Anyone use LinkedIn to advance their career?

[TheSiege]

I am on there, and I don't think I am using it to its full advantage. I've read some websites on what to add and what not to have on there. But I don't think I am doing it right. Plus I am not sure the best way to go about looking for open positions. Anyone have any advice?

 

[purbeast0]

well i have a short story about how linkedin has helped me "advance my career" in a sense...

i've always wanted to try and come up with an app or software that i could work on and be my own, and make my own company. however i've struggled to come up with an idea i thought would take off.

i listened to a podcast about entrepreneurship that pointed me in the direction of founderdating.com. in order to sign up for that, you had to have a linkedin account. so that is what made me create a linkedin account.

after on linkedin i was browsing the entrepreneurship group and came across a listing for another site similar to founderdating.com, which is founder2be.com. so i signed up to that as well.

to make a long story short, a few weeks later someone contacted me from there and we are now working on a major side project that we are (all 3 of us) hoping can become a huge thing and can become our fulltime job. we're going to be putting out our app this year and have a marketing plan already in place and we all believe strongly that it can be the next big thing in it's genre. i own 29% of the company that we have started so i hope it does turn out huge.

so without linkedin, i don't know if i ever would have gotten the opportunity that i currently have, although it wasn't directly conneting with someone on linkedin that helped me out. but without getting in the group on there i don't know if i would have found out about the other site.

i have also been contacted by many recruiters on linked in since i've signed up, and i plan on using the connections if/when i move on from my current job if my side project does not pan out.

 

[fridgers]

Dude your summary on Linkedin is quite bad, quite a few grammatical errors and that last sentence, while trying to come off as funny I guess, just seems weird. (Yes I know everyone was the time person of the year in 2006.)

I'm an electrician with a thirst for knowledge. My ideal profession would be student if it were economically feasible. Since it is not, I am constantly trying to learn new things and soak up as much knowledge as possible. I love would to transition into project management in the future, preferably in the electrical or data center world. I was also 2006 Time magazine person of the year.

 

[nageov3t]

it's useful for networking... I add coworkers on Linkedin that I know well enough that I may think of them if I have a job opening someday down the road (and people who know me well enough that they make think of me), but who I'm not friendly enough to be connected to on Facebook or Instagram.

actually owe my current job to it, since I was recruited to the post when a former boss had en opening and thought of me.

my boyfriend apparently gets hit up by recruiters on there nonstop and does the occasional interview just to test the waters, but he's more active on there than I am.

 

[postmortemIA]

It is useful to both recruiters and people seeking positions. I do get hit by recruiters once in a while, probably due to the right mix of experience and skills.

I can see it being very frustrating to people actively seeking positions but not having right set of skills or experience. They'd just get ignored...

 

[TheSiege]

Dude your summary on Linkedin is quite bad, quite a few grammatical errors and that last sentence, while trying to come off as funny I guess, just seems weird. (Yes I know everyone was the time person of the year in 2006.)

I'm an electrician with a thirst for knowledge. My ideal profession would be student if it were economically feasible. Since it is not, I am constantly trying to learn new things and soak up as much knowledge as possible. I love would to transition into project management in the future, preferably in the electrical or data center world. I was also 2006 Time magazine person of the year.

Ok true, I updated it

 

[Kaido]

LinkedIn can DIAF

 

[fridgers]

Ok true, I updated it

I'm unable to respond to your PM due to having less than 25 posts, but the answer is: Your signature says "My page" which goes to a website with a linkedin button that redirects to your profile.

 

[TheSiege]

I'm unable to respond to your PM due to having less than 25 posts, but the answer is: Your signature says "My page" which goes to a website with a linkedin button that redirects to your profile.

lol, I forgot I put it on there. Well I updated it even more now, hopefully its a lot better. I must have half assed that before

 

[JackBurton]

No

 

[core2slow]

I guess it depends on your field, but I've had a lot of success with dice compare to LinkedIn. That's not to say LinkedIn isn't successful because I've been constantly hit up on LinkedIn on a weekly basis for new opportunities but I'm comfortable where I am.

 

[OverVolt]

Honestly seems kind of messed up everyone trying to poach already trained employees and ignoring anyone else.

 

[BoomerD]

Siege, I thought you were working as a journeyman electrician?

I don't really keep up with the goings on here much anymore...but...WHY would you abandon such a potentially lucrative career?

 

[OverVolt]

Siege, I thought you were working as a journeyman electrician?

I don't really keep up with the goings on here much anymore...but...WHY would you abandon such a potentially lucrative career?

Agreed. One of my options.

 

[RichieZ]

yes, i used LinkedIn to get my job at LinkedIn back in 2008! left after IPO

 

[mikegg]

Yup, got my last 2 high paying jobs through Linkedin. I also get contacted by top high tech companies via Linkedin about once a week.

 

[TheSiege]

Siege, I thought you were working as a journeyman electrician?

I don't really keep up with the goings on here much anymore...but...WHY would you abandon such a potentially lucrative career?

Well I was union, in utah, so not a real strong union, and not a very corrupt one, from what I could tell. JW wage is around 30 on the check with health and welfare paid by the employer. But I am not really in it for the money. I want the best work/life schedule. Right now in a 14 day period I have 7 days off. Built in OT and I work 12-14 hour shifts. I am also a single parent. I get my kids on EVERY day I have off. Being a industrial construction electrician, while rewarding and fun, just wasn't very conducive to my family life. I also get 3+ weeks of vacation a year and 11 holidays. Most people that work a 5 days work week have maybe 130 days off a year. I get close to 200 and with built in OT I make quite a bit. My work does have some downsides, its not very fulfilling and I work mostly in pneumatics and I'd rather be doing electrical. So I would like to see whats out there. And I just wanted to make sure my LinkedIN profile was up to snuff. I would consider a more traditional schedule if the money was there. I still have my electrical license and will always keep it current. But its more there just in case I need to do construction again

 

[OverVolt]

Yup, got my last 2 high paying jobs through Linkedin. I also get contacted by top high tech companies via Linkedin about once a week.

Yea, maybe in computers.

And whats the point in getting recruited in the field you're already working in.

 

[ultimatebob]

A lot of recruiters have harassed me with lame job offers due to the information on my LinkedIn account, but that's about it so far.

I make sure to friend former coworkers when they quit the company I work for, though, just in case I need them as a reference in the future.

 

[BrokenVisage]

Yup, got my last 2 high paying jobs through Linkedin. I also get contacted by top high tech companies via Linkedin about once a week.

I can totally vouch for this guy in fact he's being modest it's more like 3 top high tech companies contact him each week, I swear to Zeus, *top* high tech companies!