1

Is having a LinkedIn profile worth the effort to keep up is all you ever get from it are emails from sales weenies with company X trying to ply their wares? You may know these people emails and shitty articles. I have received a few emails this week alone from tech companies trying to sell me something by using my LinkedIn profile. Why do marketing people think this is a good idea, because I immediately mark them as SPAM and bin them.
Along with that you cannot actually see who has viewed your profile. Suggested contacts are way off, just former coworkers and acquaintances not even in the same career field. The job seek listings are pretty pathetic as well.

I was going to put this under social media (since that is what it is), but I couldn’t find a group for that.

Wast of time? Discuss.

91 Spice ups
2

I agree Rockn pain in the but for what and now you got this going on?

https://blog.avast.com/time-to-chance-your-linkedin-password

9 Spice ups
3

That’s weird - the only two contacts I’ve had via LinkedIn have been from agencies looking for people. As it happens, the first time I wasn’t looking for a job, the second it was first line support, and I’m looking for 2nd/3rd line support!

Yeah, I’m going with worth it.

At the moment, anyway!

13 Spice ups
4

You get notified when people view your profile, most times. Unless they’ve chosen to “remain anonymous” or whatever they call it.

It all really depends on what people/companies/groups you choose to follow. I’m choosy on who I follow, so I see stuff from the same people, but that’s on purpose. Sure, recruiters view my profile and will occasionally try to hit me up for job opportunities, but that’s kind of the point of the site.

5 Spice ups
5

I don’t like to be a follower.

6 Spice ups
6

Just lock down the privacy settings so you can’t be searched for.
I use Linkedin and Facebook sparingly for keeping in touch with people.

Linkedin is where I’ll connect with people I’d work with or would recommend professionally.
Facebook is where I keep in touch with the people I would go for a drink and socialise with.

Some people make it onto top one, some both, some neither.

Linkedin, Facebook, Spiceworks and all other public medium where you interact with other people are tools. It’s up to you how and if you use them.

29 Spice ups
7

With more and more companies Googling prospective employees and checking out their social media before making hiring decisions I almost feel like LinkedIn is a must have, especially for someone in the IT field. However, that being said it’s the ONLY social media site I do have a profile on (as long as you don’t count Spiceworks!). Besides, I get more junk mail from some of the job websites (Monster, Indeed, Job.com, etc…) then I do from LinkedIn.

20 Spice ups
8

Agreed. Main reason I have it is so when my name is searched, I have something that I can control. I’m not a fan of LinkedIn, but it’s become one of those necessary evils.

4 Spice ups
9

I use linkedin to check up on companies I go to interviews at. They use it to check up on me, I use it to check up on them (and glassdoor) so seems fair to me.

Other than that, I barely use it.

18 Spice ups
10

I don’t get emails from sales “weenies” or people trying to ply their wares. I think it’s worth it, I actually landed my current role from a recruiter contacting me through LinkedIn, first recruiter to ever contact me and it all worked out beautifully.

4 Spice ups
11

I see linkedin as a ‘necessary evil’ as a ton of people want to ‘look at your likedin’ and you are ‘weird’ if you don’t have one. Yet yeah 9/10 emails are BS. :o)

9 Spice ups
12

LinkedIn recently acquired Lynda, so I now have a free training account with them which is useful. Mostly my account just sits as a virtual copy of my resume. Some people will find it more useful than others; it really depends on what you want out of it.

9 Spice ups
13

I’m unfamiliar with this aggravation of which you speak.

I’ve been using LinkedIn since 2005 and I’ve only had a handful of random folks try to add me there. These days some sales reps will want to add me. Sometimes I do add them, if I like them and their product enough. Almost all of my contacts, though, are people with whom I’ve actually worked at the same company. My LinkedIn profile is my resume/CV.

I don’t leverage it as effectively as I ought, though. The one thing I’ve put off doing is writing a few, selective recommendations. The recommendations component is one of the best aspects of the site, in my opinion.

6 Spice ups
14

The first time I revved up my Linked in profile about five years ago, I got a ping from an old acquaintance that turned into a $10K contract. Pretty much sold me on the value ratio of $$ vs. PITA emails. It’s not like LinkedIn is the only source for that! I don’t BookFaceTwitChat because I’m in contact with the friends I wish to be in contact with already. For professional contacts, LinkedIn works well enough. It’s already too easy to be a reclusive IT person, I count LinkedIn as “doing something that makes me uncomfortable” as a growth experience.

5 Spice ups
15

You never know when it will pay off - Linkedin is just a tool in the toolbox and one day you might be glad that you had that tool even thought it seems worthless now.

7 Spice ups
16

I get plenty of sales calls, or did but then again my official title was Vendor Analyst. That said, an article I wrote and posted on linked in was a major factor in getting my current role. I hit almost every pain point they were feeling.

I keep it current and I have a a couple nibbles, but I find most companies aren’t hunting generalists on linked in.

3 Spice ups
17

I’m also unfamiliar with this aggravation you talk about. Sure I’ve gotten a few sales/recruitment messages over the couple years I’ve had my LinkedIn, but I mean that literally - a few as in maybe 4 or 5. I turned off most email notifications so I don’t get sales crap from LinkedIn. I use it as a way to network and keep in touch with contacts. I also just recently went back and added a bunch of people who graduated in my class from the high school academy program I went though. Yeah their professions are totally different than mine, but it’s expanding my network and therefore my opportunities.

Mostly I just use it as an expanded digital resume. I have a ton of stuff on my LinkedIn that’s not really appropriate for a resume such as volunteer activities not related to tech and various informal publications I’ve been part of. It’s a huge help for me personally to add things as it happens because I have a terrible memory, especially when it comes to specific dates. By keeping everything organized in my LinkedIn I can very easily adjust resumes when needed.

11 Spice ups
18

Then maybe I am just using it incorrectly. It seems like a lot of fluff as I don’t really care whether a prospective employer might think I am weird because I don’t have a profile. I have perhaps 2 or 3 contacts that are really important and the rest I could give a rip about. Some coworker that I worked with 10 years ago, who cares. It is more the aspect that people are using it as a marketing tool and I definitely think LI encourage this behaviour as it is probably how they pay the bills. If it were strictly a tool for professional business people I would have less of an issue with it.

19

I have a linkedin account, rarely use it or update it, all I get is crap. Thinking about ditching but then what would I use instead, facebook is hardly professional.

20

If you are using it on it’s own as a networking tool or job search tool, or adding people you already know and contact other ways, it’s not all that useful. You can search for jobs and connect with recruiters just as effectively using traditional methods.

Nowadays, I mainly use LinkedIn to research companies and see if any connections I have know anyone at that company or not.

The way I’d suggest to use it (if you are going to use it), is to have your profile completely filled out with a photo. Then go to meetups, job fairs, or other live events where you meet people face to face and connect to them there. If you both use LinkedIn and had a good connection, then add them. Also, consistently post updates, get recommendations or even write an article on LinkedIn (marketing). Also, use it to expand on your resume as others have suggested.

The key is, if you’re not out networking with people you don’t already know, it won’t be anywhere near as valuable.

I find most people in my connections vary from kind of use it to never use it. I would guess the majority who use LinkedIn are similar.

1 Spice up