Over the line! #Linkedin is not #Facebook

The Lebowski meme above was inspired by people who I feel do not understand the difference between a professional networking site like Linkedin, and social networking site like Facebook.

On a social network like Facebook it is pretty much accepted for people to post their views, either publicly or just to friends, and if others do not agree they can either ignore the post, or make a comment to the contrary. People can also stop following or even unfriend the person if they choose to do so.

Linkedin on the other hand is a professional network and what is posted on Linkedin can be viewed by your coworkers, competitors, and prospective employers which is something people really need to consider before posting their views on politics, religion, or other "hot" topics.

While I have posted articles on Linkedin which were a little tongue in cheek those articles were either about issues I faced in my search for a new career opportunity and how I dealt with them, or about technologies which I have an interest in, and therefore I felt where appropriate for Linkedin.

There is a old axiom regarding how the discussions of sex, politics, and religion should be kept out of the office.

People should consider Linkedin an extension of their office.

For further reading may I suggest this Glassdoor article - Sex, Religion& Politics: Why You Should Never Discuss Them At Work 

Took the advice

Just a quick post to say I took "The Stranger's" advice and updated my profile picture on Linkedin. I am not too impressed with my camera work though I think the image is better than the original one that has been on my Linkedin profile for 10 years now. If you are interested you can check the new image by accessing my Linkedin profile via the link to the left.

While I was at it, I updated the image for this blog. Right now the approach to life I am taking is to "Abide"

(Official image credit unknown at this time, unofficial credit - "The Dude)

Maybe I was a little too creative?

The article below is a re-post of an one which I wrote on July 1st 2016 and posted on Linkedin concerning whether or not one should change their status on Linkedin to show they are unemployed and seeking new employment opportunities.

Here is the URL to the original post on Linkedin:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/maybe-i-little-too-creative-jim-cox

I hope you enjoy the article and feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.

(Image credit - AZQUOTES)

Yesterday I completed my 18 month contract at Microsoft, and knowing in advance that my contract was coming to an end I began searching for new employment opportunities though nothing has yet to materialize.

Since I am now seeking new employment opportunities I thought I should reflect this in my Linkedin profile. Now there are those who advise not to state in your Linkedin profile that you are unemployed and looking for work, and then there is the opposing view that you should change your status to reflect that you are available for new opportunities.

I agree with the latter opinion because I want people to know I am available for new opportunities and I want to utilize the new listing under Experience to state what sort of opportunities I am searching for. While the Headline and Summary fields in a Linkedin profile are intended to for these purposes I find that most people reviewing profiles tend to focus on the most recent status listed under Experience.

Having decided to make the change to my status I thought I should try something different from the normal “Self” for Company Name and “Unemployed” or “Job Seeker” for Title, and I felt these changes should reflect my experience and interests in technology.

So early this morning in a fit (more like spasm) of creativity I updated my profile and listed “Career R&D” for Company Name, and “Career Engineer - R&D” for Title, and then added additional information to show what sort of opportunities I was conducing R&D for.

Where my “research” fell short in this update to my profile was the effect Linkedin’s status update to my network would have and the number of congratulatory responses I would receive for finding a new job as a "Career Engineer". While I do appreciate the consideration from those who offered congratulations I must offer a mea culpa for the misunderstanding.

One other thing that I did not consider at the time was that recruiters may not recognize or appreciate the intent of the Company Name and Title, and therefore not review my profile any further.

I have since made some more conventional updates to properly reflect my status and search for new opportunities and as far as I am concerned the original update was not a failure but instead a learning experience. I have also disabled the Notify your network? option regarding updates to my profile which I originally enabled for this particular update and I will leave it disabled until I have finalized by profile. Also this entry in my profile will be deleted once I find a new opportunity.

What I would like to know from others here on Linkedin is what do you think about posting your status as unemployed and seeking a new job. Should you change your status to reflect you are unemployed and seeking new opportunities or should you just leave your status as is with only a change in date?

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.

Cheers ~ Jim