LINKED IN

Reviews

 

Rating: 4/5

Reviewed by: Gary on 06/07/2011

When you enroll in Linked In you are asked to set up a profile. Your profile will include your name address, phone numbers and contact information, current and past employers, schools youve attended, as well as other information similar to a Vita or Resume.

The people that you associate with, your contacts, in Linked In are called Connections. Users can invite anyone (whether a site user or not) to become a connection. You can search by name and organization for peoples names that you know.

You can joint different groups on Linked In. Schools youve attended or places you work frequently have groups. Some groups you are free to join. Others require that you request admission and someone on the other end needs to decide to admit you.

Group members are free to provide updates. Updates can take a variety of forms. People requesting assistance of one kind or another. People providing news and information. People looking for career advice. People who have open jobs or people looking for jobs. Each time a new discussion topic or update topic is initiated, you receive an email; letting you know about the new topic.
Potentially the most useful aspect of Linked In might be the job listings Ive found. I suspect you would need to be cautious in using these. Some companies seem to make a point of using Linked In. Microsoft is a good example. Others companies or industries appear to be less well represented.

For those that do use the website, they in some cases provide a very comprehensive description including contact information and directions for applying for the job.

Business information may also be provided about Companies

In some cases either the companes or individuals have identified their new employees or new places of employment.

Another use is by individuals seeking information on the best places to look for certain kinds of experience or specific types of jobs. This update came in as an email while I was completing this exercise.

Linked In seems to be a user friendly and useful website, though if I were desperately in need of a job, I would not rely completely on the website alone as it seems it might be a hit or miss whether you find the right individual or piece of information.