Anyone jacked off Linked In?

[GB9]

I've stopped putting my current role on there, only updating when finished. This is mainly because as soon as I put a new role up, all my linked recruitment colleagues would get in touch in the hope of getting some work. Pain in the neck given how many I have and that the rest of the time I don't hear from most of them.

[smatty]

I've not had issues with recruiters/etc but I did get a few targeted spam emails to new work address within days of starting a new contract, I suspect they harvested my details from linkedin as clientco uses [email protected] and I'd updated profile to say I'd just started there with role.

[nomadd]

If it works for you then it isn't a waste of time, but my view is it has come off the rails in the last couple of years. Not only do I get people in IT I've never heard of contacting / inviting me, I've also recently started being contacted by people who professionally have nothing to do with me at all. For example, people who've done building work on my house. It also seems to be increasingly used to promote things by using the share option. That's all fair enough as far as it goes, but it's a long way removed from what I signed up to originally.

This^

[d000hg]

I don't seem to get spam really, and I have had one offer of work through it.

[BolshieBastard]

I don't seem to get spam really, and I have had one offer of work through it.

You can set personal filters to stop spam via emails but there's nothing you can do that Im aware of to stop the minute by minute updates in LI itself (except by not accessing it!)

Im seriously considering closing my account. When you see some wet behind the ears agent or an ex colleague you know was kicked off site for being a slacker getting recommendations, you know the system is bust.

[minestrone]

When you make a connection you get asked to set what that connection is "worked with" "done business with" etc so you should be able to put people in groups based on your connection and set permissions to groups.

I would not mind adding agents and other people I know if I could set them to have less visibility to my connections than people I have worked with.

[rocktronAMP]

Has anyone who has a couple of hundred connections on Linked In jacked it off and closed their 'profile' down?

Reason I ask is I've been on LI for about 4 years. I've found it useful to contact past workmates and colleagues. I've referred people for roles and forwarded them details of roles I know are available when they have been looking etc.

But, if Im totally honest, it seems Im getting nothing back despite asking many of my current contacts if they can give me leads for any roles they know of etc, etc. All Im getting is bob's asking to link in to me(!), agents who in the past I've worked for asking me for LI recommendations not to mention seeing people give 'recommendations' to agents for areas they know nothing about.

And then there's the spam from Linked In encouraging you to convert to their premium version for free (only you have to hand over your credit card details first!).

Just seems LI has become a glorified facebook with so many false recommendations going on and true networking seemingly lost. Dont see the point in it all any more.

I totally agree with your frustration with the Linked-In's Facebook style. The endorsement system is rather like the FB LIKE but associated with skills. The endorsements for me are inaccurate. There is one skill that I agree, but there is another skills that also I am good at that is close to zero. Somebody said the other day on Twitter, "Somebody endorses me on Linked-In for a skill, but they are not endorsing me." WTF.

"it seems Im getting nothing back despite asking many of my current contacts if they can give me leads for any roles they know of etc, etc."
This is known as the Common Uniform Non-linear Transformation Society of sycophants, miscreants and other devious souls. Me too. I have asked for recommendations also after I have left a permanent or contract, in the time that I have been job seeking. People do not care. They say, Rocktron has left, stick him. I asked lots of people, and they never ever got back with even an answer. They just ignored me. I think that now was mistake. From now on, I ask for the recommendation, when I am still in the gig working with the very team member.

I have now three recommendations and the last one came recently with a contractor person that I worked with in my last gig. I also reciprocated a recommendation back to them.

In the IT industry, Linked-In, in my opinion is just a visible sign-post to hiring me as an engineer and designer. For other industries, likes Sales, Retail and creative industries, including Fashion, Linked-In is taken very much more seriously. If you don't get recommendations (or now enough endorsements) then you might not be seen, your CV is chucked in the bin, as the recruiters and clients pour over your profile. I hope that the IT industry does not ever follow suit with this b*******t practice.

I have been on Linked since the early 2000s or so. I don't think it worth paying for the premium service as job seeker. Do I really want to know all the recruiters and potential people looking at my profile? Will that information actually get me a contract gig quicker? Do I know anyone, developers in London, who actually paid for the premium service and got better results? The answer is no.

So yeah:

Colleague: BolshieBastard, would you be kind enough to give a recommendation on Linked-In please? Hope you don't mind me asking."

You: Yes. No problems, Mate, but would you be willing to give me a recommendation in return?"

Linked-In endorsements

Linked-In recommendations

[rocktronAMP]

You can set personal filters to stop spam via emails but there's nothing you can do that Im aware of to stop the minute by minute updates in LI itself (except by not accessing it!)

Im seriously considering closing my account. When you see some wet behind the ears agent or an ex colleague you know was kicked off site for being a slacker getting recommendations, you know the system is bust.

protip: I just hardly ever go to the Linked-In home / streaming update page anymore. I keep the page open on the invitation /inbox page.

[Troll]

I mistakingly had a few LION people including Scott, its a pain in the arse as it just fills up the activity feed so they were removed again

^ this

Does anyone know if removing a contact sends any kind of notification through to the contact?

[minestrone]

^ this

Does anyone know if removing a contact sends any kind of notification through to the contact?

I don't think LI does but I would guess that some of them must have a third party application that keeps track of such things and notifies them.