What Do I Use LinkedIn For

 

A few years ago I bumped into a work colleague who I hadn't seen in a while but who I'd sent an article to via LinkedIn message. They apologized for not seeing it, saying "I don't check LinkedIn that often, I mean it's not like I'm looking for a job right now so what's the point?" I guess back then, at least for them, LinkedIn was for finding work, and was therefore unneeded when you are gainfully employed.

I guess this summer I'll be joining the ranks of those on the job hunt, a rare occurrence in my career in which I've only had two jobs in my life so not much experience finding a job. (And, the last time was 20+ years ago before, when I was not yet on LinkedIn.) But, I have used and will continue to use LinkedIn for many other things besides seeking employment.

I should note that many uses are related to my current occupation as a consultant, in a role in which bringing in business and being helpful to my clients is paramount. But I suspect I will continue to do these things even after I've left my firm.

First, much like Facebook is a curated feed of what my friends far and wide are doing, thinking, celebrating, and raging against, LinkedIn is that for my professional network. So it's a convenient and efficient way to keep tabs on promotions, job changes, work successes, and industry insights. For my personal pleasure and for my ongoing professional relevance, I need to keep tabs on all of these things, and reading my feed is a pretty easy way to do just that.

On a related note, LinkedIn is an efficient way to publicly praise people for a job well done. Affirmation and recognition fuel all of us, and it's great to be able to privately and then publicly congratulate people for a big closing, a work milestone, or just being their awesome selves.

Similarly, sharing insightful news and articles, along with some commentary that gives folks a window into how I process it, is a low-friction way to exercise thought leadership. It's good to be seen as a reliable and thoughtful source of contemporary trends, which requires keeping up with and having an informed opinion of such trends, which LinkedIn is a great platform for.

Finally, let me celebrate the "strength of weak ties," which is to say that knowing a lot of people shallowly is a good thing in business because it expands your pool from those in your inner circle to those much further afield, with attendant benefits in gaining new perspectives and penetrating broader networks. I don't particularly like to send or accept invites from complete strangers, and I will decline invitations from folks who are clearly interested in putting the hard sell on me for their work product. But, if we've met even just once, then you've cleared my low bar for being someone I want to stay in touch with. I've even lowered the bar further, in that if someone invites me to connect who I've never met but who has 10+ shared connections, that's someone I think is worth being in my network. Because having a large network then increases your chances of knowing someone when something comes up, where for example you need a team member in the Dallas area who has experience with tax policy. 

Needless to say, I get a lot of utility out of LinkedIn, even though I've never had to use it to find a job. And now I do! So maybe I'll be on it even more?