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If your profile displays any of these qualities, perhaps it is time to revisit the profile since it will hurt you more than it helps you:
- Lack of detail about work experience, education, community involvement
- No picture
- Not updated to reflect unemployment or new job
- Custom URL not created
I agree with some of your points, but it all depends on the job seeker and other factors. The photo in a Linkedin profile helps you when you are networking actively. You go to a networking event and add contacts to your profile, having a picture helps people remember who you are. I prefer not to have a picture posted, but overall your profile seems more interesting on the surface when there is a picture of you. I do think psychologically more people are drawn to Linkedin profiles with photos.
I believe you should put about 5-10 years of your most recent work experience and leave off the older stuff or interests that are too far related from your work. Outdated profiles may matter in some cases. Some people purposely leave their profile not updated when they are seeking work. Sometimes the same person has multiple profiles because they may have forgotten they had an earlier profile or cannot get back into their old profile. It can get confusing when the same person has multiple profiles for whatever reason.
Regarding some of the other comments, I do agree that people should be cautious about what they share on any social networking sites. Linkedin is for working people and lacks a lot of the personal stuff and interests you would see in profiles of Facebook members. Generally, I do believe people need to be cautious about possibly getting scammed on Linkedin or anywhere else for that matter. Social engineers (hacker-types) do comb through Linkedin to find targets in a particular company, I would imagine such things happen all the time. The scammers may send invite requests or see the position people have at companies and call them up to get more info about a company and its secrets or send them email or invites to phantom Linkedin profiles.
I also think that some industries rely heavily on Linkedin while to some others it simply does not matter. As some would say with job seeking and Linkedin, your mileage may vary - (YMMY)
I have researched other professionals, such as lawyers, chartered accountants, and engineers to see if they have posted their professional credentials and work history on the internet, and the answer is no.
I am one of the three types of professionals you've listed, and I have a LinkedIn that is very complete and thorough. As do most of my colleagues. Yes, we have a website, but Linkedin allows for more detail and recruiters I know use it frequently.
I have been debating whether to create a linkedin profile for a few years, ever since I started receiving invitations. In my last position, there was a mandate that all employees should have a linkedin profile. I have reservations about putting so much personal information on the internet. LinkedIn strikes me as Facebook for Adults/Workforce. I have researched other professionals, such as lawyers, chartered accountants, and engineers to see if they have posted their professional credentials and work history on the internet, and the answer is no. It seems to me that only a specific segment of the workforce views LinkedIn as an important resource. In my opinion, HR departments strongly support LinkedIn, as do managers, and those that are not part of a recognized professional organization. LinkedIn allows non-professionals to belong to work related organizations that are like topic-specific facebook pages within LinkedIn.
LinkedIn has been around for years and does have a purpose in job searches, but on the flip side, the data is probably being harvested and analyzed by many to produce targeted metrics. I suspect that publicizing personal work history and academic records on the internet also simplifies identity theft.
I know what I'm about to say is probably unpopular on this forum, but to add to your point no company I've worked for or applied for cared about linkedin. I speak as a professional belonging in a professional group, though. So, perhaps it's different for non-professionals?
There are plenty of successful people on linkedin that don't have pictures etc. Some managers I interview with do indeed view my profile, so I keep it current and professional. It's not a deal breaker, but it is recommended.
The vast majority I deal with generally have one. Why? Because professional associations generally are on there.
Think of it not so much with employment but being able to communicate with people in a profession on the fly.
If I'm going to city xyz and have a question of a good place to eat I might look at connections.
I can understand some don't like it but government is largely open so this stuff is easy. Private sector pretty much has to use this or spend time at commerce meetings.
If your profile displays any of these qualities, perhaps it is time to revisit the profile since it will hurt you more than it helps you:
- Lack of detail about work experience, education, community involvement
- No picture
- Not updated to reflect unemployment or new job
- Custom URL not created
This is only a problem because employers have hired the wrong people in human resources. They tend to hire the students that have gossiped their way through college, and only reason they have a GPA above the 3.0 cut off is because they didn't really challenge themselves in college. Ludicrous.
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