Reply to: LinkedIn contacts - does your network really give a ****?

[oliverson]

i'm sure you'll be missed.

My own personal stalker. I feel so lucky.

[sadkingbilly]

True but many of these are 'team mates' you had a few beers with after work on occasions, one guy I even raced 100m down the banks of the River Thames one freezing cold December. Iron man took it really serious and beat me by a second or so. He had a drill instructor preparing him for weeks leading up to the race. I was in the bars in Canary Wharf every day after work with a contracting buddy!

The least they can do is reply though, ask how you are, etc. That's what I do when somebody I know pings me. However, the loathing I feel for LinkedIn these days and what it has become, I think when (not if) I eventually get back in contract, I'll never visit LinkedIn again.

i'm sure you'll be missed.

[oliverson]

If they haven't got anything going they can't really help you out.

True but many of these are 'team mates' you had a few beers with after work on occasions, one guy I even raced 100m down the banks of the River Thames one freezing cold December. Iron man took it really serious and beat me by a second or so. He had a drill instructor preparing him for weeks leading up to the race. I was in the bars in Canary Wharf every day after work with a contracting buddy!

The least they can do is reply though, ask how you are, etc. That's what I do when somebody I know pings me. However, the loathing I feel for LinkedIn these days and what it has become, I think when (not if) I eventually get back in contract, I'll never visit LinkedIn again.

[SussexSeagull]

If they haven't got anything going they can't really help you out.

[fatJock]

Last couple of roles I've had via LinkedIn - posted a month or so from when I'm available and had a few nibbles from folks I'd worked with in the past. Nor overly optimistic this time given what I read on here but I suspect that's largely due to wider downturn than quality of a well managed network.

If you just click add to everyone who asks then I suspect traction is limited but I guess I'll be finding out soon how relevant my LinkedIn network is soon seeing as my current gig is due to end early October.

[courtg9000]

Yes, it is. If that's how you use it.

Or, you can _not_ read the idiotic posts and treat it as a place to post your CV/job history/profile and search for roles.
As a side benefit, it allows me to keep track of colleagues and exchange messages with agents.

As a sidebar, describing WhatsApp as a social media app always confused me.
I use it as an encrypted messaging service that also does phone and video calls over WiFi.
Am I using it wrong?

No you are not using WhatsApp wrong, but Meta are trying to add a social media side to WhatsApp (very badly in my opinion).

[Dorkeaux]

It's a social media platform.

Most people are inactive. Many more are only looking for a wider audience to brag about their running/cycling/gyms PBs or post selfies of themselves. Everyone one else is on the hustle.

Yes, it is. If that's how you use it.

Or, you can _not_ read the idiotic posts and treat it as a place to post your CV/job history/profile and search for roles.
As a side benefit, it allows me to keep track of colleagues and exchange messages with agents.

As a sidebar, describing WhatsApp as a social media app always confused me.
I use it as an encrypted messaging service that also does phone and video calls over WiFi.
Am I using it wrong?

[TheDude]

It's a social media platform.

Most people are inactive. Many more are only looking for a wider audience to brag about their running/cycling/gyms PBs or post selfies of themselves. Everyone one else is on the hustle.

[Ketto]

Haven’t announced my availability via LI since August 2023 so not sure what it is like right now, but last time I did I got two offers from previous clients. Unfortunately both were on my “would rather work in the Argos stock room” list.

[courtg9000]

All I seem to get on LinkedIn these days in terms of invitations to network is Asian recruiters who do not read my headline which says "Retired in health grounds" and who are contacting me with a scam job offer that not even my dead goldfish Flopsy would consider.

With the exception of about 3 of the PE guys I follow who post good stuff that I am interested in and the odd half decent post about something else most of the posts I see are virtue signalling diversity led rubbish (80%) and the rest are contractors who are available at the end of the week owing to "priority changes at the client" or words to that effect (20%). Most of these posted last month or the month before about how they got an extension or a new contract/job. Either that or their mate has got them to share the post saying they are available.
Maybe its just my network?
I am wondering how low LinkedIn will go.

[willendure]

It's counter intuitive but for work opportunities, it's often your second degree connections on LinkedIn who may be able to help the most, not your first degree connections.

That is an interesting perspective. Makes sense in that the more degrees you go out, the larger the number of connections there are. What do you do to gain the notice of second or third degree contacts? Write and post interesing articles and so on?

[Dorkeaux]

How much effort have you put into maintaining contact with those 54 people over say, the last say 12-18 months?

There is an element of the market being poor so many people probably had nothing of note to feed back or were just very busy.

But a network is a two way thing and you have to spend time and effort to maintain it, not just approach out of the blue (if that's what you did.)

It's counter intuitive but for work opportunities, it's often your second degree connections on LinkedIn who may be able to help the most, not your first degree connections.

Edison and the other posters are right, I reckon.
I spend 0 time on my linkedin network, and expect nothing from it except to provide a convenient way to get in touch with the individuals. That has worked out pretty well.

Using it to canvas for work is good try, though.

[edison]

How much effort have you put into maintaining contact with those 54 people over say, the last say 12-18 months?

There is an element of the market being poor so many people probably had nothing of note to feed back or were just very busy.

But a network is a two way thing and you have to spend time and effort to maintain it, not just approach out of the blue (if that's what you did.)

It's counter intuitive but for work opportunities, it's often your second degree connections on LinkedIn who may be able to help the most, not your first degree connections.

[jamesbrown]

I think your expectations are a little out of whack, tbh. A response rate of ~20% is not bad, I reckon. Unless they have something suitable, there isn't much to say. But I think it was worthwhile as they will likely think of you if something comes up.

As you can see from the State of the Market thread, the UK contract market for IT generalists/coders/analysts/managers etc. is pretty crap and has been for a long time. It probably won't turnaround anytime soon. That's your reality.

On the other hand, it sounds like you have a pretty decent network and I think your expectations of it may be a bit high. Ultimately, you cannot expect anyone to give a massive crap about your situation, but they will now think of you if something comes up.

[ladymuck]

I wouldn't take it personally. I find that letting select people in my network know I'm free / coming available does very little in the immediate term but things do seem to drip feed in over time. It's like they clock the information but only act on it when something crops up. It's very unlikely that they'll actively go round where they work asking if there's any jobs going.

Something I always do is change the beginning of my tag line to something like "AVAILABLE FROM SEPTEMBER" and then click like on a few posts, make a comment here and there. Someone eventually notices and gets in touch.