LinkedIn - Are you a member?
 

Folks,

I am looking into expanding my career/academic path and am wondering if LinkedIn is a decent venue. I have always viewed it as social networking in disguise but a few of my colleagues believe that it is stronger than that.

For those of you that are members, has this ever hurt or helped you in your career path?

I feel that I have a decent reputation with past professors and co-workers and was hoping that I could leverage some of those relationships into more opprotunities.

So, what do you think? I am currently not involved in any of the major social networks (unless this is considered one http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...es/tongue1.gif) so this would be a first for me across the board.

I use it regularly. I get the following benefits from it:

1) quick way to find a supplier.
2) check out the employment history / profile / endorsements of any potential employee.
3) quick way to find a recruiter for a vacancy.
4) business networking means I can put people in touch, and they can put me in touch.
5) I'm often approached by recruitment agents regarding roles I might be interested in.

Your mileage may vary though. You need contacts that have a large network and are in managerial positions to get the most out of it. No offence to anyone who isn't in a managerial position, but they don't generally have any decision making abilities so you just have to get put in touch with someone who does.

Thanks for the input. Do you find it "professional" compared to the other networks?

To be fair, our fields and prospects are quite a bit different, I think. The world of engineering is pretty small* and relies heavily on experience. The approval of a well-respected colleague tends to get you pretty far... even if that colleague is just a researcher or professor.

*- small in the sense that everyone seems to know each other after a while.

Yes. I wouldn't think of posting a status update on LinkedIn and I don't see anyone else doing it. You can't have photo galleries and all that guff either.

I also only add contacts who I have had professional contact with, or would be useful for that.

You make a compelling case.

Anyone else?

Nah I am not a member ,

it a social thing..c'mon http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...ies/laugh1.gif

http://branchout.com/

don't laugh, I hope this one day will kill linked-in

Any reason why?

Because I hate to have 2 accounts and because I would leverage my entire network not just the business one.


I do have a special "business contacts" list on Facebook with limited access to my information.

I use it because it's a great tool to find out more about different people in my company providing they have an account. So if one day I decide to climb the corporate latter I can use the information provided to sway the interviewer. :)

bu*cough* llshit

I have just checked that out. I think I'll stick to having a dedicated professional network as it will just end up like an extension of facebook otherwise.

Can it handle people who are not on facebook? I only had a quick look, but most of my linkedin network are not people I would want on facebook.

*if* lol

Ok, I joined and already have a bad taste in my mouth.

It asked if I wanted to upload my contacts - I said no.
Then it asked to verify my email address by signing in through Google but also said that if I do this it will search my contacts for matches - I said no again.

As soon as I made an account... bam, a page full of people I know asking me to confirm our connection.

This is why I am so turned off by social networks, there is a lot of power in demographics. I have assimilated. http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...ilies/cry1.gif

LinkedIn is crap, it is basically facebook for business.

That is what I thought it was, and my impression so far is that I was right.

There is an article on my "Home Page" that says, "Are Women Better Leaders than Men?" Really?

It's just guessing and making suggestions, based on information you have provided. You don't have to connect with them.

Not yet, but that really is a Duh! feature that will come soon enough.

People who hate facebook fall into certain groups:

1) socially unaware
2) people paranoid about the spread of information
3) people that do not make friends easily
4) people that have trouble maintaining relationships
5) people that prefer their own company
6) the highly cynical

I'd suspect that you are in most of those, if not all.

--- Post Update ---

I think I'd rather keep them separate. I don't want a potential customer knowing that I eyeballed a bottle of vodka and banged a senior citizen at the weekend.

Keep thinking of signing up myself but haven't required a need for it. We are lucky in that we don't really use any suppliers or advertise for work though so I guess there's not much need for me.