Confessing My LinkedIn Prejudices

Lately I have learned of numerous old colleagues caught off guard by unanticipated late-career course changes. I am talking about friends or acquaintances who have faced involuntary separations from downsizing organizations whipsawed by the digital economy.

I have also learned of still others toiling away at the same organizations long after the better option might have been to seek more gainful employment elsewhere. While I admire longevity, it is clear (to paraphrase Barry Goldwater) that devotion is no longer a virtue and job hopping is no longer a vice.

So here is the usual set of recommendations I give to one and all after my own personal LinkedIn epiphany six years ago:

Embrace LinkedIn

Don’t fight it. It is not as if LinkedIn is going to go away. LinkedIn used to be a relatively benign way to “keep in touch” with high school and college friends as we all moved through our professional lives. It is now a barometer of business achievement and connectedness. It is also a vital lifeline helping users keep up with their industries, their social and business networks and, finally, with the world of headhunters – that necessary evil we are so fond of complaining about.

Get Yourself 500 Connections

Anyone who has been circulating professionally for 5-10 years better have “500+” after their name on LinkedIn. To get there means sending LinkedIn invitations to everyone you meet – and I do mean everyone, including that man or woman on the elevator or your seatmate in Business Class. And it means accepting LinkedIn invitations from anyone. There is no downside, unless the person starts pitching you lead generation tools or self-help seminars, at which point you can “un-link.”

Join Some LinkedIn Groups

Again, it can’t hurt. Maybe you will be sufficiently motivated to comment, or maybe not. But it is always valuable to see and read what people are talking about.

Write Some Recommendations

You can say as little (“Fred was a pleasure to work with.”) or as much (“Let me give you five examples of Jane’s extraordinary contributions to our organization…”) as you like. Again, it can’t hurt. And maybe the person you recommend will recommend you. Recommendations may or may not be read and may or may not be taken seriously, but they carry more weight than “endorsements” and the time and thought required speak for themselves regardless of the actual words.

My LinkedIn Prejudices

These suggestions lead into my LinkedIn prejudices confessional. I am routinely shocked that my friends and acquaintances who are involuntarily severed find themselves completely unprepared to be unemployed.

Their networks are too small (<500!) and their devotion to their now-former employer has been too complete. People of a certain age (ie. many baby-boomers) think commitment and loyalty are things employers look for and respect. Too often loyalty is nothing more than fear, on the part of the employed or worse, apathy or laziness. A little hint: It is your employer who should be made to fear the potential imminence of your departure! Loyalty is for …. (pick your pejorative.)

If LinkedIn has taught us all one thing it is that we are all always looking for the next job, and we should be. It’s like those tired expressions – “Everyone is in sales.” And “Everything and everyone has his or her price.” You kid yourself about these realities at your peril.

If a candidate comes knocking on the door at Strategy Analytics, my current employer, or a new employee joins the team, my first stop is LinkedIn. I am only looking for a few things, but they include:

A) 500+ connections

B) # of connections we have in common

C) Upward career trajectory – title, organization size, number of employees managed, scope of responsibilities

D) Social networking IQ – Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc. (Do you really want to spend time EXPLAINING social networking to a new hire?)

E) Speaking, writing – ie. communication skills

Too many times, deficits in one or more of these areas have translated into performance deficits. For me, LinkedIn has become a powerful predictor of long-term viability and employability.

So my prejudiced and jaundiced heads up to anyone is: Get your LinkedIn profile in order. Start connecting to anyone you can. And always keep your eyes open for greener grass. You never know when the grass might be pulled out from under you.