LinkedIn - Total waste of time

[Boo]

LinkedIn is basically a recruitment platform. Recruiters can pay thousands of pounds per year at the highest membership level ...

What does that buy them, does anyone know ?

Boo

[clearedforlanding]

What does that buy them, does anyone know ?

Boo

The ability to search the profiles, obtain contact details and some alerts is my understanding.

[Draco]

What does that buy them, does anyone know ?

Boo

Fewer search limits. There are those, you just don't notice some of them until you've used LinkedIn a bit too much.

And more functionality.

[Glencky]

I'm really astonished by the number of people on here saying confidently they don't know anyone who has ever got a contract via LinkedIn. As others have said, first and foremost it's a great way of keeping in touch very easily with former colleagues and business contacts. For me, that would be worth paying (a small amount, not £40 a month!) for in itself. I wasn't really interested in it as a permie, but then my CV was 12 years old and on paper at that point..! When I took redundancy, part of the package was 'outplacement' (transition) support from Lee Hecht Harrison. I was sceptical, but my consultant was great. One of the things they really push is getting you to fill out a LinkedIn profile. They explained that the more complete your profile, the higher up anyone's search results you will come. I would never have completed as much on there as I have done without knowing that. Also, having a profile picture (and yes, one where you look normal and professional) massively increases the chance of anyone searching looking at your profile.

I started contracting 18 months ago. First contract I went direct for a former boss of mine, nothing to do with LinkedIn. Second contract I got directly from an agent approach from LinkedIn and ended up with a major competitor of my former employer i.e. a desirable name for my contract. Third contract, I am working for somebody I used to work with in my former employer but who I would never have been in contact with, without LinkedIn. That's 1 out of 3 contracts entirely due to LinkedIn, and another 1 out of 3 I probably wouldn't have known about but for it.

And I don't post anything on there. I literally have never done anything on LinkedIn other than complete my own profile comprehensively, connect with people I know or have worked with and only a tiny handful of agents who I have been introduced to through somebody I know, endorse skills for various people I've worked with (whose skills I genuinely endorse), and sit and wait. I get at least a couple of approaches a week and on average at least one approach a week where I think the agent likely has a credible offer. I have never attempted to contact any agent myself, or ever search for any roles on any site, and whilst the job market is as buoyant as it is, and whilst I continue to get the same number of approached from LI, I don't ever expect to have to.

Pretty good value for money for a total freebie, I'd say.

[fool]

I got two direct to client jobs on LinkedIn back to back. Both were average rates and both turned out to be struggling companies who couldn't afford to pay.

I do get lots of recruiters contact me on linkedin for jobs I may be interested in, but every other contract I've actually taken has been from JobServe.

[Boo]

The ability to search the profiles, obtain contact details and some alerts is my understanding.

Even stuff that is normally private ?

Boo