Ask HN: Is there any significant reason to stay on LinkedIn? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Is there any significant reason to stay on LinkedIn?

8 points_isus17 comments

While I do maintain the ability to have access to my connections' contact information, and get an email periodically letting me know when tidbits of a profile are updated, this is not very compelling to me.

I am seeing the burden related to deciding who to include in my connections, the slight extra burden of reading the emails reminding me why LinkedIn is still valuable to me, etc. What about when I no longer want someone to be in my connections (but doing so may not be the right signal to send their way)? I get that it is helpful to recruiters, etc., but right now that is not a group I am really interested in accommodating.

Is there something I am fundamentally missing, if I jump ship?

Edited: minor wording change for clarity

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This blog post sums up my feelings on LinkedIn pretty well:

https://evertpot.com/10-years-of-linkedin/

My only issue is that I feel, as an independent contractor, I’m obligated to maximize my potential in acquiring new customers. I don’t yet have the luxury to shut down an entire channel for new leads, despite the fact that LinkedIn has actually done very little for me in that regard. On top of that LinkedIn has become so ubiquitous that it’s actually become a standard question during some interview processes to ask for my profile. I feel that “I don’t have one” because of “principles” is never a great opener when you just made a new connection with someone.

The only other real tangible benefit I get from it is knowing about job changes my friends have made. I'm in my mid-30s and most of my good friends from University are spread across the continent. I'm lucky if we talk to each other a few times a year. So having the ability to passively learn "Oh hey, Jonny is now at Google" is valuable to me because I now know I have good contact at Google.

> My only issue is that I feel, as an independent contractor, I’m obligated to maximize my potential in acquiring new customers. I don’t yet have the luxury to shut down an entire channel for new leads, despite the fact that LinkedIn has actually done very little for me in that regard.

This has been the only reason I have stayed on.

> The only other real tangible benefit I get from it is knowing about job changes my friends have made.

I certainly understand this need. It seems, though, that Derek Siver's "What I'm Doing Now" page [1] addresses this.

[1] http://nownownow.com/about

I get the impression that LinkedIn is increasingly how people get jobs. A few people joined my team recently with very in-demand skills and it seems they were mostly hired through LinkedIn.

One guy in particular has a very long and detailed CV on his profile that he always keeps up to date. He also claims to have coached several friends to do the same, and they all started receiving better quality job offers almost immediately (he claims). He's a smart guy who seems genuinely interested in helping people so I have no particular reason to doubt him.

I think LinkedIn's value as a general business networking tool is pretty low, but for finding jobs it seems to be becoming more and more important.

Maybe the answer is only to activate your profile when job hunting.

My Girlfriend is an IT Recruiter in Stockholm, Sweden and Linkedin is by far the most common way for her and her recruiter colleagues to find candidates. Linkedin's search feature is one of their strong selling points.

Github + Linkedin and a visible email adress goes a long way to finding a job if you got a desirable skill set. List skills, list jobs and, if allowed, projects on Linkedin. Treat it as an SEO'ing your own personal brand.

> Is there something I am fundamentally missing, if I jump ship?

Basic People/Company/Industry research capabilities, it's the most under-utilized tool on Linkedin.

If you need a quick contact name in a particular organization or space-- there is no better way to find individuals-- (who you may or may not know).

And these are people who you may be able to help-- and potentially assist you.

On the burden of Linkedin update spam, you can control your notifications.

> Basic People/Company/Industry research capabilities, it's the most under-utilized tool on Linkedin.

good point

> On the burden of Linkedin update spam, you can control your notifications.

Point taken. Updated my settings - still something I really don't want to have to think about.

For me, the biggest benefit is being able to see if I know anyone at a company I'm interested in for a job, sales opportunity, conference invite, etc. and also to be able to easily connect in a professional way to people I meet without pulling them into fb (which I've basically abandoned). It might not seem like you need any of those things today, but in 5 years you might change your mind and getting that info back again without having something like LinkedIn is difficult.

I got the best job offer of my life on LinkedIn from a recruiter who obviously read my profile and visited my website.

There are annoying bits, and its rough for developers but if you're established and well connected it can be an incredibly useful tool for finding leads in different industries for services/partnerships that you don't have existing experience with.

In my experience it works MUCH better than it should.

I still ask myself why no one has still built a better linkedin... I mean, there is clearly _A_LOT_ of improvments you can do on it, and I won't even start talking about their shitty UI/UX

A guy I worked with that headed the IT/Windows group at my company left to start his own consulting business.

He has had a ton of success building clients from LinkedIn

I get contacted by internal company recruiters on LinkedIn. I've found my last two jobs that way.

I only have a LinkedIn account as the App I have requires me to have one. If I delete my account, my App goes too. If I create a new account just for the App, all my users have to re-link their accounts. Sucks.

LinkedIn is a great networking tool no matter where you are in your career. You can make connections that wouldn't other otherwise. I know it sounds like a cliche answer, but it is true.

What specifically, in your opinion, makes it great? How is having it better than networking in person at, say, a MeetUp?

LinkedIn isn't for networking with new people, it's for retaining professional contacts. Think of it like a professional rolodex where people keep up to date resumes.

I personally know plenty of past coworkers who I respect and would gladly recommend in a heartbeat. LinkedIn is the perfect way for them to see that I work at the company they want to work at, and gives them a frictionless way to send me a message despite us not being actual friends.

If you don't find enough value in that, then maybe LinkedIn isn't for you.

George, that guy you worked with two jobs ago, that you want to keep in touch with because he may send a job offer your way one of these days? He's too busy to go to the meetup.

Sarah, who you enjoyed working with before she took a job in the next state (and who you wouldn't mind working with again)? She's not at the meetup - too far.

That guy who's become the software manager for a company that you're interested in? His daughter has a ballet recital, so he's not coming to the meetup.

But LinkedIn is always there.

Don't get me wrong, I don't use LinkedIn. It doesn't work for me - or perhaps, it's too much work for too little benefit for me. But if you're trying to connect with someone in particular, meetups aren't a very robust alternative.

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