Is LinkedIn worth keeping?

[SiliconWizard]

I initially thought of it as a Facebook for work related stuff. So you could make use of the contacts you have at work and not have them see the crazy stuff you get up to at the weekend.

I avoid it mostly as it wants to be a job advertising website and is infested with agencies trying to sell me a job that I left years ago.

Some of the headhunters are completely useless. I had one that cold called me on my work phone to try to poach me. I was sitting 1.5m from my boss.

I've had a headhunter call me at my workplace too, company phone! - which I thought was pretty dumb.

[tom66]

I initially thought of it as a Facebook for work related stuff. So you could make use of the contacts you have at work and not have them see the crazy stuff you get up to at the weekend.

I avoid it mostly as it wants to be a job advertising website and is infested with agencies trying to sell me a job that I left years ago.

Some of the headhunters are completely useless. I had one that cold called me on my work phone to try to poach me. I was sitting 1.5m from my boss.

I've had a headhunter call me at my workplace too, company phone! - which I thought was pretty dumb.

I can beat that.  I've had one email me on my work email about a new job offer. Come on, man... How stupid can you be...

[SiliconWizard]

I initially thought of it as a Facebook for work related stuff. So you could make use of the contacts you have at work and not have them see the crazy stuff you get up to at the weekend.

I avoid it mostly as it wants to be a job advertising website and is infested with agencies trying to sell me a job that I left years ago.

Some of the headhunters are completely useless. I had one that cold called me on my work phone to try to poach me. I was sitting 1.5m from my boss.

I've had a headhunter call me at my workplace too, company phone! - which I thought was pretty dumb.

I can beat that.  I've had one email me on my work email about a new job offer. Come on, man... How stupid can you be...

I think that some (many?) HR dumbasses just use the first phone number/email they get ahold of for a given person and use that without a second thought. It's the same method as spamming. They play the numbers and statistically get some results.

[blackfin76]

should keep it.

Nee.

But sometimes it can be usefull to find your next job.

[PlainName]

I initially thought of it as a Facebook for work related stuff. So you could make use of the contacts you have at work and not have them see the crazy stuff you get up to at the weekend.

I avoid it mostly as it wants to be a job advertising website and is infested with agencies trying to sell me a job that I left years ago.

Some of the headhunters are completely useless. I had one that cold called me on my work phone to try to poach me. I was sitting 1.5m from my boss.

I've had a headhunter call me at my workplace too, company phone! - which I thought was pretty dumb.

I can beat that.  I've had one email me on my work email about a new job offer. Come on, man... How stupid can you be...

I must be living in a backwater. Why is contacting you at work - by a headhunter - dumb? How else are they supposed to contact you@your_work since I'm pretty sure you wouldn't splash your private phone number and email all over the interwebs (and if you did, probably not link them to your CV). Worst case, surely, is they get blocked by your company but there's a chance you may follow up, which is all they're after in the end.

[floobydust]

I had one headhunter phone my present day employer for a reference  The boss was freaked out of course. That was awkward - I phoned the recruiting company and flamed the manager, for hiring total bimbos. Headhunters are generally stupid and sharks that are only after the placement dollars and collecting candidates. I have a friend in that business and she tells me the stories. It's basically desperation to pimp you out, by people who have no idea about the technical skills names, meanings etc.
Within a headhunting company, they routinely backstab each other and steal candidates.

[coppice]

I had one headhunter phone my present day employer for a reference  The boss was freaked out of course. That was awkward - I phoned the recruiting company and flamed the manager, for hiring total bimbos. Headhunters are generally stupid and sharks that are only after the placement dollars and collecting candidates. I have a friend in that business and she tells me the stories. It's basically desperation to pimp you out, by people who have no idea about the technical skills names, meanings etc.
Within a headhunting company, they routinely backstab each other and steal candidates.

When you find an ex-engineer working in recruitment its such a wonderful experience. Most recruiters aren't just limited by their own understanding, they aren't even trying.

[tom66]

I must be living in a backwater. Why is contacting you at work - by a headhunter - dumb? How else are they supposed to contact you@your_work since I'm pretty sure you wouldn't splash your private phone number and email all over the interwebs (and if you did, probably not link them to your CV). Worst case, surely, is they get blocked by your company but there's a chance you may follow up, which is all they're after in the end.

Well, he didn't leave a phone number, so was expecting an email response, from my work email, about a competing job?

No, I am not going to do that.  Unprofessional to use your employer's computer systems to search for other jobs (and potentially a breach of contract) for one. 

[floobydust]

I have a few LinkedIn "connections" only with people I am really interested in and value, good peers. Instead of just anyone to jack up the number- which is a popular stunt.

I tried to add Dave as a connection, very long time ago. But it's only famous celebrities that are "on the list" lol. Didn't make it.
Also, making my connections visible to others is kind of shooting oneself in the foot if you are looking for work. You would likely have other peers, competitors to yourself on there and why aid recruiters? Why does knowing who you know matter? Seems like a zuckerburg strategy lol.

[...]  Unprofessional to use your employer's computer systems to search for other jobs (and potentially a breach of contract) for one. 

That is unprofessional?  I had a boss (married) using on-line dating site, another was checking out Sunshine Girls - with company computer. I walked in to their office a bit too fast for them to hide it. ICK. I've seen co-workers do their on-line banking, shopping, stream music as well.

I'll look at jobs using an employer's computer when confirming an opening got posted, to confirm that lazy HR is going to replace that guy and not overload me more.
If no hiring action is being taken, that is unprofessional IMHO. Then I'm looking for a new job, on company time lol.

[Halcyon]

I tried to add Dave as a connection, very long time ago. But it's only famous celebrities that are "on the list" lol. Didn't make it.

I'm not even connected to Dave! My invite ended up expiring because he never uses it.

[floobydust]

I mention it because it's funny and shows how social media is so overrated and plastic in a way.
On LinkedIn people showboat- their exaggerated number of connections, their social standing, the fame they are following. I got requests from strangers all over the world and no, I have no idea who you are and I don't pad my number of connections. Some HR person frowns about it, IDK.
My generation cares about merit, not image so I have few connections but each is highly skilled, not fake... is Kardashian Test Equipment Co. on there lol. OK she is. 

[Bud]

LinkedIn web site is the text version of TikTok and a model of a garbage useless web site.

[coppice]

LinkedIn web site is the text version of TikTok and a model of a garbage useless web site.

Yes, LinkedIn is terrible. It would be easy to create an effective portal for connecting professionals, and LinkedIn is so bad it shouldn't be hard to make people migrate to it. That hasn't happened. I find that interesting.

[floobydust]

LinkedIn china shut down recently, August 2023, cut 716 jobs. Microsoft seems to have put their LinkedIn effort into china - the social media function was banned in 2016. Several years and dollars wasted on the InCareer app.
Fixing LinkedIn in the West, can't see it happening. I found "LinkedIn Mastermind Club is an AI-integrated online community portal for professionals to learn and connect." Sounds super creepy. Who needs HR when the AI can do it lol.

Look at Google+ crash and burned, you have a couple trillion $ market cap yet are totally impotent. Why?
Mega corporations can't do it. They aren't in it to make it good or to better society - it's about their hidden agenda towards data mining private information, all in the name of "advertising". Or maybe it's social control, influencing voters - who knows. Lemmings do not jump off the ice pack!

[coppice]

Look at Google+ crash and burned, you have a couple trillion $ market cap yet are totally impotent. Why?
Mega corporations can't do it. They aren't in it to make it good or to better society - it's about their hidden agenda towards data mining private information, all in the name of "advertising". Or maybe it's social control, influencing voters - who knows. Lemmings do not jump off the ice pack!

Google is easy to explain - inconsistency. They have spent 20 years starting things, finding they aren't taking off, and killing them. No fixing. No migrating existing users to their next iteration of the concept. just dead end after dead end. Some of these are markets they didn't give up on, like VoIP. They started and killed several attempts at that, with no follow through from one try to the next. They can't seem to understand the concept of a pissed off customer. Their cloud services were a disaster when they tried to offer clever ones, with lots of Google specific "value added". Then they hired someone with a functioning brain who offered basic cloud services, which were easy to migrate into and out of, and their cloud stuff took off. Nobody wants to buy in too much to anything proprietary from Google these days.

[Halcyon]

Google is easy to explain - inconsistency. They have spent 20 years starting things, finding they aren't taking off, and killing them. No fixing. No migrating existing users to their next iteration of the concept. just dead end after dead end.

I wonder if this is what they'll end up doing to Mandiant. From all reports that transition isn't going so smoothly.

[dcbrown73]

I'm a c-level IT executive.  LinkedIn is only good for providing a way people selling something to find you.

Meaning I haven't found anything of value that LinkedIn provides.

[Halcyon]

I'm a c-level IT executive.  LinkedIn is only good for providing a way people selling something to find you.

Meaning I haven't found anything of value that LinkedIn provides.

Welcome to my world. They quickly discover my very harsh email blocking rules.

[HuronKing]

I maintain my LinkedIn account but I don't contribute to any of the social media aspects of it. The public discussions are vapid and pointless. But, I have received legitimate job offers through it including from Tesla Inc. and I went through the whole interview process (including a chat with Dave Baglino) before I told them to go f**k themselves (the relocation offer was a joke).

In my particular case, I am also a part-time professor so my students connect to me on LinkedIn and I am happy to let them use connecting to me to help bolster their profiles and help them find jobs.

I've also been contacted by random students at other universities who are interesting in how to break in to my field. I'm always happy to give 30 minutes of time to a student who is brave enough to cold message me to ask for career guidance.