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Since I wrote my original post on this topic I have looked into this further and it is worse than I thought. Pretty much every article I have found says if you want to be considered a serious candidate for a professional office job that requires advanced skills and education you need to be on LinkedIn.
And your LinkedIn page must have a picture of you and a large number of high profile contacts.
As I said in an earlier post I am a finalist for a couple of Operations Manager positions and both times the recruiter asked me about my LinkedIn profile online. When I told them I was not on LinkedIn they got concerned that I was out of date and not connected to my industry/community.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TJRussell
I am also in the "over 50" group and job hunting. I feel the same sting that you do when applying. I am not posting my picture on LinkedIn or any other form of "media". I want to be hired based on my vast experience, my maturity, and what I can bring to the table for that particular company. If they pass me by based on my looks, ( and I look pretty darn good for my age)then it is their loss. I would not want to work for them anyways. My advice, hang in there, keep applying. That job is out there. There is a company that will be honored to have someone with your background, your wisdom, and what you can do for them. Don't settle. I'm rooting for you!
From my perspective as a 52-year-old, it seems to me that you cannot simultaneously complain about age discrimination and refuse to use the socially accepted means of promoting yourself and seeking a job. Things change and you have to change with them if you want to keep up. You want to be hired using the same criteria people used 20-30 years ago, but that's like a person in the 1920's or 30's refusing to travel in a car because his horse always worked just fine.
You can yearn for the good ol' days all you want, but if the person doing the hiring things LinkedIn is important, you need to join LinkedIn.
There is advice like this everywhere but there is also advice that you don't want to pro-actively eliminate yourself either. So maybe you are a mess that no amount of lighting will fix. You could try to have someone retouch it. On the other side, you have worked before and have experience in something so...better to shock them on interview day than to have someone eliminate you for the "high-school" reasons mentioned. Pictures are more important for sales, marketing, PR and executives, not for everyone.
I had a headshot taken by a pro and it also looks terrible. Put a face in a 3mb image and yeah, it's going to show everything in all it's digital glory. I didn't post it.
Well, I said I didn't know anything about social networking. Got several offers when I applied for an engineering job without social networking. Perhaps social networking really is a great tool to obtain great professional jobs. I just don't have the experience in it to know what's up with that.
What exactly can an employer obtain from a linkedin account that they can't get from your application or resume? To me, it's just another thing to worry about like facebook and twitter.
It's kind of the opposite. Your linkedin profile gets your resume or application to someone who wouldn't have seen it otherwise. It goes out to a much wider audience and allows people to search for your skills and background, instead of you searching for positions that need particular skills and backgrounds. It also keeps you current on where everyone else is working.
It only works if you're active on it and put the effort in to build and maintain a profile. Some people open an account, put absolutely nothing on it, and then complain that it doesn't work for them. Or other people who already have job security in positions they're happy in and aren't looking for work dismiss it as "worthless," which sure, it is if you never plan on changing jobs.
Employers use social media (if we have time) for many reasons. One can confirm their impression of the individual by how they manage their SM accounts. LI allows users to join groups - this is insight into what the applicant likes, dislikes, or is engaged in or passionate about. WHO they are linked to tells a lot. How well written the content is is also telling IF the job they've applied for calls for good written communication skills. Sometimes what is NOT written or said is more telling. the photo can be telling.
I do believe that the use of SM in the HR field is a tool that should be used judiciously. And, the benefit of the doubt should always be used in the applicants favor. I use it but do not screen out ppl because of content of their SM as we have other tools we use to screen candidates. I use it to confirm some info and as I noted above. If someone doesn't have a photo on LI, I am not swayed either way. And, I also think that for some occupations SM is not needed.
I am a baby boomer and love technology, but do not think we have to jump onboard and with both feet everytime a new SM product comes out. Nor do I think its for everyone. However, if you choose to use it, I suggest you make it look as complete and professional as possible.
Employers use social media (if we have time) for many reasons. One can confirm their impression of the individual by how they manage their SM accounts. LI allows users to join groups - this is insight into what the applicant likes, dislikes, or is engaged in or passionate about. WHO they are linked to tells a lot. How well written the content is is also telling IF the job they've applied for calls for good written communication skills. Sometimes what is NOT written or said is more telling. the photo can be telling.
I do believe that the use of SM in the HR field is a tool that should be used judiciously. And, the benefit of the doubt should always be used in the applicants favor. I use it but do not screen out ppl because of content of their SM as we have other tools we use to screen candidates. I use it to confirm some info and as I noted above. If someone doesn't have a photo on LI, I am not swayed either way. And, I also think that for some occupations SM is not needed.
I am a baby boomer and love technology, but do not think we have to jump onboard and with both feet everytime a new SM product comes out. Nor do I think its for everyone. However, if you choose to use it, I suggest you make it look as complete and professional as possible.
Let me ask you this. Will it make a difference if I have a profile on LI but doesn't have anything other than my name and profession?
I really feel uncomfortable having my life out there for the world to judge. This is why I'm probably the last person in the world to not have a twitter and/or facebook account.
Ok, then it wasn't you who called me an incompetent blah blah blah in my board. God, that's annoying. Whoever it is, if you want to call me an idiot, say so in public. Stop leaving rep comments. It's annoying.
There is no need to have a linked-in or any other account on the web in order to find a job. Companies barely have time for anything else and are not going to search for you on some secret, quasi-secret or even public sites.
in my industry (high tech), companies and people very much use linkedin. Recruiters and HR people who are trying to hire people use this site a lot to reach out to potential candidates.
I get literally at least 3 or 4 people a week reaching out to me in this manner.
I'm a 30 year old professional engineer and I've never really understood why we need social networking at all. Up until last week, I didn't have any social networking account. Well, my friends have been pushing me so I finally signed up for linkedin. Still don't know what the fuss is all about.
It's almost inconceivable that a 30 year old engineer wouldn't understand why we need social networking. That's like not understanding why we need telephones or mail.
It's how we communicate with and stay in touch with people in the modern world.
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