How To Not Act On LinkedIn: Know Your Platform

January 9, 2015
IN Blogging & Websites, Hobbies

Cops are very particular and passionate about the law, just like doctors are about health, or firemen about practicing fire safety (see: Phoebe’s boyfriend Vince). Someone like myself, who is very into social media and all of its purposes and benefits, is as you may have guessed, particular and passionate about how it is practiced as well. This included having proper LinkedIn etiquette.

Let me break down in the very broadest of scopes. There are specific uses of each of the current social media big three platforms. I’m not the subject matter expert, just making an observation based on how I most commonly see each platform used.

Facebook

Facebook is great for sharing your life story in a less character-limiting environment. You can upload as many pictures as you want and organize them in enumerable albums. There’s an option to create and invite people to events, and even playing Candy Crush Saga in a social way. If you’re fancy, your dog even has their own page and his favorite movie is Air Bud (classic).

Twitter

You only have 140 characters, so make it count. Your links will be shortened to 20 characters to provide a few more crucial characters for your post. Twitter is great for sharing quick information, single images or videos, or links to longer articles. To me, you definitely see more news outlets and magazines prominently active, so it has a more informative side to it as well.

LinkedIn is reserved specifically for professional networking. That’s why it is important to follow LinkedIn etiquette. The header on their homepage boasts “the world’s largest professional network.” You know what is NOT professional? Asking someone you don’t know to help you find a job at your company for them. Or better yet, asking someone you don’t even know to relay any intel on a job you might know of for them at a different company, circa Lew:

I don’t know that I’ve ever known a Lew before, nonetheless this particular Lew. We’re not connected by any contacts, only the Greater Chicago Area and the same college. My college wasn’t even that big, and I dabbled in a lot of activities, but Lew and I still never managed to cross paths. Yet, he thinks it’s appropriate to ask me to find out if my company is hiring on his behalf.

My initial reaction: completely inappropriate.

It's not an exception, it's the rule. — *It’s not an exception, it’s the rule.*

There’s always going to be the devil’s advocate, though. “But if your company is desperately seeking someone with his expertise, it’s like he’s doing your company a favor.” Maybe, but any credible company in desperate need of talent has their role posted on major job boards and probably already has dozens to hundreds of applicants.

Applicants are starving, industries are not having trouble filling the spots they need. This is what Justin Long would call the rule.

“You remember how it was when you first graduated and needed a job…” Yes, I do. It was rough, but I never once thought that it’d be logical or professional to reach out to a total stranger, with no buy-in to you or your brand, and ask them to help me find a job.

All things considered, my final reaction: completely inappropriate.

Miscellaneous Related Thoughts About LinkedIn Etiquette

Networking versus Spinning Around and Randomly Pressing Send
Lew’s InMail showcased perfect grammar and tone, but it’s the unspoken word that speaks the loudest. He attended several universities and had previous jobs, the right move would’ve been to connect with people in his network, who can at least put a personality and experience to his name.

Approaching Strangers on the Internet
You can internally giggle at the word stranger, and how it makes you think of a white van and candy all you want, but the truth is if you don’t know the person they’re a stranger to you. So please don’t reach out to strangers and ask them for professional help when they can’t actually vouch for you.

I don’t recommend talking to someone you’ve never met on the internet, regardless of the platform, or happenstance of interaction. People sometimes add friends on Facebook because out of their 936 friends they have a whopping one in common with the requester; I also don’t recommend that. However, people have their own levels of trust and are free to do what they choose.

Facebook and Twitter were made to function as a social platform versus LinkedIn, a professional networking platform. So, if you don’t mind a total stranger having access to where you went to high school or your favorite movies, by all means, add everyone on Facebook that the algorithm suggests to you (and their dogs). But keep in mind that adding strangers on LinkedIn may not always make sense, and even come across creepy.

The moral of the story is to mind your LinkedIn etiquette. It’s not the same as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest. It’s meant to network with other professionals and asking strangers for a job is very unprofessional.