LinkedIn Don'ts and Do's

Are you telling me that if I follow your LinkedIn Don’ts and Do’s, I will be better off in the professional world? There is only one way to find out, read on!

Though I am not a "LinkedIn guru", but through my humble experience from a recruiter's perspective, this is it; a blunt view which may stir mixed views. I will be delighted to know your thoughts.

1- Don’t Comment or Like posts stating “Hiring professionals for Country X, Y etc”. Most of those individuals are either looking to gather connections for their business ventures or for any other cause that is far from honestly providing you with a career opportunity. Come on, once the Likes and Comments build up, who will look up 1000+ likes and 1000+ comments with a page view limit of 10+ from the viewer’s side? Let us say 2000 views X 20 seconds per view (if they are quick skimmers) = 40,000 seconds = 666.6` minutes = 11.1` hours and counting. Do you think this person has enough time to view all those profiles, and yours in this case? You only have a 1/4000 = 0.025% chance you will get that profile view (if you are lucky), that is if they are serious and believe me mostly are not genuine career openings, so heads-up. Do ignore those posts as these become psychologically contagious to your connections too, followed by their connections, a plague in a professional era!

2- Don’t post a comment “Please check my profile”. This complements the above point, since many LinkedIn users are STILL writing this comment. How many times has this been a successful approach to your career endeavors? First of all, you may not want every single connection you have acknowledging that you are out there looking for a job, not to mention current / previous colleagues, how would that seem?. It is like saying out loud “Will work for peanuts”. Even if you are desperate and there are valid reasons to look out actively, there are alternative means to getting that dream job. Do search and connect with professionals in your industry, recruiters working on opportunities in a similar field, look up jobs related to your credentials that are posted on LinkedIn, gather insights on current business trends and projects that may affect your caliber in the job market, follow companies of interest that you want to work in, join groups that match your specific area, the list goes on and on…Just give it more thought and you will get there inevitably.

3- Don’t write this on your LinkedIn profile title “Looking for a job”? This is an instant turn-off to recruiters if you are applying for a job they are handling and professionals looking for team members as well. The desperate (mind my bluntness) call for a job on your profile emphasizes that you can do the same if you are hired, which may damage the company’s branding image as a “laying off organization” and may show that you are less likely to stay in a company for a career path. Who would want to bring burden to their hands from the start of a look-out, so ignoring those profiles would be best from the viewer’s point of view. Let aside the views from your current connections and probable future connections (in case some will accept your invitation). Do maintain your profile in a professional context with a stunning title that matches what you really do. It can be any mix of words that would make you stand out from the crowd, a self-made professional portrait mirroring this; I am a professional you would want to connect with, I am very confident of what I do and whenever life brings me down, I will be always standing tall, eventually by your side.

4- Don’t write “Calling all X Managers”. This one is for recruiters or LinkedIn users looking for talent from their “connections’ connections” by widening the post reach whenever a like or comment is initiated. Referring talent is a somehow advantageous approach through LinkedIn but “Calling” people to contact you is just a desperate measure stating the obvious “I am out of breath searching, can you do the job for me?” Do use internal individual or collective messages to your current connections inquiring if they are willing to help you referring talent, specifying what key job competencies you are looking for, ensuring confidentiality in the process. This approach would be more targeted and confidential, while replies received may generate more specific and brilliant result outcomes. Sometimes your connections would want to refer a connection in confidence and do not want to mention their connection(s) name(s) in your post, live for everyone to see.

5- Don’t just copy and paste your CV \ Resume on your LinkedIn Profile. Your LinkedIn profile should have a professional view to your connections and future acquaintances. Who would be interested to see your CV right away before knowing who you really are? A professional LinkedIn profile would include your personalized message of: who you are? what you do? How much experience you have in a specific field? How best to contact you? Plus additional details that should not be exhausting to read but rather sending out the correct message you want to confer. Do personalize your profile with a professional summary (a colleague or mentor can help you out on furnishing content or you are free to view professional profiles in your area of interest to grasp an idea, you will see one that will really attract your attention, that's it). There is always a person behind the profile; this is how you have to think about it.

6- Don’t post irrelevant pictures or “Facebook-like” posts. You have probably met this frustration if you have been on LinkedIn long enough. Good to know that some LinkedIn professionals are trying their best to prevent this by posting that LinkedIn ≠ Facebook, I salute you, somehow! Does it really matter if someone is mathematically conscious to comment and answer on your post “solve if you are genius”? Does this add value to you or your connections in any way professional? In addition to that are comics, cartoons, pictures, memes, notices of new marriages, condolences and so on as so forth. LinkedIn is a professional networking venue, not to be confused with other social media products. Do detach from your Facebook life when posting on LinkedIn. Do share valuable industry insights that would be interest and value to your connections and the wider audience, infographics, company news, projects, inspirational quotes, influencers’ insights and so on; keep it professional. There are two “Do's” in this point. Oh wait, now there are three.