LinkedIn is Irrelevant!

Surprised I would say such a thing? I mean I am an HR guy and Expert Resume Writer. I help people “Pimp” their LinkedIn Profiles, so how could I say it’s irrelevant? Well it is but guess what? You need an account anyway. It’s kind of like college, we know college is not for everyone but what are your other career options without higher education?

Let examine why I say it’s not relevant.

I have a pretty solid LinkedIn profile. You can view it here. I didn’t always have a nice profile but then my friends in recruiting told me that I need to clean it up and make it more traditional. So I added a picture with a shirt and tie, I rewrote my summary, and I added a few more jobs. And just like that, my profile views increased and my connection requests also increased. However, no jobs. No recruiter calls. I have over 600 connections and a ton of endorsements but still no calls or emails from recruiters. I’m popping up in the searches but not getting calls. Now, you may be thinking, “Well, Chris you don’t have a lot of corporate world HR experience, that’s why?” Okay but I get calls from recruiters who have seen the same information on Monster.com and CareerBuilder. And I’ve had serious talks with employers and business partners who have found me via my social media activities, my prolific blogging and tweeting.

I’ll tell you what else I do not have, that’s a premium LinkedIn account. That’s right I don’t pay them which means my profile may or may not pop up in the top tier of recruiters searches. Since I don’t have a premium account I cannot honestly say what a premium account offers from a practical standpoint. I have clients that have them and they say they get calls. It’s up to you if you want to test it for yourself.

Next reason I believe it’s irrelevant because it’s really a place for recruiters and not job seekers. It’s not even 50/50; it’s all about recruiters. They lure us on with the hopes of finding a job but that’s not the place to find a job. I’m connected to a lot of folks and I don’t know anyone who has gotten a job via LinkedIn.

Let’s talk about the spam. When you join LinkedIn you will probably get a lot of inbox messages about events, groups, and other things based on your career profile. Everyone is trying to sell you something. The timeline is starting to look a lot like Facebook too; it’s supposed to be a professional network! And endorsements, I have people endorsing me for things I don’t do and come to think of it, I don’t know some of the folks endorsing me. In addition to that, did you know you can endorse someone for “Bacon”? Bacon? C’mon man, bacon! I’ve personally endorsed someone for “Awesomeness” how do you quantify that skill? You get the point – totally irrelevant….moving on.

LinkedIn has launched a “Certified LinkedIn Recruiter” program. It costs $200. I’ve read articles from Recruiters who have been on the job for decades who failed the test because they didn’t answer the question in the “LinkedIn” way. W-T-H to that. Another money grab.

All is not lost, as stated here’s why you need to use LinkedIn anyway. First because there are millions that are convinced it’s the best thing since sliced bread. Those people happen to be decisions makers, so to them LinkedIn is a legitimizer, meaning if you are on LinkedIn than you are the real deal. If you apply for a job nowadays more than likely the recruiter or hiring manager will look you up on LinkedIn to verify the information on your resume. If you are not on LinkedIn they may get suspicious and pass on your application. So LinkedIn is kind of like a background checking too. Use it to your advantage so get an account.

The other reason why you need to be on LinkedIn is because of the connections. In this age, you never know who can help you. You never know who is looking. Get on LinkedIn and connect so if and when the time comes you can leverage your network to help you find a job or a better job. You have to network to get work. So you may not get a call from a recruiter but you can still use LinkedIn to your advantage if you have nice profile and build your connections, you never know when it may come in handy.

In conclusion, the job market is still mostly traditional; you need an account for the purposes of verification and formality, just like you need a resume and cover letter.

You or someone you know needs help, Join the Resume Crusade – contact me ‘[email protected]