How much effort do you put into maintaining a LinkedIn profile or is there a better choice for your effort?
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So do you use social media or anything else for your professional life?
'With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control,mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country! from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?' - Jay Leno
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So do you use social media or anything else for your professional life?
'With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control,mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country! from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?' - Jay Leno
Don't really use anything, direct approach, word of mouth. (Almost semi retired, work only by request if it's interesting and/or to pass time as getting older and can only spend so many hours on my bike each week.) LinkeIn is probably OK for younger folk but you must maintain it, almost weekly (minimally monthly) need be touching it up, checking layout/readability - for goodness sake do spell check - that matters to recruiters and their filter software - recruiters often run their keyword scans through it so it can help to find work. I'd be wary of other social media particularly where other people can comment/reply or even link to it, last thing you want is to have put effort into a good write-up about yourself and have some moron post a stupid comment or joke - at least LinkedIn doesn't have that feature.
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I am constantly told that I need to maintain a very active LinkedIn Profile. What are your thoughts?
'With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control,mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country! from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?' - Jay Leno
If you're a consultant, then probably yes. When I was a consultant 15 years ago I updated my monster account daily. I'm now full-time employee who is not looking for a job outside of my organization. I actually opened a linkedin account some 10+ years ago and never really used it. I've added some skills, education, and old certs but that has been several years ago. In fact, I have hidden my profile from public view because I don't want people contacting me about any jobs. I'll contact them if I find an interesting ad. I will admit, I do have a fake linkedin account I use to lookup old friends and coworkers.
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I am constantly told that I need to maintain a very active LinkedIn Profile. What are your thoughts?
'With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control,mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country! from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?' - Jay Leno
I think LinkedIn is totally useless. I made a profile there during my last job search and I get exactly zero leads of any interest from it. I found all my interesting leads through personal contacts. This was actually a first for me. Previously I found my last several jobs from people asking me to work for them. The last time I had to do the searching myself. I ended up finding my current job through an add on Craig's List. I was rather surprised but it worked out for me and I've been here two years now.
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I am constantly told that I need to maintain a very active LinkedIn Profile. What are your thoughts?
'With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control,mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country! from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?' - Jay Leno
I got my best job via LinkedIn. I get contacted at least 5-10 times a month from recruiters via LinkedIn. If you are looking for work, then get the Premium account and set up your account as if you mean business, or just don't use the service. Your call. It works, if you want it to. Good luck. Edit: unlike some of the posters in this thread, I have had excellent results using the LinkedIn service. I am currently a contractor.
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I am constantly told that I need to maintain a very active LinkedIn Profile. What are your thoughts?
'With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control,mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country! from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?' - Jay Leno
I got three contracts and my current full time job through recruiters who found me on LinkedIn. I don't keep my profile "very active", just up-to-date.
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I got my best job via LinkedIn. I get contacted at least 5-10 times a month from recruiters via LinkedIn. If you are looking for work, then get the Premium account and set up your account as if you mean business, or just don't use the service. Your call. It works, if you want it to. Good luck. Edit: unlike some of the posters in this thread, I have had excellent results using the LinkedIn service. I am currently a contractor.
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I am constantly told that I need to maintain a very active LinkedIn Profile. What are your thoughts?
'With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control,mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country! from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?' - Jay Leno
I agree with Slacker007. I recently changed jobs and linked-in was great to reach out to old colleagues to see if they knew of any openings. But recently is really the only time I ever used it. I only update it when I change jobs.
Everyone is born right handed. Only the strongest overcome it. Fight for left-handed rights and hand equality.
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I am constantly told that I need to maintain a very active LinkedIn Profile. What are your thoughts?
'With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control,mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country! from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?' - Jay Leno
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I am constantly told that I need to maintain a very active LinkedIn Profile. What are your thoughts?
'With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control,mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country! from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?' - Jay Leno
Fuck all is my answer.
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I am constantly told that I need to maintain a very active LinkedIn Profile. What are your thoughts?
'With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control,mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country! from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?' - Jay Leno
My LinkedIn profile is accurate and up-to-date. However, because my professional profile doesn't change that often, it's easy keeping it up-to-date. I also don't accept connection requests from people I don't know (e.g. recruiters and random folk) personally or professionally. /ravi
My new year resolution: 2048 x 1536 Home | Articles | My .NET bits | Freeware ravib(at)ravib(dot)com
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I got my best job via LinkedIn. I get contacted at least 5-10 times a month from recruiters via LinkedIn. If you are looking for work, then get the Premium account and set up your account as if you mean business, or just don't use the service. Your call. It works, if you want it to. Good luck. Edit: unlike some of the posters in this thread, I have had excellent results using the LinkedIn service. I am currently a contractor.
Slacker007 wrote:
unlike some of the posters in this thread, I have had excellent results using the LinkedIn service.
:thumbsup: Me too, even though I'm not looking for work. /ravi
My new year resolution: 2048 x 1536 Home | Articles | My .NET bits | Freeware ravib(at)ravib(dot)com
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I am constantly told that I need to maintain a very active LinkedIn Profile. What are your thoughts?
'With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control,mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country! from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?' - Jay Leno
It's a round number: 0
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I am constantly told that I need to maintain a very active LinkedIn Profile. What are your thoughts?
'With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control,mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country! from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?' - Jay Leno
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Timothy W. Okrey wrote:
So do you use social media or anything else for your professional life?
The day it becomes a requirement for me to have any sort of social media account "for my professional life" is the day I throw in the towel.
dandy72 wrote:
The day it becomes a requirement for me to have any sort of social media account "for my professional life" is the day I throw in the towel.
This! If I could manage to get my other thumb out of my ass I'd give it two thumbs up :thumbsup:
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I am constantly told that I need to maintain a very active LinkedIn Profile. What are your thoughts?
'With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control,mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country! from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?' - Jay Leno
Timothy W. Okrey wrote:
What are your thoughts?
That's between you and your profile. What we think matters not.
"One man's wage rise is another man's price increase." - Harold Wilson
"Fireproof doesn't mean the fire will never come. It means when the fire comes that you will be able to withstand it." - Michael Simmons
"You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him." - James D. Miles
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Timothy W. Okrey wrote:
So do you use social media or anything else for your professional life?
The day it becomes a requirement for me to have any sort of social media account "for my professional life" is the day I throw in the towel.
Sentiment understood. I would be more inclined to use that towel, rolled up, to apply some old school locker room antics.
"One man's wage rise is another man's price increase." - Harold Wilson
"Fireproof doesn't mean the fire will never come. It means when the fire comes that you will be able to withstand it." - Michael Simmons
"You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him." - James D. Miles
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Timothy W. Okrey wrote:
What are your thoughts?
That's between you and your profile. What we think matters not.
"One man's wage rise is another man's price increase." - Harold Wilson
"Fireproof doesn't mean the fire will never come. It means when the fire comes that you will be able to withstand it." - Michael Simmons
"You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him." - James D. Miles
I strongly disagree. This site is full of seasoned professionals who have been through the mill a few times. Their thoughts and ideas on what works and what does not can really help fellow developers navigate through tough spots like finding work. "What are your thoughts?" is a legitimate question, and is really what the lounge is all about.
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend; inside of a dog, it's too dark to read. -- Groucho Marx
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I am constantly told that I need to maintain a very active LinkedIn Profile. What are your thoughts?
'With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control,mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country! from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?' - Jay Leno
In terms of business profiles, LinkedIn is the the top dog currently. A basic profile is good enough to set and forget for most people. My view is that it is essential for anything where you often reach out to people. My top thoughts for needing a profile that is often updated: 1. Sales - you can reach out to people who your contacts are connected to! 2. Consulting - you can ask for recommendations that are publicly viewable. 3. Thought leadership - lots of people read the content on LinkedIn 4. Looking for a job - A LinkedIn profile can make you look more professional Since people also often jump jobs, it is also an easy way to find lost business associates. If you are a developer and are happy with your job/career, I wouldn't do anything more than the minimum.
"Qulatiy is Job #1"
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I am constantly told that I need to maintain a very active LinkedIn Profile. What are your thoughts?
'With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control,mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country! from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?' - Jay Leno
TL;DR - Network if you want. It's up to you. Like many other areas in life, you'll have to put some time into it in order to gain any benefit. Benefits aren't guaranteed, of course, but you're guaranteed to get nothing out of LinkedIn if you don't put anything into it. I get contacted by recruiters often, but it's easy to tell the garbage from the real jobs. One benefit I have is that I live in an area with limited senior-level development talent, so many of us know each other, and know the companies. Every now and again, a new company enters the area, and they spend time looking at LinkedIn. This lead to one job that I had, and it was a good job. I only left that place due to a change in leadership; leaving was my vote of no confidence. That said, LinkedIn is more than just your profile. I'm part of a military veterans group on that site, and that's afforded me several opportunities to talk to people I wouldn't have otherwise come across. I enjoy using LinkedIn, but I also understand it's not for everybody, and I don't look down upon people who don't use the site.