Linked In Or Out? 474
Mr_Whoopass writes "I am the IT Administrator for a regional restaurant chain, and as of late I am noticing more and more people sending me invitations to sites like LinkedIn, FaceBook, etc. Mother always taught me to be a skeptic, and, knowing more than the average Joe about how information can be used in this digital era, I am reticent to say the least about posting such personal details as my full name and where I work on the net for all to see. I have thus far managed to stay completely below the radar, and a search on Google has nothing on my real persona. However, now times are tough, and I see sales dropping in the industry I work in as it is a discretionary spending market to be sure. I wonder if I should loosen up on the paranoia a bit and start networking with some of these folks in case of the all too common layoff scenario that seems to be happening lately. What do other folks here think about this? I am specifically interested in what people who work in IT think (since I know that just about every moron who has 'Vice President' or sits on the 'Executive Team' is already on LinkedIn and has no clue about why they should be trying to protect their identity)."
Want a job? Get on LinkedIn (Score:5, Interesting)
I know many people for whom LinkedIn was important in getting a new job. Not only can people see what you have done, but more importantly, LinkedIn shows potential employers who you know, which is valuable information to them. They can choose you above someone else because of the people they know, and will be incorporated in the company's network by hiring you.
Re:Want a job? Get on LinkedIn (Score:5, Interesting)
Oops I should have used the preview button. What I wanted to say was: LinkedIn shows to potential employers the professionals you know, which is valuable information to them. They can choose you above someone else because of the people you know, and will be incorporated in the company's network by hiring you.
It propably won't.. (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:You can't win if you don't play (Score:5, Interesting)
Yeah, but most of these "friends" aren't real. It's like facebook where you can have 100s of so-called friends but none of them would actually do anything for you. What use is that? It's like the late-90s/early-00s internet bubble, where instead of companies trying to grow marketshare but having no viable business plan, you have people trying to be popular but with real viable end goal for it all.
Social networking to meet new people is great, but as far as networking goes, the more people that are in it, the less each individual is worth. I would think you're almost better using social media to meet new people, but having fewer but true friends and some contacts around the industry that know your potential value to a business from real contact rather than just another face online hyping him/herself.
Re:no offense.. (Score:5, Interesting)
Huh? LinkedIn makes no secret of the fact that they sell "premium" accounts which can see the full details of anyone, whether they are in your network or not. The result of this is that if you're even remotely worth hiring you will be nagged by head hunters day and night. This is why I kindly requested LinkedIn to take my info off their stupid site.. it took 3 strongly worded emails, but they did.
As a credit professional... (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Degree (Score:5, Interesting)
That's a good point. And it brings up another aspect of these web communities: Companies hire people for both what they know and who they know. The latter is often exploited by marginally ompetent people looking to latch onto someone else's coattails.
I'm already known in my professional community. So there are a lot of people trying to find details about me, like my wife's/kids'/dog's names so that they can go into an interview and BS people into thinking that we're the best of buddies.
As an employer, I don't place much weight on these sorts of resources because they are easily manipuated. And as an employee I wouldn't want to work for an outfit that placed too much emphasis on social networks. Its an engineering firm, not a frat house.
Yes (Score:3, Interesting)
In a word, yes, you're being excessively paranoid. To be sure, there are bits of information you don't publicize. but I don't think your name and where you work, just by themselves, meet that criteria unless you're in the CIA or something. Your social, your credit card numbers, address, home phone number, and all that, sure. Keep those to yourself. I don't understand why your name and where you work is such a great secret. I think you vastly overestimate the value of knowing the John Doe works for Regional Restaurant Chain.
It's rare that I say this in a security context, but loosen up a little. :)
The opposite problem (Score:3, Interesting)
I actually have the opposite problem: my first and last name combination is so common that I doubt I actually appear anywhere in the first 50 pages of Google Results. Adding my middle name gets nothing. It's only when you add my university that you start getting hits that are me.
I used to think this was a cute benefit. However, with more and more employers doing searches, and my work being all about the web, I realized that having no results related to me could actually be negative. While I don't go out search for them, this insight has caused me to be much more lenient towards any site that is recommended to me, such as LinkedIn, or even an account on a career/job site. I still keep them fairly sparse, but it's better that I have something to point to ("No, that's some other FirstName RyoShin, I'm FirstName M. RyoShin, and THIS is my account on that site") to help ease any confusion.
I'm not gaining any privacy by doing this, but I don't think I'm losing any, either. Furthermore, I am gaining recognition and a firm reputation.
Get over it... (Score:5, Interesting)
* Loss of privacy.
Yes, but in general you shouldn't share information on facebook, twitter, you blog, website or anywhere else online that you don't want everybody else in the world to know about you. :))...
That's as simple as it gets... Now really is your full name something you don't want to share with everybody else?
Also it's okay to be critical about what pictures you accept being associated to on facebook... And it's okay to censor your blog for comments you don't want people posting on it...
Personally, I've linked my slashdot account to my website, on which my name, address, email and phone number can be found. And so to the extent possible I try to only post stuff that I'd stand by (yes, sometimes I'll stand by for some bad comments too
And if I absolutely must say something I don't want put my name on, then I'll consider if I really ought to post it anyway, and I must AC is always an option.
It's a lot like real life.
It that a metaphor people on slashdot understand? How about a car analogy. :) )
(Sorry, couldn't help but wondering
Re:Degree (Score:3, Interesting)
The only site I use is LinkedIn, because it is a good way to keep a thin attachment to people who are just contacts, but people I don't want to loose touch with entirely. That to me is far different than telling people misc details about my life that I consider to be private.
I share your opinion. Although I am very negative towards the very idea of social networking as such, I still find LinkedIn to be acceptable because it is professionally oriented (unlike Facebook and others). I primarily use it as a job seeking tool and use to receive some offers from time to time.
Re:Degree (Score:5, Interesting)
because it is a good way to keep a thin attachment to people who are just contacts, but people I don't want to loose touch with entirely.
That's one of the best reasons to be on it. I started using LinkedIn (free, not paying!) to get in touch with old colleagues; that's it, nothing more. Recommendations and invitations are for only people I absolutely know (I reject any others out of hand.)
For any social networking sites, it's the Thermodynamics of Humanity--crap and chaos will increase. AOL, Yahoo Message boards (social, financial, etc.), the garbage always builds up.
On that note, are only a few places I still follow that have stayed "fairly" clean. Joke as much as you want, but Slashdot has stayed pretty close to mission over the years. Groklaw [groklaw.net] is still pretty good. Motley Fool [fool.com] is still fairly new, but has hung on to it's central theme for a couple of years now.
Think of social networking sites like sex, or dating: Before you sign up, imagine that some Glenn Close nutjob is going to hunt you down and kill your pets, or some pimply teenager is going to show up on your door step 16 years from now at the family reunion shouting, "Dad! Mama tol' me you owed us for that fling all those years ago!"
If those kinds of problems are foreseeable, don't use the sites.
Re:You can't win if you don't play (Score:5, Interesting)
For what it's worth, I've never hired a person because of a facebook profile, but I have not hired plenty of people because of facebook profiles.
Contrary to what you seem to think, the employer/employee relationship goes both ways, and finding and keeping good employees is just as important for you as finding a good job is for them.
So, if you decide based on my Facebook page that we aren't going to get along, it's better for both of us to find that out before you hire me.
On the other hand, if you don't have a decent and convincing online presence yourself, I may not even consider you, and you'll never know.
Re:Want a job? Get on LinkedIn (Score:5, Interesting)
The more and better people you know, the more clients you can potentially reel in and, of course, the more people from your field you know, the quicker you'll find someone who can help you out of a snag.
In short, they're counting on the idea that hiring you they're implicitly also hiring all of your professional contacts - completely for free.
Re:Use Social Networking to Defend Your Reputation (Score:3, Interesting)
...or do you want others to determine your identity?
I am a very private person and I do not share much information about myself. Anyway, one day, I showed up at a function with a girlfriend. Folks were a bit surprised because they all thought I was gay. Talk about folks determining your identity! I have also been accused of being an alcoholic because I do not like to talk about what I do between jobs.
I don't think a person should blab every minute detail about their life, but it is important to share a few things about yourself otherwise folks assume the worst. I have gone a bit far in preserving my privacy and as a result, it has hurt me because folks just assume I have a lot to hide.
Re:Want a job? Get on LinkedIn (Score:5, Interesting)
Your questions are really simple to answer.
A lot of the companies I've worked for think of themselves as one big family. Because of that, they will hire people other employees know so that there's less of a chance of in fighting and more of a chance of teamwork. It helps to keep the big happy family image.
They will even consider hiring the friends of their worst employees. Don't ask me why, but they do.
There is that off chance that who you know could hurt you, but that's probably small. Just don't keep friends or contacts who are total dick bags and it shouldn't bite you in the ass.
Re:You can't win if you don't play (Score:3, Interesting)
And here comes the trolls screaming and yelling, "BUT HOW DO YOU KNOW IT WASNT A FAKE PROFILE DONE IN MALICE???????/!!!!11111aoneoneoneololoowerhowweor" And I'm sure you'll be respond with, "they seemed shady during the interview, I just wanted to do a further check." or something to that extent.
Re:Want a job? Get on LinkedIn (Score:5, Interesting)
I thought affirmative action was supposed to kill that. Or perhaps I just dreamed that. That is perhaps the worst way to manage a company. People should be able to work together, but blurring the lines between work and not work is really dangerous.
When lay offs come or somebody needs to be let go. Chummy coworkers that are a bit too comfortable with each other. There are any number of ways in which that can blow up and damage the company's productivity.
Re:You can't win if you don't play (Score:3, Interesting)
I actually only recently got a Facebook account, and it was 100% due to work. My company is using Facebook to share things like pictures, videos, etc. (non-proprietary) with the employees.
Just one anecdotal comment of course, but just trying to point out that Facebook is becoming more than just social networking.
Full disclosure: I've been on LinkedIn for a while, it's only Facebook that is new to me. I have never been on myspace.
Re:no offense.. (Score:2, Interesting)
Can you substantiate this in any way shape or form?
From my own reading of the privacy policy, there is *no* mention of anything like this whatsoever.
They mention premium accounts may have access to 'aggregated' data not available to non premium accounts. However that is a far cry from showing 'full details' of anyone.
I am quite paranoid about my privacy but I am fairly sure LinkedIn is not dumb enough to be doing what you are saying.
Re:You're afraid to send out a resume? (Score:2, Interesting)
It's spelled competent.
If you want to do social networking for your job, do it in a very directed manner in real life - like "What Color Is Your Parachute?" recommends. If you enjoy posting technical advice or comments to websites, then go ahead and do it, but there's generally a very low chance anything will come of it. If you meet someone in real life or talk with them over the phone, they're much more likely both to notice you and to remember you when they need some work done. Plus it's a directed process, which means that you'll be making progress and connections with people in areas and companies you actually have interest in - rather than just whoever happens to check a board or click on your friends' links.
Re:It propably won't.. (Score:2, Interesting)
I think it is safe to say that most of us don't keep on contact with past co-workers but most will pass a resume on.
Re:Want a job? Get on LinkedIn (Score:4, Interesting)
Coming from an IT background, we view work as something which we can personally accomplish. It's what we know and how we apply it which is important.
But there are many roles, especially high up the corporate ladder, where it's who you know which becomes important not what you know. Maybe IT guys aren't really the main market for Linked In.
You need a web presence and linkedin is one (Score:4, Interesting)
A web presence connected me with one founder who hired me as first technical employee in his startup (which was fun until we went out of business) and a big corporation with a six figure bonus + relocation package (but no interesting work to go with it).
I get a lot of traffic from recruiters from my linkedin account, some of which I'd entertain if I was looking for a job.
Once you reach the limits of your real-life social network, you really need another marketting strategy for career growth. While not ideal (there's a lot of noise) linkedin is worth the hassle.
Re:no offense.. (Score:3, Interesting)
Wow. Thank you. This is actually quite concerning. I'm now at a loss as to how they justify this under their privacy policy. Unless I can find some kind of clarification of or control to disable this, I guess I will be deleting my account. Thanks again.
LinkedIn -yes, Facebook - no (Score:3, Interesting)
I haven't heard of anyone's career destroyed because of stuff that got posted on LinkedIn.
Re:You can't win if you don't play (Score:5, Interesting)
"If you don't love the Australian flag then GET THE FUCK OUT"
"I love Bundaberg Rum"
"I tried to watch Transformers and all I saw was Megan Fox"
I'm an open-minded, relatively intelligent guy, and despite the nearly 20% salary increase the job was worth, not a chance. So yeah, facebook works both ways.
Re:Want a job? Get on LinkedIn (Score:3, Interesting)
A lot of the companies I've worked for think of themselves as one big family.
Well, I'm outa there. The 'big happy family' meme is code for the bosses idiot nephew or doper son-in-law needs to be looked after. Sorry, but I owe an employer a professional relationship and that's all they owe me. Part of that is to treat people with respect and not to pick fights.
more of a chance of teamwork.
Teamwork is OK, but its not a part of being a big happy family. Not many families cut bad members or send them down to the minor leagues.
Re:Want a job? Get on LinkedIn (Score:4, Interesting)
That's the whole point of LinkedIn, it's supposed to be work-related and have nothing to do with your non-professional life. You could look at it like just another social network but it's not setup to be like that. You can't post a bunch of pictures of what you did this weekend and get people's inane comments on them.
When it comes to 'chummy co-workers', I'm going to go out on a limb and say a vast majority of companies probably prefer co-workers that get along and are comfortable with each other because it leads to effective communication. Sure, relationships can go sour and outside influences can mess with that but in many cases you see the people you work with more hours per day than your spouse. Most reasonable people can see that and put small issues aside that would otherwise taint a non-professional relationship.
What I'm trying to get at here is that friendly is better than hostile 100% of the time and these tools like LinkedIn that get us just a little bit closer to each other are a good thing when used properly. I'm venturing to guess there is a very tiny fraction of the time that this information available online can be used for bad intentions. But hey, so can a phonebook.