Do people actually find LinkedIn useful?

Got my current job because of LinkedIn.

What field are you in?

I can tell you for a fact that China uses it to troll for potential ins and weak spots into companies of strategic interest. Put military or aerospace as a key word and you will suddenly get all kinds of requests from strangers who want to link up.

@LuckyGuy that explains some of the connection requests I have seen recently, from utter strangers.

@hmmm-enterprise applications for cities and counties

I hate it but it has become necessary if you’re looking for a job. Recruiters are lazy.

@elbanditoroso: “enterprise applications for cities and counties”

Yeah, up until a couple of years ago, I was a software developer. LinkedIn was the only tool people used, unfortunately, to maintain professional relationships from job to job.

I only heard about my current job because I happened to see a former coworker mention the position on LinkedIn.

My co-workers have used it to stalk people. “Look, she only has a two year degree!”
Other than that, no I don’t find it useful.

There was a so much fluff on people’s pages too. It’s almost comical. Who the f cares if you are a lean six sigma yellow belt.

Not useful.

I don’t find it useful AT ALL. It’s a popularity contest. It just seems like almost everyone I get a request from is just trying to reach 300+connections or they are selling something and doing advertising.

What’s really weird is one of my old bosses told me when you search me or go to the others related to me section there are scantily clad women in stripper or adult entertainment fields… I have no idea why, nothing about my account is related to that. I am wondering if that is why using LinkedIn for job searching is not helping ME at all.

I know for a fact head hunters use it. It is also useful to find past coworkers you might have fallen out of touch with. For career purposes LinkedIn is probably the top “social media” site, but it’s not really a social platform like Facebook.

I want to thank @LuckyGuy for the tip. I have made a point of having nothing to do with either Linkedin nor Facebook, and could not understand the apparently virulent unacceptability of that decision. Google is equally as aggressive on demanding my cooperation in providing them information on my businesses and their endeavors which I enthusiastically refuse. I tire of arguing with my friends and relatives on what they perceive as my requirement to adapt. It really pisses me off when I get pesky net invitations from people to join up. Some years ago I discovered that those invitations were apparently generated without the knowledge or permission of those supposedly issuing the invitations. One result of my recalcitrance is the stunning amount of misinformation floating around concerning me and what I do. It’s both fascinating and creepy.

I’ve never found LinkedIn, head hunters, temp agencies, etc. helpful. Every gig I’ve ever gotten in a 30-year career (from tee-shirt airbrush artist to junior draftsman to associate university professor) has been because of word of mouth.

I’ve used such things, but they have only killed time until someone says, “Hey, I know a guy…”

LinkedIn is a useful tool for headhunters, but it doesn’t work well the other direction when you are the job seeker. Having key words on your profile helps the headhunters find you, but when you’re out of work you can’t just rely on LinkedIn to get found.

I worked for a headhunter who used LinkedIn to find people. My husband did and does get calls for jobs by headhunters through linkedIn, but for sure your network of people who you have rapport with is the best way to get a job.

Not very.