Professional/Career Moms: How important is Linked In?

[ha98ed14]

For those of you in professional fields, how important is having a Linked In profile? I have stayed off of linked in and fb because I don't like the idea of having all my information out there for all to see. I just completed a webinar through my grad school's Alumni Career Network and there was a question about it, but the presenter didn't get to answer it. She did say that even with all the technology out there, people most often get a job through someone they know so networking is key. How valuable is it for someone to be able to search for you on linked in? What about fb?

[khalloc]

I dont think its all that important. Unless you are looking for a job maybe and it gives you some sort of link to the person you are interviewing with maybe?

[babyonway]

If you are looking for a job and one of your connections has a connection at a company that you want to work at or where you submitted a resume then that can help you get an "in" with that company.

[wellyes]

It probably depends on your field, but it's pretty essential to mine (HR). I'm unemployed right now but have had recruiters contact me through linked in. I've also been told that if someone gets your resume they are likely to look you up on linked in, to see how you portray yourself and how many connections you have.

It is not like facebook. You just put your name, job title, and maybe job history and key professional interests. A photo is optional. You never have to post updates or add anything like address, phone, family info.

[twowhat?]

I think LinkedIn is important. I've gotten emails from recruiters through linkedin who thought I might be interested in positions matching my profile. I've never gotten a job through linkedin (yet) but I would definitely consider it to be a part of networking. Plus it's a good tool for job searching, etc.

[BayGirl2]

In a professional/business field it is VERY important, IME. I reference LI profiles of people before I interview them, try to sell to them, or even have a business conversation with them. Its the first way I start looking for job openings or someone to hire, I want to see if my former colleagues are hiring or if the applicant has worked with someone I know. Its essentially an online resume and shows your professional network - that info is out in others hands anyway if you've ever applied for a job. LI was around long before Facebook and serves a different purpose, and IMO FB is not the place for professional networks to blossom (unless you are a consumer-focused company of course). Those who use LI well use it to build upon their resume and increase their professional credibility and network.

For reference, I work with Procurement Executives from large companies. I come across very few manager and above people who don't have a LI profile and it always makes me wonder when they don't.

ETA: I don't like it when people say "Linked in is Facebook for Professionals". Its actually the other way around. Professional networking has been around forever and has been online for a decade. Facebook brought the concept to social relationships.

[boolady]

It may depend on your field, but if you're actively looking for a job, I think it's important. When DH was looking to make a change, he got himself on linkedin, got references posted from appropriate people, did a nice summary of himself from his resume, and he got a lot of interest based on his profile. Employers do search for prospective employees who meet their parameters. He ended up finding the job he's in now by cold calling a place he just really wanted to work, but he had 4 or 5 decent interviews out of linkedin connections.

[Globetrotter]

I wish I had taken it more seriously before I started looking for a job. You can see if any of your friends know someone who works for a company you are interested in.

[twowhat?]

I just wanted to add that even if you're not actively looking for a job, it takes time and energy to build a profile and start adding connections, etc. So I would start now. This is a good reminder for me that I need to beef up my connections...I'm just so shy about asking people (even those I know!) to connect!!

[sntm]

It's been helpful for me, and I'm not looking for a job and am not in a profession where "contacts" are necessarily important, but I have had people contact me for breast issues that saw that I was linked to a friend or colleague.

[BayGirl2]

I just wanted to add that even if you're not actively looking for a job, it takes time and energy to build a profile and start adding connections, etc. So I would start now. This is a good reminder for me that I need to beef up my connections...I'm just so shy about asking people (even those I know!) to connect!!

Don't be shy about it! Its so common to receive LI requests these days that I don't think twice about them and accept. Its just saying you worked with/know a person, not that you are their "friend" like on facebook.

Your network is a valuable career asset..... ok, off my Advising soap box now.:)

[twowhat?]

Don't be shy about it! Its so common to receive LI requests these days that I don't think twice about them and accept. Its just saying you worked with/know a person, not that you are their "friend" like on facebook.

Your network is a valuable career asset..... ok, off my Advising soap box now.:)

I know! (slaps self). Heading to LinkedIn now to add some connections...

eta: sent requests to about 20! Drying the sweat off my hands now. Why does that make me so nervous? :)

[elektra]

In my industry (Tech/Marketing) it is standard to have a LinkedIn profile.
I would definitely do one. I think LinkedIn is more where you can share business info only. Stuff you would not mind an employer searching- stuff you want them to search.
FB is important for my work too but only because I am supposed to know about social media in my industry. I would not think a FB profile is essential outside of certain industries like Marketing.

[Mommy_Mea]

I have often wondered this myself, and now I have my answer. I know what I will be doing tonight!

[boolady]

I will add that while DH didn't love spending time on linkedin at first, he soon reconnected with a lot of professional connections he had lost touch with and considers the ability to make contact with these people on an almost immediate basis very valuable. He joined some professional groups on linkedin and found through his connections that people he knew had connections to other people he knew and he had absolutely no idea. Once he got into it a bit, it turned out to be a very positive thing in terms of networking and staying current.

[AnnieW625]

I have a profile, but I haven't really done anything with it because I don't want to work in private sector workers comp., but if I ever have to look for a job I am definitely going to use it to my advantage.

[BabyBearsMom]

I'm a CPA and in my line of work, I think linked in is kind of meh. It can help but isn't a necessity. But then again, when I decided to leave my old job, I called up a finance recruiting firm, gave them my resume and they brough back options of who was looking for someone like me. I told them which ones sounded interesting to me and the recruiter contacted companies and gave them my resume. If they liked me, they told the recruiter and I went in for an interview. It was very easy and I think this is probably very unusual outside of my line of work.

[wellyes]

Its so common to receive LI requests these days that I don't think twice about them and accept. Its just saying you worked with/know a person, not that you are their "friend" like on facebook.

This is one thing I really like about Linked In. No drama. Everyone wants as many connections as possible. So long as you observe common sense etiquette (don't make requests of people you've never met; if you're the mail clerk, don't send an invite to the CFO), your requests will always be accepted.

[echoesofspring]

If I was looking for a job, I would definitely have a Linked In profile. I don't do a very good job of keeping my profile/resume up to date, have never solicited reviews from contacts, etc. and I still get inquiries from recruiters.

In 2010 I was interested in working for a company for whom I couldn't find a lot of information about. The position was a telecommuting one so there wasn't really an official office to visit, etc. For something like $25 a month I was able to purchase a LI pro membership. This lets you see the public profiles of anyone on LI, not just your contacts. I searched for the company and could look at the profiles that came up. It was a great way to see that the company was legit, how long people tended to stay there, what their background was, etc. It was a great way to see whether I thought it would be a good fit for me. As soon as I had the info I needed I canceled the membership, but I think I might buy it again if I was job hunting.

[edurnemk]

I guess it depends on the field but IMO it's super important. I use it a lot for work and networking, and it's what companies and head hunters are using to find candidates for job openings.

I'm not job hunting, but I have found valuable business contacts through Linkedin. I've signed up for several groups related to my job and through them have found valuable information.

I also feel more comfortable privacy-wise with Linkedin vs. FB. Only your direct contacts can see your full profile, and you can control how much others can see. Also it doesn't include personal information, just your job history, where you work, your skills, etc. It's also much more useful than FB since it's 100% professionally oriented.

[smiles33]

Yes, it is becoming increasingly helpful to have a LI profile. For what it's worth, I have 500+ contacts because my former students have also connected with me and I can use it to link current students to alumni. Most people seem to have anywhere from 5-50 contacts, but I'm finding my recruiter friends have THOUSANDS of contacts.

I also decline all invitations from people I've never met. There are folks who just like to collect connections and if your network isn't composed of people you know, you are exposing your other contacts to random people (since you can see the connections of your connections unless your connections choose to hide their connections).

[sdoyle]

I don't spend a lot of time on there but I do get solicitations for interviews on there sometimes. It would definitely be something I would be beefing up if I was planning on switching positions anytime soon.

I was leary since I'm not a huge FB fan but it really only focuses on your profession and "puts you out there" a bit as a professional. Definitely worth your time if you are going to be in the job market soon.

Stacy

[luckytwenty]

I didn't think it was that important to have a *great* profile (just to have one is kind of a standard in my industry, marketing) but I had some downtime over the winter holidays, updated mine with specific skills, and I am not kidding when I say I had three inquiries within that week. The following week, a recruiter swiftly poached me from a job I'd been quite happy at, for much more money and a better title, perks, etc. I went from content with my life/job to sputtering in gleeful disbelief.

Yeah, I'd put some time into it!

[Twin Mom]

I am looking for a job and LinkedIn has helped me get back in touch with people I have worked with in the past and I have had a few contact me for interviews which has been great. For someone who really doesn't like networking (ME), it makes it much easier to connect with people and try to see who is working where and if I know anyone who works at a company I am interested in.

IMO it is a must if you are a professional looking for a job but honestly, even if you aren't looking, it definitely gives you more opportunity for someone to seek you out for a new and hopefully better position! Worst case you don't do anything with it. LI doesn't have personal information only work related info. I am not on FB and have no interest in being on it but I will continue to use LI to network and hopefully find a job.

[ha98ed14]

I know! (slaps self). Heading to LinkedIn now to add some connections...

eta: sent requests to about 20! Drying the sweat off my hands now. Why does that make me so nervous? :)

Ok, I set myself up with a basic profile. Problem is most of the people I've worked with most recently in CA are not on there! Agh! So I have no connections. I'm lame. :(

Having been out of the workforce for 5+ years, I have lost touch with all my previous contacts. Most of my professional connections are in Phila because that is the last place I worked. I've done one consulting gig since moving here. Ugh.

IS IT RUDE TO SEND A REQUEST FOR A LINK WITHOUT MAKING EMAIL CONTACT FIRST? To reintroduce myself?

[niccig]

Having been out of the workforce for 5+ years, I have lost touch with all my previous contacts. Most of my professional connections are in Phila because that is the last place I worked. I've done one consulting gig since moving here. Ugh.


Still put your old work contacts in - you never know who knows who, or who want to same college, or met at a conference etc. Put in CA people as you meet more..

[boolady]

Still put your old work contacts in - you never know who knows who, or who want to same college, or met at a conference etc. Put in CA people as you meet more..

Just send the people a request to connect if you think they remember you. It's all professional, so as long as they remember you at all, I'm sure they'll accept you as a connection. The benefit to more professional connections works both ways.

[twowhat?]

So kind of an OT question for the more LinkedIn-saavy: do recruiters see "lots of connections" as a positive? In other words, is it bad if you don't have "lots of connections"? (And what is "a lot" anyway?)

And I just need to b!tch about LinkedIn - it is SO CLUNKY and I've had so much trouble getting it to look the way I want and it keeps saying my company is in the supply chain industry (which cannot be farther from the truth!!) no matter how I try to change it! Grrr.

[khm]

Interesting!

LinkedIn isn't really big in my field. I did join briefly awhile back at the request of my cousin. We are in completely different fields, do not have ANY colleagues in common, are 15 years apart in age, and do not live in the same area. I basically had my name out there, her as my only connection, an NO work info listed, not a single bit.

Yet, right away LinkedIn started "recommending" people to me that I did know, however tangentially (and my cousin absolutely did not).

These people were either very distant personal connections and some close friends (but who are not in my field), and I admit, I found it creepy.

How do they cull that info together? It seemed way creepier than FB, to be honest. FB you can always trace back the connection. With LinkedIn, I could not.

A VP friend at a company I know said she got off it because she too found it eerie how it would recommend random people from her personal past rather than her professional one.

[boolady]

Interesting!

These people were either very distant personal connections and some close friends (but who are not in my field), and I admit, I found it creepy.

How do they cull that info together? It seemed way creepier than FB, to be honest. FB you can always trace back the connection. With LinkedIn, I could not.

A VP friend at a company I know said she got off it because she too found it eerie how it would recommend random people from her personal past rather than her professional one.

If you permit it to, it searches whatever email you join with for email addresses. So if you've got old personal connections in your email address book, that's where they're coming from.

[khm]

If you permit it to, it searches whatever email you join with for email addresses. So if you've got old personal connections in your email address book, that's where they're coming from.

I thought of that, but some were so very tangential to me that I do not even HAVE their email addresses.at.all! Not on mass fwds, not a single email between us, definitely not in my actual contact address book.

I mean, its like someone I know in passing or had heard of them but don't even "know them" know them, etc.

And, to my knowledge I did not permit a search of my contacts anyways. I was very careful with the sign up process and I'd already been made leery of the whole thing by my VP friend....

I'm not too freaked out about it, I mean, I'm on FB and all that jazz. It's a digital world, I get it.

It just struck me as really really strange and I wondered where their intel was coming from!

[boolady]

I thought of that, but some were so very tangential to me that I do not even HAVE their email addresses.at.all! Not on mass fwds, not a single email between us, definitely not in my actual contact address book.

I mean, its like someone I know in passing or had heard of them but don't even "know them" know them, etc.

And, to my knowledge I did not permit a search of my contacts anyways. I was very careful with the sign up process and I'd already been made leery of the whole thing by my VP friend....

I'm not too freaked out about it, I mean, I'm on FB and all that jazz. It's a digital world, I get it.

It just struck me as really really strange and I wondered where their intel was coming from!

Interesting. I don't think DH had that happen, but would he have even noticed? :)

[ha98ed14]

Yet, right away LinkedIn started "recommending" people to me that I did know, however tangentially (and my cousin absolutely did not).


Same thing happened to me! They recommended a girl I went to high school with. We were never close, I don't even think I'm fb friends with her. But we went to a very small high school so I am thinking somewhere out there are names are associated with the school and that's how they made the connection.

[Globetrotter]

You probably have mutual friends or the school connection.

[BayGirl2]

IS IT RUDE TO SEND A REQUEST FOR A LINK WITHOUT MAKING EMAIL CONTACT FIRST? To reintroduce myself?
I don't think so. If you have LI send out individual request you can add a note beyond the standard text. Something like "Hope you are doing well, wanted to stay in touch" or whatever. I get standard requests all the time and think nothing of that.


Interesting! ...
Yet, right away LinkedIn started "recommending" people to me that I did know, however tangentially (and my cousin absolutely did not).

These people were either very distant personal connections and some close friends (but who are not in my field), and I admit, I found it creepy.

How do they cull that info together? It seemed way creepier than FB, to be honest. FB you can always trace back the connection. With LinkedIn, I could not.

A VP friend at a company I know said she got off it because she too found it eerie how it would recommend random people from her personal past rather than her professional one.
Did you have information in your profile about where you attended school, lived, or worked? Whatever is on your "resume" will be used to recommend people you may have crossed paths with. I actually find that function very useful. But if you put too much personal stuff (camps, activities, schools) on your resume it may be finding people from your distant past.

[khm]

Did you have information in your profile about where you attended school, lived, or worked? Whatever is on your "resume" will be used to recommend people you may have crossed paths with. I actually find that function very useful. But if you put too much personal stuff (camps, activities, schools) on your resume it may be finding people from your distant past.

I had a single connection, and she didn't know the people who were recommended to me. We do not run in the same personal or professional circles. We don't even live in the same state.

I had no resume, no company history, no school history, no statements, I did not let it search my address book, nothing. Literally NOTHING. :) I merely set up a quick account to accept her request. I set up the account with my name and that's it.

Shrug, I'm really not all conspiracy theory about it. It just amazes me that they DID connect me to people I did in fact know, however vaguely. I had absolutely zero info out there for them to use, yet.... they had something. :) Maybe they were just picking ramdom people who had an IP address close to mine and I happened to know them. (kidding)

I really do not know!

[edurnemk]

I had a single connection, and she didn't know the people who were recommended to me. We do not run in the same personal or professional circles. We don't even live in the same state.

I had no resume, no company history, no school history, no statements, I did not let it search my address book, nothing. Literally NOTHING. :) I merely set up a quick account to accept her request. I set up the account with my name and that's it.

Shrug, I'm really not all conspiracy theory about it. It just amazes me that they DID connect me to people I did in fact know, however vaguely. I had absolutely zero info out there for them to use, yet.... they had something. :) Maybe they were just picking ramdom people who had an IP address close to mine and I happened to know them. (kidding)

I really do not know!

Maybe they based the recommendations on your friend's profile and connections, since you are now connected to her. When LI suggests people you may know it always shows in what degree you are connected to them (it says 2nd, 3rd, etc in blue letters) and if you go to see their public profile it will show on the lower right side of the screen the shared connections among you.

[khm]

Maybe they based the recommendations on your friend's profile and connections, since you are now connected to her. When LI suggests people you may know it always shows in what degree you are connected to them (it says 2nd, 3rd, etc in blue letters) and if you go to see their public profile it will show on the lower right side of the screen the shared connections among you.

No, they were people who I knew from my (geographical) area, which is not at all her geographical area and never has been, they do not know each other at all, nor do they share any professional overlaps at all. :) It is a complete mystery to me, but I am certain they weren't tied to her at all.

[ncat]

people whose profiles I have searched for or looked at frequently come back as recommendations, sometimes months later. Maybe these people had looked at your profile?

[TxCat]

Because of this thread, I spent 30 minutes last night updating my LI profile and sending out contact requests. And accepting random requests that had been sitting in my inbox for months, like one from a very intense fling years ago. Who of course messaged me today - a nice message, but still, a surprising blast from the past, especially since all I did it for was to "expand my professional network." :rolleyes:

[kijip]

No, they were people who I knew from my (geographical) area, which is not at all her geographical area and never has been, they do not know each other at all, nor do they share any professional overlaps at all. :) It is a complete mystery to me, but I am certain they weren't tied to her at all.

Your email was in their email and they did allow linkedin to troll their contacts on their email.

[ha98ed14]

Your email was in their email and they did allow linkedin to troll their contacts on their email.

That's got to be it! I registered with LI with the email address that they already had from her. She prob did have my email from reunion stuff years ago. You're good!

[vdrake71]

I was at a conference in Chicago and the CEO of the association stated that almost 70% of jobs in my industry were found through LinkedIn