LinkedIn - pros and cons?

shirachadasha

Mon, Feb 06 2017, 8:09 pm

In what ways is having a LinkedIn account helpful?
I'm thinking about creating an account. My main concern is that I'll waste too much time on it. Also, irl I'm courteous / friendly with men but I don't know how I feel about being an online "friend".

amother

Yellow

Mon, Feb 06 2017, 8:15 pm

Are you (a) looking for a job or (b) looking for clients? LinkedIn is many things - but at its core, its a public place for your resume.

Raindropsonrose

Mon, Feb 06 2017, 8:16 pm

LinkedIn is a professional networking site. It's not a social network like Facebook where people post updates about their lives. LinkedIn is basically an online resume and a list of contacts, and can be good when job hunting or networking...

cnc

Mon, Feb 06 2017, 8:33 pm

shirachadasha wrote:

It's for professionals- it's not for "downtime".

I only login when I receive a notification that something of interest to me was posted.

Mon, Feb 06 2017, 8:35 pm

If you work, you should be on LinkedIn. It can be challenging to keep in touch with professional contacts as people move or change jobs over time. LI keeps all your contacts together, and gives you an easy way to be in touch if (for example) you want to request a letter of reference from a former employer who moved away five years ago. It is also invaluable for finding contacts within companies or industries, in case you are trying to change job.

LinkedIn does have messaging, affinity groups, ways to post and share articles, and so on. You can just skip all of this if you want, but people use even these "social" features for career development. For example, joining a college alumni group on LinkedIn is one way to find job leads or people with specific skills or background.

You don't have "friends" on LI; you have "contacts." I have never received any communication via LI that wasn't work-related, and really wouldn't worry about that aspect.