIn is a nasty bit of work. Once you get an invitation to friend someone, if you have no profile / account, the spam will keep coming forever. No way to unsubscribe or say “no thanks” if you don't have a profile or account.


FIRE me

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Re: Do you have LinkedIn?
« Reply #9 on: August 24, 2015, 11:40:41 PM »
LinkedIn is a nasty bit of work. Once you get an invitation to friend someone, if you have no profile / account, the spam will keep coming forever. No way to unsubscribe or say “no thanks” if you don't have a profile or account.



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Kaikou

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Re: Do you have LinkedIn?
« Reply #10 on: August 25, 2015, 02:55:26 AM »
Yes I have one, I didn't use it because my "former industry" it was just used as a puffing piece.

Spork

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Re: Do you have LinkedIn?
« Reply #11 on: August 25, 2015, 06:13:50 AM »
I'm 26 and looking outside my company for new roles.

Is having a LinkedIn profile essential these days or does it not matter?

I work in logistics/transport in New Zealand.

LinkedIn is a nasty bit of work. Once you get an invitation to friend someone, if you have no profile / account, the spam will keep coming forever. No way to unsubscribe or say “no thanks” if you don't have a profile or account.

I had to email the person involved, explain the circumstances, and ask him to withdraw the invite.

This is true of almost any free site that asks you for a person's email address... They're collecting.   Use it to connect with people that are already there.  Don't try to sucker other people in.  [That's general advice for pretty much every site out there, not just LinkedIn.] 

I also use a different email address for EVERY site.  That way if the site starts misbehaving towards me or has a serious break in with email lists stolen, I can just delete it.

2Birds1Stone

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Re: Do you have LinkedIn?
« Reply #12 on: August 25, 2015, 06:35:30 AM »
LinkedIn is huge in my industry.

You wouldn't get considered for a job where I work with a professional looking LinkedIn.

ender

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Re: Do you have LinkedIn?
« Reply #13 on: August 25, 2015, 06:42:54 AM »
I periodically get legitimate messages from recruiters on there.

ShoulderThingThatGoesUp

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Re: Do you have LinkedIn?
« Reply #14 on: August 25, 2015, 06:44:16 AM »
Yes, it's real and worth having a decent-looking profile. Your profile picture should be of you, not a dog, a kid, or a political message. (Seriously, people.)

cdttmm

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Re: Do you have LinkedIn?
« Reply #15 on: August 25, 2015, 07:07:45 AM »
As a former HR person:

Yes. It's important. When screening resumes, if you didn't have a LinkedIn profile, you got moved out of the "yes" pile. I need to know that you can currently have and can (hopefully) maintain a professional online presence.

As a current professor of business:

In every course, one of my assignments is for students to create and maintain a professional LinkedIn profile.

letired

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Re: Do you have LinkedIn?
« Reply #16 on: August 25, 2015, 08:10:41 AM »
I've gotten at least 2 job offers via LinkedIn, (and many more spammy recruiter messages) in the ~2 years I've had an account. In my field and city, it's used by recruiters and companies both to look for people.

RyanAtTanagra

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Re: Do you have LinkedIn?
« Reply #17 on: August 25, 2015, 08:58:54 AM »
No, and it still manages to annoy the hell out of me.  I feel like the only reason to join linkedin is so you can say 'yes' when people ask 'are you're on linkedin?'  Because when you say 'no' they can't compute and it breaks their frickin brain.

Dicey

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Re: Do you have LinkedIn?
« Reply #18 on: August 25, 2015, 09:24:52 AM »
I avoid all social media, which is another pleasant gift of FIRE.

However, at a recent class reunion, a former classmate mentioned that she was working for another classmate's company. The owner found her on LI and offered her a job. Since I don't want or need a job, those LI invites just irritate me. I'm in a's (and Daryl's) camp all the way.

Calvawt

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Re: Do you have LinkedIn?
« Reply #19 on: August 25, 2015, 11:54:26 AM »
I have recently seen that people inflate their roles and accomplishments on linked in more than on resumes.

That being said, it is definitely useful for job seekers.  You may get some recruiter or vendor spam though as well (especially once you are director or executive level).  Overall, it is still worth it.


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rugorak

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Re: Do you have LinkedIn?
« Reply #20 on: August 25, 2015, 12:35:14 PM »
I have it and it helped me find a great new job due to networking.

Short story is I had been looking on and off for a number of years for a better job. Eventually I came across the listing at my current place but like so many others I wasn't sure it would be as good as it sounded. So I checked out and found that a friend from college was directly linked to someone who worked in the same department as the job I was interested in (and happened to be a graduate of the same college as my friend and I). I asked for an introduction and was gladly given one. We talked on the phone for about 30 minutes about what it was like to work here, what I was looking for, etc. I was pleased enough with his endorsement that I applied. He thought I would be good for the position so let the hiring committee know he had talked to me. I still went through the process but that extra bit I think helped me be more confident that it would be a good fit for me and the employer that I would be a good candidate for the position. Almost 2 years later both myself and my employer are happy.

TL;DR - networking on LinkedIn helped match me and my employer better than just applying would have.

Axecleaver

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Re: Do you have LinkedIn?
« Reply #21 on: August 25, 2015, 12:43:26 PM »
It's popular with recruiters, and I've gotten several gigs this way. I do not consider it essential.

hyla

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Re: Do you have LinkedIn?
« Reply #22 on: August 25, 2015, 12:43:38 PM »
I have it and have not yet received any real benefits - job offers, new contacts etc. through it.  However, it only took a little while to copy info from my resume to linked in and set up a profile, and I figure at the very least, if someone on a hiring committee does a google search on my name when reviewing my application, it's good to have something professional like my linked in profile pop up in the search results. 

As others have mentioned, the importance of a profile varies by field, and I get the impression it's of minimal importance in my field. 

georgialiving

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Re: Do you have LinkedIn?
« Reply #23 on: August 25, 2015, 01:33:25 PM »
I set up a profile and I'm not quite in the workforce yet. I did use it to upload my resume and connect with some people


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Easye418

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Re: Do you have LinkedIn?
« Reply #24 on: August 25, 2015, 03:41:34 PM »
I have a LinkedIn account and used it to find positions in my field (MBA/Finance).  Extremely helpful for me.

Nice place to find jobs and have a recruiter find you.

BlueMR2

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Re: Do you have LinkedIn?
« Reply #25 on: August 26, 2015, 06:30:56 AM »
Yes, it's critical to have LinkedIn (and keep it current) these days.