What NOT to do in LinkedIn
From being ‘strictly professional’ among a dozen of mainstream networking platforms, largely due to a fraction of irresponsible usage, LinkedIn is slowly becoming just another social media where anything and everything is dumped in without much context. As far as it still remains as the go to platform for most of our professional networking endeavors, it is necessary that some degree of decorum is established in order to utilize it in the best possible way.
Memes? Strictly NO unless they are highly relevant and thought provoking in a professional sense.
Memes are great; I repeat it, memes are great. But if you end up sharing each and every meme that you would otherwise on platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp, then it’s time for you to question the very purpose of it. No one logs in to LinkedIn to check memes. However, if you have got something relevant that would be useful for those who spare a few minutes every day here, then go for it.
No ex-parte with your HR
It is great to expand your networking among professionals, especially among the human resource professionals if you are fresh from your graduate school or interested in getting to know more about there are of recruitment. But once you have already applied for a vacancy, don’t initiate an ex-parte communication with the HR via LinkedIn or by any other means. You will not only be looked down on but setting a very bad precedent where the first impression matters the most.
Keep your ideologies away
Strictly speaking, this isn’t a place for politics or anything means by which ideologies are propagated. Be it mainstream politics, ethnicity, religion or even economic perspective, keep your ideologies away and take an impartial stance as long as your networking here is concerned. In other words, sticking up to your propaganda here is not going to do any good here but on the contrary.
There are better places to share your personal goals.
No one here is bothered much about your achievements in personal lives, be it getting married or taking off for an ideal vacation. Everyone has a life and it isn’t necessary to brag about it especially your very purpose of being here is contradictory. Share your professional success here but make them concise and specific.
Don’t be critical for the sake of it
Social media platforms have provided us with the golden opportunity of letting our voices being heard in almost each and every field unless and until you are living in DRP Korea or any other similar regimes. But criticisms for the sake of it will not be appreciated here and will be ignored as well as frowned upon. Be constructive in your thoughts if at all you want to be critical and ensure that it is highly necessary for you to do it.
Do not go on asking for recommendations and referrals
There’s a very thin line between networking and canvassing and ensure that you stay on the right side of it. As much as you could, avoid sourcing recommendations from those you haven’t had a proper introduction before. One would be happy to recommend you and provide referrals only when he/she is certain that such is true and accurate.
Don’t ignore messages
Yes, we all get spammed, be it our emails or every other social media platform for that matter. But who knows, you might even get messages from potential recruiters over here. So make it a habit to check messages in LinkedIn regularly though it isn’t necessary for you to reply if you consider them spams. Moreover, don’t send messages that are more or less courtesy calls and mere formalities; as you know there are better places for it.
Don’t fake yourself
Do not provide anything in your profile that doesn’t match with you personal identity as well as your professional achievements. Do not unnecessarily brag about yourself and contradict your true resume on any fronts. Faking yourself may get you through some distance but you will not stay there for longer and might end up falling into an abyss.
At last, have the right display picture
There’s nothing called a perfect profile or display picture but ensure that it truly represents who you are and stays within the parameters of what you would call ‘professional’. It need not be a typical passport portrait and you are free to express yourself as long as it doesn’t serve you anything contradictory.