Reply to: LinkedIn is it worth the time

[singhr]

I recommend it as another string to your bow. You can track down previous managers, see where they are working now and drop them a line to see if there is anything coming up. I don't recommend you list your current location as you'll get people fishing in your waters.

[HeadOfTesting]

I feel really positive about LinkedIn and what I've got out of it.

But then again I've never spent a single minute answering the questions posed by others so perhaps that's the key to feeling positive about the effort/reward ratio

[Durbs]

I put in at least 300 hours into LinkedIn. I answered shedloads of questions. Eventually I realised I was teaching other dickheads how to do my job, in my time, for free. But I really persevered with it. All I have had out of it is the occasional agent wanting to join my network and requests for help from overseas incompetent idiots that never even bother to say "Thank you".

Think that answers the original question fairly well.

[MPwannadecentincome]

Eventually I realised I was teaching other dickheads how to do my job, in my time, for free.

So we had RichardCranium teaching dickheads how to be become a better dickhead

[Brussels Slumdog]

Linkedin Good and Bad

I receive quite a few emails for jobs even before they appear on Jobserve and
I have have even received one or two offers direct from clients who have held
on to my CV that they must have received from agencies.
The downside is that groups are flooded with Indians. I would not join a Russian group as I don't speak Russian so why do they join French or Dutch
groups

[RichardCranium]

I won't be buying any of those, maybe a ContractorUK T shirt though.

string vest, Shirley?

[MPwannadecentincome]

I'm appalled. Yes: stinky linky. WTF were they thinking of using that photo?

I won't be buying any of those, maybe a ContractorUK T shirt though.

[Fred Bloggs]

RC, I agree. I could have written that post.

[RichardCranium]

I put in at least 300 hours into LinkedIn. I answered shedloads of questions. Eventually I realised I was teaching other dickheads how to do my job, in my time, for free. But I really persevered with it. All I have had out of it is the occasional agent wanting to join my network and requests for help from overseas incompetent idiots that never even bother to say "Thank you".

In the Q&A I got 17 Best Answers, more in Project Management than anywhere else. I've just been to check how many answers I've done in total and it only tells you about the 30 most recent, so it seems there is no record of my contribution.

For jobseeking, it is utterly useless as I'm not in Merkinland.

The Event notices is desperately slow and they are all irrelevant. A Personnel Seminar in London. Great. A PRINCE2 conference in New Zealand. How convenient.

The Groups is a complete shambles.

The messaging is clunky and I cannot see how to stop the spammers.

I have promoted LinkedIn membership to quote a few people and got them to join. I just hope one of them has had something out of it.

[PhilAtBFCA]

Linked In

My personal experience of Linked In is that like another network and orum you have to invest time in it.

But there are plenty of agencies there looking for poeople it seems to me, so the better profile you have and the easier you make it for people to contact you, the more you will be found in searches there.

But you will also be found quicker taking part in forums and as a member of the right contractor groups.

But its free, so maybe has a good potential ROI ?

Phil

[RichardCranium]

are they selling T shirts yet?

I'm appalled. Yes: stinky linky. WTF were they thinking of using that photo?

[MPwannadecentincome]

Been there done that

are they selling T shirts yet?

[realityhack]

LinkedIn is it worth the time

Short answer: Yes, if you do it properly and watch those privacy settings.

[thelace]

I've been on there for a year now and it's done nothing for me from a business perspective.

It has allowed me to catch up with a couple of old colleagues I'd lost touch with.

Never been tempted by the "paid for" version though, maybe that's better?

[BlackenedBiker]

Search for the group contractoruk and join some of us there. I was starting to get a few leads a couple of months ago but landed a contract before I started following any of them up.

Good luck

Been there done that