[alpha1]

I use linkedin extensively for my purpose:
1) "profiling" the decision makers at customer end
2) reaching out directly to new sub vendors
3) keep a tab on what kind of jobs are available

I don't remember ever going though any "content" on LinkedIn though.
Seems to be an evergoing boasting fest - where every one tries to market that (s)he is Elon Musk or Steve Jobs.

[Joxster]

Originally Posted by Samurai

I routinely have to participate in meetings with people I have never met. LinkedIn lets me check out the people and understand their background before I engage them.

+1

This is a very useful feature of LinkedIn.

Now for my own short story: I created my LinkedIn profile about 8 years ago when I was living in Hyderabad, and I updated my profile to the best of my abilities. I used to look at job openings quite often to keep a handle on what kind of roles are available in the market, and who is hiring.
When I moved to Belgium without a job in 2017, LinkedIn was my go-to resource for job hunting, and including all the sources I used for job applications, I crossed 100+ job applications within a year and got only three interviews from all of those applications - none of which worked out. As you can imagine, I was in quite a state of dejection after putting in 100+ job applications without scoring a job or even an offer, and wasn't feeling very positive about my career and life in general due to this. Then one fine day I got a call from someone, he told me that he found my profile on LinkedIn, and it seemed to be what they were looking for. The interview was arranged, and long story short - I got the job! I'm still working with that company today, and I love what I do.

For lucky people like me, LinkedIn could just be that break-through that's so needed in a dire time. Aside from all the feedback I see on the posts in this thread (most of which I agree with), I would say that it's worth maintaining a profile on LinkedIn. You never know when it could help, and there's no harm in having it either.

Cheers

[Zigor]

As they say, the only people losing their job would update their LinkedIn profile

On a serious note, it's an adequate platform to brand yourself to the industry (given that personal branding is essential in a post-pandemic online world.)

But again, most folks have a LinkedIn account because they've been told they should or need to have one. We rarely use or update it. That's a cold hard fact. Maybe if we put an effort to use it right, we can position ourselves. Connect with our tribe. Increase our social engagement.

With that in mind, here's something I enjoy about LinkedIn. Once I cleaned my feed and started following the right people, my feed is not filled with people posting pictures from their family vacation. Instead, I remain updated about the latest business news that matters.

So, it's completely worth it for the time being. Keeping fingers crossed.

[speedmiester]

I may be the odd one out, because LinkedIn is very important for my work.

I am a Head Hunter and I focus on Leadership Hiring. LinkedIn is a great source for finding top quality passive candidates for niche roles.

I have been using LinkedIn for over 12 years and have found it useful for my line of work.
It has helped me immensely and I rely upon it more than anything. It has helped me in my job search, increase my knowledge and connections base.

Contrary to what others say, if one filter their feed, the content and information available is excellent and helps in keeping abreast of all the key developments across multiple industries.

Also it has helped us go Global sitting in India. I have closed C suite positions across the globe from India as LinkedIn is a great leveler. We are able to compete with Global Search firms because of LinkedIn.

I am not on FB, Instagram or Twitter as it doesn't add value to my work. In the end, it all depends on what one wants from any such platforms.

Top Tip: Most organisations use LinkedIn as a key database for candidate search, if your profile is not available/not updated, one might miss out on great opportunities. If you are looking to a job, having a detailed LinkedIn profile is as important as having a resume.

[Hispaniola]

Originally Posted by speedmiester

I may be the odd one out, because LinkedIn is very important for my work.

I am a Head Hunter and I focus on Leadership Hiring. LinkedIn is a great source for finding top quality passive candidates for niche roles.

Echo your thoughts. Even for sales, LinkedIn Sales Navigator is probably the best way to prospect your leads for CRM Campaigns. Infact it is bread and butter for SaaS startups. Most of the presales activities for such companies involve LinkedIn one way or the other.
And probably LinkedIn happened to be Messiah for those who lost their jobs due to COVID. There is no better way to reach an HR or someone from your Institute who is working in the organization you are applying for. Ofcourse the feeds are filled with so called "gyan" and useless stories which add no value for me. I often stalk profiles of CEOs, VPs etc to peep into their professional life and day dream about professional journeys they went through.

[Simha.k]

I have it installed on my phone as an App. I use it every single day. I login to check messages, see posts, track progress of classmates, ex colleagues etc. It once helped me find a job when I was in dire need of one. It was an ex classmate from school I connected with and he referred me in his company and I got hired. Trust me, it works if you use it in a right manner and strike the right chords.

What annoys me the most is that LinkedIn lately has become Facebook! I mean, come on! Why have people started posting photos, videos and all nonsense on LinkedIn? Why is that we Indians can't draw a clear line between professional and personal networking site?

The most irritating ones are fake recruiters and wannabe influencers and LIONs posting garbage like "I am hiring for Canada, Australia, NZ, Mars, Pluto... and click "like" or comment "interested" to review your profile". Who does that in 2020?! What baffles me even more is the fact that many of my very well educated colleagues (bachelors and masters degree holders) actually fall trap to it and they leave comments! Are people so naive or simply retarded? Why would a random recruiter review every Tom, Dick and Harry's profile? When dedicated recruiters do not give a rat's behind to your profile, why would a random person on LinkedIn be interested in you even without knowing your skill set or expertise?

Second most irritating group of people posting quiz and puzzles and asking people to solve. Hello! It is a professional network. You are not giving your aptitude test for TCS, CTS, Infy etc. And lastly, not to forget people posting photos of gods and asking others to re-share to receive good luck, good news etc! We need to stop this.

If educated chaps are behaving like this, what will you make of the lesser mortals?! Time for some introspection.

[Thilak29]

1. Helped me in landing last two jobs
2. Helped me to recruit at least 5 members into my team
3. Helps to refine JD during recruitment process
4. Helps to connect with professional contacts and understand their profile
5. Many interesting articles and learning experiences.
   
   If anything is pointless or on deathbed it is FB.
   

[MMV]

Its good to know that few bhpians have benefited from LinkedIn immensely, whereas majority incl me are waiting to get benefited from its promised potential.
I have experienced limited or delayed response to messages, have tried multiple times with varied purposes (job, business collaboration, keeping in touch, wishes etc).
Still have not got any conversation/chat going like say in Whatsapp, as many people are not always online on LinkedIn as against other apps.

However off late I have dedicatedly started using LinkedIn for reaching out to new /potential clients as my new role involves client sourcing too. Still fingers crossed as no breakthrough yet. Also noticed that MS has integrated LinkedIn with MS Outlook, but may be due to difference in email ids, its not that useful in tracing out people.

LinkedIn offlate is showing up more people looking for job #opentowork, which as per news articles is in contrast with other macroeconomic indicators like EPFO data. This is due to mismatch in job profile / expectations than being out of job, based on my sample set of data .

[benbsb29]

When I was in India, I barely used LinkedIn. Then again, I wasn't looking to move anywhere and a LinkedIn profile was just a presence, barely updated. Things changed however, when I decided to move to Australia.

Speaking to people based here, I got to know an updated LinkedIn profile is expected, and hence updated my previous ignored profile. I also have a link to my profile from my resume, as I have seen on various CVs here. It kinda shows the profile is more or less genuine with genuine connections, as the job market here is very much reference based.

I have noticed hits to my profile, mostly in Private mode, around the time I apply for a job application and things get moving.

What gets my goat is how people now celebrate birthdays on LinkedIn. Seriously, a move towards the worse, IMHO.

[vmathews]

I am in Sales. Till a few months ago, I was just like most LinkedIn users - occasional login, accept invites, etc.

I now use LinkdIn to check profiles of prospects and promote our company's products - no spamming, I assure you.

I also got a very good lead through LinkedIn, which I hope will get converted into something substantial.

Thanks (or no thanks) to the COVID situation, I see that many users are now active on Linkedin leading to better networking opportunities.

I do agree with most users that searching for a job on LinkedIn is nearly useless. None of your contacts will lift a finger to help you.

[mmxylorider]

Beneficial. In my current role in consulting sales, it helps to get a background on prospects, find out some connect and get insights into client thinking. Education background, city of primary education, prior employers - all that are points to be dropped into your conversation to establish an initial level of connect. For eg, somebody from Mumbai will feel more at ease talking to someone with similar location history. I am fortunate to come from a location/educational background that I have multiple common connects with prospects.

[akshatmangal]

Yes i do use linkedin. Rather it has been a saviour for my business in times of lockdown to generate leads and even convert them.
It has been useful to the extent that i have become a paid member.

The biggest benefit i see is i am able to search, shortlist and connect with the decision makers directly in any part of the world.

Being in exports business and as all tradeshows and abroad travels are cancelled, with linkedin i am actually able to connect with people who matters, share my company profile and as well exchange email address and people are willing to repond.

[kamilharis]

I am updating my LinkedIn since college days.

I had never benefited from it , say by getting a new job or anything as such.

But I prefer keeping it updated with my professional details whenever it changes.

So that in any case when someone asks me for a CV or my career details, I can just ask them to check out my profile on LinkedIn.

Another thing which I found useful in LinkedIn was that it shows the latest inventions related to your profession and connections so that you can keep your industry related knowledge updated.

[balenoed_]

I just use it for stalking.

Their Job search portal looks very attractive and alluring but it is just a gimmick looks like. Not even a single company contacted me after I submitted through it. Just bogus!

[xcentrk]

Like some already mentioned, LinkedIn is pretty useful if you are from IT domain.

I checked LinkedIn everyday, and although LinkedIn is transforming into "professional facebook" which is concerning, but it is pretty useful for me. I connect with HR's and I get PMed by a lot of HR's regarding a good opening, freelance opportunity and I don't think I could've gotten those opportunities from outside of LinkedIn.

But lately, it is all about, self-praise, how a poor guy became a millionaire, about how they helped fellow human, and HR bashing interviewee and interviewee bash HR's. But when it comes to job searching, LinkedIn worked best for me and for lot of my friends as well.