LinkedIn?

I've gotten a few requests lately to join, hookup or allow someone as a friend on "LinkedIn". One was my next door neighbor who is a Veternarian. I replied to him and asked what it was, he said facebook for career minded folk.

I passed but got additional requests from people I don't even know. I see it as another opportunity to open myself up to spam, identity theft and general naer-do-wells; but I'm more pessimistic of my fellow man lately.

I cruised their site briefly and it looks like they post jobs of many descriptions all over the world. Again why I passed, I've got one I like.

Maybe you could use it: http://www.linkedin.com/

Dan

Yeah, I've got an account there just so that any recruiters that search the database might see mine.

I like my job, but with the amount of work decreasing and looming defense budget cuts................I'm not too confident in my position outside of the next 12-24 months.

I have one, just like Facebook for careers. Nothing special, nothing daunting. I use it once, maybe twice a month. Way more than I use Facebook.

Think of it as the more mature FB, without Farmville.

I had one of my Alfa buddies send me an invite. I didn't see the point. If you think I would be interested in something, send me an e-mail.

If I ever lose my job, I may use it to search, but I would not use it to communicate. Just like I use e-mail over FB. I still don't see the point to use FB. I have a phone, I have e-mail. Plenty of ways to communicate.

Yup, I'm on it.

Professional references use

It's a good business networking tool over time.

It sucks to jump on board when you have lost your job and need it to produce short term results.

It takes time to develop the contacts.

It's not a great communicating tool.

I prefer to secure employment the old-fashioned way - nepotism.

Seriously, I'm really trying to resist social networking. I fear that it may not be possible to do so much longer, but I'll hold out as long as possible.

bludroptop wrote: I prefer to secure employment the old-fashioned way - nepotism. Seriously, I'm really trying to resist social networking. I fear that it may not be possible to do so much longer, but I'll hold out as long as possible.

I failed at that. My wife kept getting badgered by old buddies who refused to just E-mail me.

It's like every year when I try hard not to know who played in the super bowl. I've never been able to do it.

SVreX wrote: It's a good business networking tool over time.

How?

outside of being part of a list of millions.

shouldn't you be capable of networking based on your work and skills?

I see many of the social network stuff as a network version of high school. Popular people will be popular, the not so much will not. Instead of 100 vs. 10 friends, you'll have 10,000 vs. 1000.

Let me put it a different way. I do get occiasional e-mails about working where I do- from various locations. Pretty similar to what I would get there, too. And I have no impact on HR in this company.

Unless the other person is part of HR, how is a typical grunt going to help me get a job somewhere? Are they going to direct me to HR if there is an opening? Pretty much what I am capable of doing via a company web page?

There are not many corporate pages that do not list ways to get jobs.

BTW, it's quite possible that I have an altered view of this- my job and what I do is pretty limited in who does it. In the US, there are 3 major companies that do it directly, a handful of imports that kind of do it, and a handful of supplier/contractors that also do it. All around where I already live. So if I wanted to keep doing what I do, there are very limited choices.

I've been on Linkedin for years (much, much longer than I've been on Facebook) and no, it hasn't really helped me find a job yet. OTOH the industry I'm in (financial software) isn't generally known for its job stability and the more enlightened places are generally happy to hire on recommendations, so it helps if you're able to see where those ex-colleagues that you like working with are these days.

I've found old business contacts through Linkedin. Other than that, I haven't found it useful for much of anything.

LinkedIn is a spam engine in the guise of employment opportunity.

Pass.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: LinkedIn is a spam engine in the guise of employment opportunity. Pass.

I found out the same thing about SAE 17 years ago. They were the reason head hunters kept calling me. Saves me a lot of money not being a member.

i have received no spam as a result of my linkedin membership.

i have received several emails from headhunters due to the career summary that i have posted on linkedin. i have used these contacts to secure job interviews for myself and to recommend colleagues for positions in which i was not interested. a few of them have realized new employment opportunities as a result.

YMMV.

You can't tell a thing about Linkedin from it's website so that's the reason I passed. All I could see was that there were a few job postings and some sort of, what appeared to be a forum type of random all inclusive posting area. The posts they showed were very generic.

AngryCorvair wrote: i have received no spam as a result of my linkedin membership. i have received several emails from headhunters due to the career summary that i have posted on linkedin. i have used these contacts to secure job interviews for myself and to recommend colleagues for positions in which i was not interested. a few of them have realized new employment opportunities as a result. YMMV.

In all honesty, you are the first success story I have heard of from a LinkedIn account. I get atleast 10 emails a week from Linkedin even though I have not logged in to it in several years. It continues to badger me to "Update my profile" or remind me "Someone you know has updated their profile".

I am actually glad to hear it is working for somebody and is not just another internet information gathering tool for marketeers.

It seems kind of messy and disorganized to me.

I am the second. My experiences are similar to Angry's.

Your settings are wrong. Fix them and you won't get spam.

It's not a spam machine and, to it's credit, it is also not a very good social network. Not much chatter going on.

Just a simple way to stay networked with business relations both old and new.

Yeah, it's not the greatest user interface, but not the worst either.

I got some headhunter contacts out of it, but I don't really spend that much time on it - they're essentially having another closed ecosystem with their discussion groups and for my occupation I'd rather take those discussions somewhere else.

my headhunter contacts have been due to my profile appearing in the headhunter's search results, not due to any discussion / participation on my part. i posted a professional summary and the names of some past employers, and i have set my profile / preferences to give me an occasional update on the people in my network. set it and forget it, so to speak.

x3 on no spam/annoying-ness.

In reply to our ever-annoyed-everything-sucks engineer friend.........

Yes, companies HR reps actually contact you on there. In fact, I was contacted by an HR rep from a company in Newark, NJ. For a new field of my existing profession.

So I guess you're right in that I should have had the skills, to find an out-of-state company looking for someone with my skill set to use in a new manner. A company that didn't even post a "want ad" they just went off LinkedIn/etc and used databases of resumes to bring people in with the skill set they were looking for.

How is someone supposed to know/find that?

No issues, I've been using LinkedIn since 2004. I use it to keep tabs on my former co-workers, and I've been sent several very good (unsolicited) opportunities through it.

LinkedIn helps to more clearly define your "informal" network of friends and contacts. Sometimes it's a very small world out there, I've found that some of my co-workers and I share mutual contacts through LinkedIn.

Every position I've had has come though some sort of contact in my network, so I see LinkedIn as a very valuable tool for me. Your mileage will vary, though.

What I like BEST about LinkedIn is that it is NOT a very user friendly interface. It discourages idle chit-chat.

My opinion is that it will never grow into the fad that is FaceBook, but 10 years from now it will still be providing a steady and valuable service to the business community.

Generally, I really hate social networking and everything it stands for. It undermines the productive nature and work ethic of our entire country. LinkedIn does not. It's the limit of my willingness to sell my soul to the int3rn3t.

Well, not counting GRM, or course!

I use it just to keep up with people I have worked with in the past, you never know when it will come in handy.