LinkedIn etiquette

[kav]

I've been on LinkedIn for several years, but only started to make use of it recently. I currently live in Scotland, but over the last couple of years my wife and I have been discussing a move to Dorset. I've been tracking jobs there for over a year and only one has come up in my field (and even that was only peripherally related).

With that in mind, aside from combing the job sites, I figure I could start looking into people who already work in my field in Dorset and contact them directly regarding opportunities. However, I have no idea if that is the "done thing" with LinkedIn - if some stranger asked me to be friends on Facebook I would ignore them.

I tested the waters last night by requesting a connection with someone fairly senior in a role similar to what I do. He has accepted my connection so I suppose my next step would be to contact him and say "gizza job". However this is all relatively virgin territory for me so I have no idea if I am being extremely cheeky and inappropriate, or if this is just the way people use LinkedIn to progress their careers.

Any advice based on your experiences with it would be useful, thanks.

 

[MikeP1]

I think your approach is just fine, I try to aim any of this types of connections to shared connections. So if the person wants to check out your background they can validate it with a shared connection.

I get periodic emails from people about jobs, a mixture of direct approach from companies and agencies.

Check out if the person's company is listed, lots of companies now post their roles on LinkedIn.

I've not landed a role this way but have been through a couple of interviews off the back off approaches through LinkedIn.

Hope you find something.

 

[Ian J]

if some stranger asked me to be friends on Facebook I would ignore them.

I get a lot of people who claim to be friends of mine on LinkedIn whom I've never heard of and I never bother to respond but I'm slightly different as my business doesn't revolve around networking.

I rarely respond but if you give an outline of why you think it would be useful to link up it might encourage those that don't know you from Adam.

EDIT - it took me five seconds to find you

 

[nheather]

I get a lot wanting to join and I reject them almost immediately. The reason is that they are dishonest claiming to have worked with me.

If someone came to me with an honest introduction and request for help I would probably be more understanding.

That is provided I wasn't getting a lot of them.

Cheers,

Nigel

 

[dc8900]

I get periodic emails from people about jobs, a mixture of direct approach from companies and agencies.

I get these head hunter linkedin messages/invitations a lot, some have been tempting but then a lot seem like complete rubbish

Still, Kav, I think there is nothing wrong in approaching it the way you suggest, LinkedIn is after all, a professional networking site!

 

[Peridot]

I also reject any invitations from head-hunters/employment agencies or others I don't know.

However if someone included a brief message in the invitation explaining why they were contacting me, I'd be only to happy to accept and provide any advice I could.

 

[eob]

Linked In is supposed to be for Professional Networking, but I too get a lot of agencies trying to contact me.
I'm finding it the same as Facebook now and it's just becoming a game of "collect the connections (friends)".

I binned Facebook but I'll probably keep this active, could be useful in the future. I think your approach is fine, i.e. not like the agencies pretending to have worked with me.

 

[signs]

I thought that was the point of Linkedin Kav , you could be a real asset to him , go for it

 

[kav]

Thanks for the responses all. What you've been recommending is pretty much the way I contacted the guy - you only get a space to send 50 characters, but in that space I gave a brief background for why I was contacting him. Now that we're connected I will put together something a bit more detailed and mail it to him. Can't do any harm and might just help. Was really just looking for a bit of reassurance that this was not a completely inappropriate thing to do.

 

[GBDG1]

Sounds like a good approach mate. He who dares wins and all that. What's the worst that could happen?

 

[qwerty321]

Quite a few people at work tend to get calls from recruiters offering work even though we don't have contact details listed there. They call the reception and ask to speak to us!

 

[kav]

What's the worst that could happen?

Well I suppose I could get in touch with him, he gives me a job and I move down there with my family, then he meets my wife and they fall in love and she leaves me and takes the kids and he fires me and I am left with nothing.

Dammit though, it's a risk I'm willing to take.





Thanks also to those who have contacted me directly on LinkedIn - keep them coming!

 

[imightbewrong]

If you see anyone I'm connected to that you are interested in feel free to ask for an intro

 

[its_all_Greek]

If you see anyone I'm connected to that you are interested in feel free to ask for an intro

Well that's Kav scanning the profile picks of your connections for attractive ladies then

 

[imightbewrong]

Well that's Kav scanning the profile picks of your connections for attractive ladies then

I'll give him my own personal rating for each one first, so he an avoid wasting his time

 

[Exemplar]

I closed my linked in due to people just being silly and it turning into Facebook.

Trouble is my boss now wants me to manage all social feeds for our new waste telemetry system trial.

Good luck with your job hunting though!

Alex

 

[imightbewrong]

I closed my linked in due to people just being silly and it turning into Facebook.

Surely you turn them off, not yourself?

 

[kopchoir]

Have had an account for a while now, but havent used it properly,a few friends have used it to and all rate it highly when used properly.
What benefits are there for an upgraded account

 

[rousetafarian]

LinkedIn is supposed to be balanced, and that all connections benefit from being connected to each other. I rarely find that it's the case

 

[imightbewrong]

What benefits are there for an upgraded account

It gives you more functionality - more search options, more search reach (with a basic account you can't see people's names if they are too 'distant') - the ability to send emails (aka inmails), alerts when your saved searches change, etc etc

It's mainly for recruiters, or people who are looking for employees, and maybe for people who want to really search it when looking for a job.

I'm a pretty 'passive' user - I keep my profile up to date, I have an RSS feed on the updates to see what everyone is up to (if you get lots of updates for one person, chances are a job-change is imminent ), I fend off emails from agents with roles, so I'm just have a 'basic' account.

 

[imightbewrong]

LinkedIn is supposed to be balanced, and that all connections benefit from being connected to each other. I rarely find that it's the case

Why would someone connect to someone they wouldn't benefit from connecting to?

 

[Mr_Wistles]

Why would someone connect to someone they wouldn't benefit from connecting to?

They are hot?

 

[imightbewrong]

sounds like a benefit

 

[Mr_Wistles]

Damn my feeble mind.

 

[rousetafarian]

Most of the young ladie's photos who work for IT Recruitment agencies substantiate that theory....