DISQUS

louisgray.com: louisgray.com: LinkedIn Recommendations Are Feel Good Business for a Recession!

  • Louis Gray · 11 months ago
  • ChangeForge | Ken Stewart · 11 months ago
    Has anyone actually gotten a job using LinkedIn? Bueller, Bueller?
  • Stupid Blogger (aka Tina) · 11 months ago
    Well, you could give me a freelance job and then I could say yes ;-) Humor aside, I don't know for sure. But is getting a job offer via LinkedIn really all that different than getting one via FF (which has recently happened)?
  • ChangeForge | Ken Stewart · 11 months ago
    Big difference... relationship is easier to build in FF - IMHO.
  • Stupid Blogger (aka Tina) · 11 months ago
    In theory, though, LinkedIn leverages your existing offline relationships which one would think would provide a deeper/stronger tie...
  • ChangeForge | Ken Stewart · 11 months ago
    I would hire you... do you want a level 1 helpdesk job? Benefits are great ;-) Unfortunately - that's all I have open presently.
  • Susan Beebe · 11 months ago
    My cat has received *multiple* job offers on LI
  • ChangeForge | Ken Stewart · 11 months ago
    See, tech types use this medium to try and connect. "Business-types" (if there is such a thing) use things like LI and Plaxo. I have found LI to be more of an ego-booster and let's see who you know that I know.
  • ChangeForge | Ken Stewart · 11 months ago
    Your cat, Susan? I would love to see that LI page ;-)
  • Stupid Blogger (aka Tina) · 11 months ago
    *snicker* Ken, I'll keep you posted. Things are going well right now at work, but in this day and age it never hurts to have plans B-Z =D
  • Amani · 11 months ago
    I think that LInkedIn is a necessary tool in todays job market. Recruiters like a one stop source where they can look at your resume as well as other sites and decide if you are worthy of an email or a call. Plus, you can connect and network with friends of a friend on there (3rd or 4th degree is what they call it). Plus, the new search feature helps ALOT IMO.
  • ChangeForge | Ken Stewart · 11 months ago
    Amani, I had some problems with the free search. I had to step into a refined search by First Name + Last Name in 2 separate named fields. That was a little annoying. I do like the connections and I'm still trying to get my head around why groups are useful...
  • Amani · 11 months ago
    Ken-I will have to look again at the search function. As you are, I am still searching for an effective and truly interactive group. I do think the daily emails help, but it is still not as interactive as it could be. I think LinkedIn is going to replace the Microsoft Word/paper resume.
  • ChangeForge | Ken Stewart · 11 months ago
    I surely hope so - but LI will have to come up with 1) a customizing tool to help tailor resumes to specific jobs, 2) executive summary, and 3) get purchased by Monster - or at least integrate ;-)
  • Stupid Blogger (aka Tina) · 11 months ago
    Groups are useful for non work/education contacts. For instance, someone might have a group for their church, billiards league, or favorite social media site such as FriendFeed. Ahem.
  • Louis Gray · 11 months ago
    I have gotten inquiries and interview opportunities from LinkedIn in the past. Never a job though. Mine's been pretty stable for 8 years.
  • ChangeForge | Ken Stewart · 11 months ago
    Tina, more flexible here, IMHO - but FF doesn't have the MoJo in biz that LI has... Louis, that's refreshing.
  • Janet Fouts · 11 months ago
    Great advice to be proactive about those recommendations!
    I've noticed more recommendations within my own networks lately. Both for people I know who are brushing up their resumes for new job searches in '09 and those who are reaching out to refresh their network connections and help people find new positions. LinkedIn has been an excellent resource for me
  • kevin · 11 months ago
    The idea behind LinkedIn is there, but they are going to have to improve the UI and social aspects of the site tremendously. With as much money and funding that LinkedIn has received I must say, not too impressed. I hope they step up and take a few lessons from the social web.
  • Amani · 11 months ago
    Well Tina, there is a FF group but we don't participate in there like we do here.
  • ChangeForge | Ken Stewart · 11 months ago
    Do you think this is more from the time of year or an accelerated use of the platform (LinkedIn)?
  • Stupid Blogger (aka Tina) · 11 months ago
    I don't really see LI as a participation destination, more a communications hub for when you need it. Don't know if that's what they're going for, but in my head LI is the place where I put all the people that might be able to get me a job if I needed one. I interact with them like I normally would (work, school, online, etc), and then LI offers us a way to keep in touch should our paths not cross again (i.e. graduation, layoff, etc).
  • Mary Baum · 11 months ago
    Yes - I see it as a place to keep up with folks I might well otherwise lose track of - people I've known one place or another over the last ten or twenty years. In fact, I often use it specifically to find people from some previous life, especially when I think i'll need to draw on that skill set again.
  • ChangeForge | Ken Stewart · 11 months ago
    I think I agree... It is almost my black book of business contacts that I want to keep over an extended time... Given the colleagues I interact with might be local or spread across the US, it is interesting to see who interacts in our industry circles.
  • Craig · 11 months ago
    That is something I would like to improve on in my profile is to hopefully generate a recommendation or two in the next year. Always who you know and networking.
  • dixh · 8 months ago
    Could you help me with this?... I requested recommendations from a number of people a while back and none have responded. I want to follow up with phone calls but I can't remember which connections I selected from the list. Is there a way to view who one sends requests to?