LinkedIn. I've been on the platform for a long time, but if I'm honest I don't really use it.
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| My woefully neglected LinkedIn profile. |
In the early days, it was mostly perceived as a place for posting your online resume and being found by employers. People "endorsed" each other and shared jobs within their network.
I was on there for two reasons. First, I wanted to see what this platform was all about. Second, it was a way to interact with our ISLT alumni. For me personally, it wasn't going to be valuable for job seeking or hiring because the academic job market just doesn't work like that. It occurred to me that it could be valuable for consulting, but I really don't have a lot of bandwidth for that and consulting gigs of appropriate (read: minimal) scope tend to find me at opportune times (e.g., breaks).
Over time, the platform has changed. It incorporated groups, and I started to spend a little more time there with our alumni group. And then it added posts and a feed, and reactions. Scrolling through LinkedIn is not unlike going through a Facebook feed, minus the distinctly non-professional content. And I like to keep my Facebook personal and my LinkedIn professional, so having a feed for each life context makes sense.
Recently, for a whole host of reasons that I won't get into within this post (but I'm happy to share -- and no, I'm not changing jobs or anything like that), I've been thinking that I should get more engaged on LinkedIn. By more engaged, I mean regularly posting on there when I have things to share and having a presence. That also means reacting to others' posts (which I typically do when I log in; logging in is usually driven by a notification that I have a pending connection request or new message).
I'm not entirely comfortable. What do I have to post? I guess I can post about my presentations, publications, and other accomplishments. I see people who post all the time about these things on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc. But that's just not me. I figure people who are interested will just find that stuff, no need for me to share it. However, professionally I keep getting told that I need to share these things. I guess I should? I know I should? And by doing that I maintain my network connections and awareness which means I'll have them to tap into under other circumstances (e.g., when I'm sharing a call for contributors or want to share an opportunity).
That leads me to today.
I told myself I would challenge myself during EME6414, when I have all of you to interact with.
Here we are. EME6414. Week 3. LinkedIn is a tool this week. We have a group for our class. And here I go ... started with a post this morning.
What are you going to challenge yourself to do? (Or are you waiting for my challenges?)
I appreciate your honesty in this post. In my mind I'm questioning how you could possibly doubt yourself! You have so much to share. Interesting that someone at your level has all the same doubts, fears, and insecurities as the newbies just starting out. We are all just regular people doing the best we can. I'm challenging myself this class, but I will admit I'm using your challenges as a jumping off point.
ReplyDeleteI have recently established a profile on LinkedIn as well. For years, I just thought of it as just another social networking site. However, my husband kept telling me that it's an essential piece of a professional's toolbox, so I finally took the plunge. I'm nowhere near as accomplished as you are, though, and have yet to come up with anything I feel worthy of sharing about myself on the site.
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