Linkedin?

[Skillmister]

Useless for certain industries no doubt, fantastic for others.

Seeing a lot more people start to use it as a twitter/facebook type thing recently though, their loss as they lose connections who don't want to hear about their breakfast.

 

[qqg3]

I just got a new job applying through LinkedIn. Just got back from business trip in Boston \o/

People who think is rubbish it's usually because they try to use it like Facebook.....retards

This.

It's a fantastic professional networking and recruitment platform, with powerful tools and information for folks on both sides of the table. Lots of opportunity for a lot of different work sectors if you use it right.

 

[N19h7m4r3]

Useless for certain industries no doubt, fantastic for others.

Seeing a lot more people start to use it as a twitter/facebook type thing recently though, their loss as they lose connections who don't want to hear about their breakfast.

People really post things like that on it? Hmm, I'm not on it too much but I haven't come across that. It would be silly indeed.

 

[Judgeneo]

I use it atm for researching who will be interviewing me. I'll probably use it as a sort of blog host as I get to know more about the industry.

Its a pretty useful tool.

 

[Docaroo]

I'm on it but only to attract recruiters... some of them are crap but a good amount are genuine recruiters and it's quite useful to have that channel.

I work in Oil & Gas consultancy though and that industry is very much one of changing ships all the time so LinkedIn is commonly used for connections and recruitment.

 

[estebanrey]

A useful tool for businesses to find useless tools.

 

[shifty_uk]

My company pays for my linkedin in. I use it to research the correct buyers to target (worldwide) in my sector.

Pays? I thought it was free? Do they have a 'premium' side with pricing structure?

Can't say I fancy ever using it.. Maybe somewhere down the line it will serve a purpose.

 

[dowie]

Its OK for staying in touch with work-related people you probably wouldn't add on facebook. Potentially useful in future in terms of being referred for jobs etc...

Its very good in terms of getting in contact with recruiters... or rather they contact you anyway. It also has some uses in the form of groups for various industries, technologies, topics etc... - signal to noise ratio varies considerably amongst these though.

The endorsement bit is both silly and amusing... I've not accepted any though I do find it odd to see some of the ones that pop up on my news feed regarding colleagues - the skills some of these people are seemingly being endorsed for would likely cause some squirming if they were asked questions around those topics at future interviews.

 

[dfarrall]

I use it, had quite a few recruiters through it and found potential positions through it.

It's a good tool if used correctly.
The only thing that's stupid is endorsements, what a load of crap that is!

 

[Mr Jones]

I use it to keep in contact with work colleagues (current and previous), I do not add a single person I work with currently via Facebook, because that's just asking for trouble. Also, very good resource to join a group of your career interest, reading some articles / shared or original blogs. Research being shared openly is also welcomed there.

Useful for networking and connecting with people from internal sites (if your company branches out). Got a few trusted recruiters added to keep my eyes on what's available - plenty of others trying to add me or offer me job prospect, but often rejected because the last thing you want is list and list of jobs the moment you log in, or emails of people asking 'Would you be interested in xxxx job'.

Not sure about the whole endorsement thing, it's abit of a are you popular enough to get someone to spend time writing positive stuff about you. Meh.

My project list speaks more volume than a paragraph from another work colleague IMO.

 

[FinglisHobbit]

I use it to keep in contact with work colleagues (current and previous), I do not add a single person I work with currently via Facebook, because that's just asking for trouble. Also, very good resource to join a group of your career interest, reading some articles / shared or original blogs. Research being shared openly is also welcomed there.

Yeah, pretty much this for me.

It was also useful in my previous role when I worked in events and had to do quite a bit of networking. When I left that role a lot of the promoters I worked with 'recommended' me highly on my profile which will hopefully help for prospective employers.

Haven't used it yet for job hunting, but might have a look at that today as I'm currently on the prowl for a new job

 

[Housey]

I've had a paid account for years, it has its uses but I lock down my connections as I used to get recruiters connecting to link across my personal network so I stopped that and stopped adding recruiters too.

 

[G|mp]

Yeah I get a lot of sales people and recruiters contacting me through it but it can be useful, my current employer contacted me through Linkedin.

 

[Amos91]

Pays? I thought it was free? Do they have a 'premium' side with pricing structure?

Can't say I fancy ever using it.. Maybe somewhere down the line it will serve a purpose.

Yes the premium side. Can send more inmails and also view full profiles without being a connection.

 

[Havana_UK]

I've had a paid account for years, it has its uses but I lock down my connections as I used to get recruiters connecting to link across my personal network so I stopped that and stopped adding recruiters too.

I do exactly the same Housey, for the same reasons!

Personally I find it a useful tool for identifying and targeting potential customers, understanding who the key decision makers are and also maintaining a network of connections as people move around or progress through their careers.

One of the best parts of LinkedIn is the Groups function, where if you get involved in an active professional group you can learn a lot and also build your profile outside of your network and get recognised as someone with knowledge or influence.

I've also tried a little bit of LinkedIn advertising but I'm not convinced it represents good value for money for me.

It's a great tool if you're looking for a new role (or even if you aren't), and I would recommend that anyone who is serious about their career has a presence on there, because people WILL try to find out information about you over the internet.

 

[TheMeekon]

Great for the games industry.

 

[Havana_UK]

Great for the games industry.

I'd say it's pretty great for any high-technology industry, as those of us involved in technology are naturally drawn towards these new ideas, therefore we tend to find a lot of our peers also use LinkedIn.

 

[sniffy]

I just get bugged by recruiters and my inbox gets spammed. I can appreciate its merits when job hunting though.

 

[randomshenans]

I add fit and powerful women. Ya know..

 

[jimjamuk]

keep in contact with old colleagues that wouldnt make it to facebook status (not that I use that much anyway). That way hear about job vacancies and general direction of companies I've worked for so I can work out if there is any potential work there or not