Linkedin Usefulness?

How important (and or necessary) is linkedin in order to be able to land internships and jobs in finance? It seems as if everyone is using it these days and I have heard mixed reviews on its usefulness. Right now I'm networking through personal connections (i.e. my best friend's father is an exec at a company working with a pe firm and thus I was connected to the pe firm)

Also how important is it to have a lot of connections (to make your linkedin look legit) and what if I've only held one internship at a small firm consisting of less than 10 employees?

Apparently only 23 of my facebook friends are also on linkedin at all (I'm a college underclassmen) and I could add say 20 or so more people from the workplace. Would a profile with 45 or so connections be useless and/or distasteful?

 

LinkedIn is a must for professional networking. Thought you might find this useful.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/Ocp1MNpSkWs

http://www.youtube.com/embed/tSdXxUx2UhM

http://www.youtube.com/embed/dz6IhscoSMQ

http://www.youtube.com/embed/fslSlYE9VSs

http://www.youtube.com/embed/H6Nsa-fG7FA

http://www.youtube.com/embed/rigBMFiJRUY

"I am the hero of the story. I don't need to be saved."
 

If I look someone up on LinkedIn and they're not there, I automatically assume they're incompetent unless they're an older executive. Not being on LinkedIn says that you don't understand the value of networking. Put a good amount of time into creating your profile, joining relevant groups, making connections, etc. - but then don't waste much time there. Spend 5 minutes once a week unless you have a reason to be on.

I read somewhere that the average Harvard MBA has around 60 connections, and the average Google employee has somewhere around 70. Forty-five isn't too far off, so don't worry about the number of connections. Having less than 20 might look bad, but if you haven't even graduated yet, 45 will probably put your connection count higher than 90% of your peers.

Don't forget about your personal connections - your best friend's dad, your girlfriend's uncle, your second cousin, etc. I have about 300 connections, and probably 1/3 to 1/2 of them are personal. You never know if your little sister's coworker's grandfather will turn out to be an MD at GS.

 
808:
If I look someone up on LinkedIn and they're not there, I automatically assume they're incompetent unless they're an older executive. Not being on LinkedIn says that you don't understand the value of networking. Put a good amount of time into creating your profile, joining relevant groups, making connections, etc. - but then don't waste much time there. Spend 5 minutes once a week unless you have a reason to be on.

I read somewhere that the average Harvard MBA has around 60 connections, and the average Google employee has somewhere around 70. Forty-five isn't too far off, so don't worry about the number of connections. Having less than 20 might look bad, but if you haven't even graduated yet, 45 will probably put your connection count higher than 90% of your peers.

Don't forget about your personal connections - your best friend's dad, your girlfriend's uncle, your second cousin, etc. I have about 300 connections, and probably 1/3 to 1/2 of them are personal. You never know if your little sister's coworker's grandfather will turn out to be an MD at GS.

How many connections would look "okay" for a college underclassmen? This is going to sound completely asinine but I really don't want to add older people I know (with experience in banking/pe) without first having a sick linkedin with a legit internship and a lot of connections. It might sound overly self conscious but I don't want to add people into my network that I don't know closely (exception to people who might help me get a job) , and at the same time don't want to have a linkedin with only 30 contacts. Also I was thinking of waiting until after my legit fall internship so recruiters/MD's would think I'm for real as opposed to some weirdo with a pwm internship. I realize this may sound completely stupid

 
Husky32:
808:
If I look someone up on LinkedIn and they're not there, I automatically assume they're incompetent unless they're an older executive. Not being on LinkedIn says that you don't understand the value of networking. Put a good amount of time into creating your profile, joining relevant groups, making connections, etc. - but then don't waste much time there. Spend 5 minutes once a week unless you have a reason to be on.

I read somewhere that the average Harvard MBA has around 60 connections, and the average Google employee has somewhere around 70. Forty-five isn't too far off, so don't worry about the number of connections. Having less than 20 might look bad, but if you haven't even graduated yet, 45 will probably put your connection count higher than 90% of your peers.

Don't forget about your personal connections - your best friend's dad, your girlfriend's uncle, your second cousin, etc. I have about 300 connections, and probably 1/3 to 1/2 of them are personal. You never know if your little sister's coworker's grandfather will turn out to be an MD at GS.

How many connections would look "okay" for a college underclassmen? This is going to sound completely asinine but I really don't want to add older people I know (with experience in banking/pe) without first having a sick linkedin with a legit internship and a lot of connections. It might sound overly self conscious but I don't want to add people into my network that I don't know closely (exception to people who might help me get a job) , and at the same time don't want to have a linkedin with only 30 contacts. Also I was thinking of waiting until after my legit fall internship so recruiters/MD's would think I'm for real as opposed to some weirdo with a pwm internship. I realize this may sound completely stupid

You're still in college - nobody is going to judge. Find me on there and start networking asap with alums.

 
Husky32:
808:
If I look someone up on LinkedIn and they're not there, I automatically assume they're incompetent unless they're an older executive. Not being on LinkedIn says that you don't understand the value of networking. Put a good amount of time into creating your profile, joining relevant groups, making connections, etc. - but then don't waste much time there. Spend 5 minutes once a week unless you have a reason to be on.

I read somewhere that the average Harvard MBA has around 60 connections, and the average Google employee has somewhere around 70. Forty-five isn't too far off, so don't worry about the number of connections. Having less than 20 might look bad, but if you haven't even graduated yet, 45 will probably put your connection count higher than 90% of your peers.

Don't forget about your personal connections - your best friend's dad, your girlfriend's uncle, your second cousin, etc. I have about 300 connections, and probably 1/3 to 1/2 of them are personal. You never know if your little sister's coworker's grandfather will turn out to be an MD at GS.

How many connections would look "okay" for a college underclassmen? This is going to sound completely asinine but I really don't want to add older people I know (with experience in banking/pe) without first having a sick linkedin with a legit internship and a lot of connections. It might sound overly self conscious but I don't want to add people into my network that I don't know closely (exception to people who might help me get a job) , and at the same time don't want to have a linkedin with only 30 contacts. Also I was thinking of waiting until after my legit fall internship so recruiters/MD's would think I'm for real as opposed to some weirdo with a pwm internship. I realize this may sound completely stupid

I see what you're saying, but don't worry about it. The important thing is to get on LinkedIn and put the time in to beefing up your profile. Say in your summary at the top that you will be having an X-month ____ internship at X bank starting in X month.

 
808:
If I look someone up on LinkedIn and they're not there, I automatically assume they're incompetent unless they're an older executive. Not being on LinkedIn says that you don't understand the value of networking. Put a good amount of time into creating your profile, joining relevant groups, making connections, etc. - but then don't waste much time there. Spend 5 minutes once a week unless you have a reason to be on.

I read somewhere that the average Harvard MBA has around 60 connections, and the average Google employee has somewhere around 70. Forty-five isn't too far off, so don't worry about the number of connections. Having less than 20 might look bad, but if you haven't even graduated yet, 45 will probably put your connection count higher than 90% of your peers.

Don't forget about your personal connections - your best friend's dad, your girlfriend's uncle, your second cousin, etc. I have about 300 connections, and probably 1/3 to 1/2 of them are personal. You never know if your little sister's coworker's grandfather will turn out to be an MD at GS.

I disagree.

While I don't think you should accumulate connections like Facebook friends, having more connections allows you to connect to more people. For starters, the more connections you have, the more likely you are to be a 2nd or 3rd connection to somebody ELSE, and that somebody else is usually the person you want to end up trying to network with.

If you aren't a 2nd or 3rd, they aren't going to show up in your search results, and if they do, you won't be able to attempt to connect with them. I think tactically adding connections is a smart thing to do.

My name is Nicky, but you can call me Dre.
 
aempirei:
808:
If I look someone up on LinkedIn and they're not there, I automatically assume they're incompetent unless they're an older executive. Not being on LinkedIn says that you don't understand the value of networking. Put a good amount of time into creating your profile, joining relevant groups, making connections, etc. - but then don't waste much time there. Spend 5 minutes once a week unless you have a reason to be on.

I read somewhere that the average Harvard MBA has around 60 connections, and the average Google employee has somewhere around 70. Forty-five isn't too far off, so don't worry about the number of connections. Having less than 20 might look bad, but if you haven't even graduated yet, 45 will probably put your connection count higher than 90% of your peers.

Don't forget about your personal connections - your best friend's dad, your girlfriend's uncle, your second cousin, etc. I have about 300 connections, and probably 1/3 to 1/2 of them are personal. You never know if your little sister's coworker's grandfather will turn out to be an MD at GS.

I disagree.

While I don't think you should accumulate connections like Facebook friends, having more connections allows you to connect to more people. For starters, the more connections you have, the more likely you are to be a 2nd or 3rd connection to somebody ELSE, and that somebody else is usually the person you want to end up trying to network with.

If you aren't a 2nd or 3rd, they aren't going to show up in your search results, and if they do, you won't be able to attempt to connect with them. I think tactically adding connections is a smart thing to do.

I'm a bit confused by your post, if you need a lot of connections in order to find useful people why wouldn't you add everyone you've at least spoken to once? (like facebook)

 
aempirei:
808:
If I look someone up on LinkedIn and they're not there, I automatically assume they're incompetent unless they're an older executive. Not being on LinkedIn says that you don't understand the value of networking. Put a good amount of time into creating your profile, joining relevant groups, making connections, etc. - but then don't waste much time there. Spend 5 minutes once a week unless you have a reason to be on.

I read somewhere that the average Harvard MBA has around 60 connections, and the average Google employee has somewhere around 70. Forty-five isn't too far off, so don't worry about the number of connections. Having less than 20 might look bad, but if you haven't even graduated yet, 45 will probably put your connection count higher than 90% of your peers.

Don't forget about your personal connections - your best friend's dad, your girlfriend's uncle, your second cousin, etc. I have about 300 connections, and probably 1/3 to 1/2 of them are personal. You never know if your little sister's coworker's grandfather will turn out to be an MD at GS.

I disagree.

While I don't think you should accumulate connections like Facebook friends, having more connections allows you to connect to more people. For starters, the more connections you have, the more likely you are to be a 2nd or 3rd connection to somebody ELSE, and that somebody else is usually the person you want to end up trying to network with.

If you aren't a 2nd or 3rd, they aren't going to show up in your search results, and if they do, you won't be able to attempt to connect with them. I think tactically adding connections is a smart thing to do.

You get an email when someone wants to add you. Spend 5 minutes a week inviting connections yourself - no need to waste extra time like people do on Facebook.

 
808:
If I look someone up on LinkedIn and they're not there, I automatically assume they're incompetent unless they're an older executive.

That is quite judgmental. Some of us value our privacies and deliberately hide our linkedin profile from public views/google searches. The fact of matter is, many people just prefer no to be seen and "networked" by random people they dont know. They have way better things to do with their time without such distractions. Consider David Einhorn, he is pretty young yet he doesn't have a public linkedin profile. Would you dismiss hi as incompetent? I know a number of other highly regarded professionals, in finance and other fields, that do the same.

808:
I read somewhere that the average Harvard MBA has around 60 connections, and the average Google employee has somewhere around 70. Forty-five isn't too far off, so don't worry about the number of connections. Having less than 20 might look bad, but if you haven't even graduated yet, 45 will probably put your connection count higher than 90% of your peers.

.

It is VERY EASY to get a large number of connections. Many people can get 500+ connections in little time. All you need to do is spam everybody on your contact lists and trolling Linkedin sending out random invites, you surely will get a lot of hits. It is only a numbers game. Some of the people with the largest connections I have seen are realtors, hustlers and other individuals with dubious credentials. I routinely ignore their linked invites. And that is exactly the deficiency of the linkedin model. It does not differentiate quality from quantity. In the Linkedin universe, all connections are equal. A prima facie, a link to Jamie Dimon is counted the same as a link to some random high school student. You really cant tell how reputable or competent a person is just by looking at the number of connections he has. Personally I would rather associate with folks who are more eclectic in term of who they link to.

Too late for second-guessing Too late to go back to sleep.
 
brandon st randy:
808:
If I look someone up on LinkedIn and they're not there, I automatically assume they're incompetent unless they're an older executive.

That is quite judgmental. Some of us value our privacies and deliberately hide our linkedin profile from public views/google searches. The fact of matter is, many people just prefer no to be seen and "networked" by random people they dont know. They have way better things to do with their time without such distractions. Consider David Einhorn, he is pretty young yet he doesn't have a public linkedin profile. Would you dismiss hi as incompetent? I know a number of other highly regarded professionals, in finance and other fields, that do the same.

808:
I read somewhere that the average Harvard MBA has around 60 connections, and the average Google employee has somewhere around 70. Forty-five isn't too far off, so don't worry about the number of connections. Having less than 20 might look bad, but if you haven't even graduated yet, 45 will probably put your connection count higher than 90% of your peers.

.

It is VERY EASY to get a large number of connections. Many people can get 500+ connections in little time. All you need to do is spam everybody on your contact lists and trolling Linkedin sending out random invites, you surely will get a lot of hits. It is only a numbers game. Some of the people with the largest connections I have seen are realtors, hustlers and other individuals with dubious credentials. I routinely ignore their linked invites. And that is exactly the deficiency of the linkedin model. It does not differentiate quality from quantity. In the Linkedin universe, all connections are equal. A prima facie, a link to Jamie Dimon is counted the same as a link to some random high school student. You really cant tell how reputable or competent a person is just by looking at the number of connections he has. Personally I would rather associate with folks who are more eclectic in term of who they link to.

Einhorn was born in 1968, which makes him an "older executive" in my book. To clarify my statement, it makes sense if you rose to the executive ranks in the pre-LinkedIn era that you will be of the opinion that LinkedIn is not a good use of your time; i.e., you probably will have built your network and probably continue to build your network in a different and more effective way.

There may be exceptions to the rule that non-executives not on LinkedIn are clueless, but those are few and far between. As for those who keep their profile hidden for privacy reasons, different people have different styles. There are different kinds of privacy settings, so I can't really have a blanket discussion about this. However, I only connect with people I know, and if I know you, I should be able to find you even if you have added some privacy features to your profile. If you've completely hidden your profile, why did you even create one? That makes no sense.

 
Husky32:
Also do any of you actually get in touch with new people on linkedin (through groups I'm told) or do you just use it as a virtual log for people you meet in real life? - what I'm essentially doing except just using phone/email

I will make connections with recruiters online, but everyone else I typically insist on meeting in person before I connect. Different people have different networking styles - some will connect with anybody (which I feel makes your network weak and useless) and some will only connect with very close friends/associates (which I feel makes you lose a lot of value you could get connecting with business acquaintances).

 

When you join, you should be adding 30+ connections at least in the first week just from friends and family. How is that desperate? that is smart. If you are actually able to connect with 20 people a day, that means you are either a master networker or you are just building out your account / just opened it.

Besides, who is stalking you to know you are adding 20 new connections/day? You think anyone cares? They either want to connect with you or they don't.

If you want to be selective about the "quality" of people you allow into your network, fine. Personally, I give people the benefit of the doubt and add anyone that requests to be connected. If they come right out and ask a favor, if I know someone they are trying to connect with well and they make a good impression, then I may even help them out. If I dont have the time or dont know someone well enough, i tell them that. no harm done. I'm not laughing at the kid because he has X number of connections or added 20 people in the last few days...

Point is, why limit yourself?

 
WallStreetOasis.com:
Besides, who is stalking you to know you are adding 20 new connections/day?

By the way, a good tip in general is to go into your settings and disable the personal 'news feed' that appears by default on your page, showing all of your recent activity. That way you a) avoid someone noticing that you've added a ton of people in a few days or heavily edited your job descriptions, and b) avoid people knowing WHO you're connecting with (for example, I might not want my coworkers to know that I've connected with five people at rival bank X in the last week...)

 
dublin:
WallStreetOasis.com:
Besides, who is stalking you to know you are adding 20 new connections/day?

By the way, a good tip in general is to go into your settings and disable the personal 'news feed' that appears by default on your page, showing all of your recent activity. That way you a) avoid someone noticing that you've added a ton of people in a few days or heavily edited your job descriptions, and b) avoid people knowing WHO you're connecting with (for example, I might not want my coworkers to know that I've connected with five people at rival bank X in the last week...)

good pointer, thanks

 

It's so you can brag to your peasant non-target friends about the dope NYC BB IB summer gig you landed. Make sure to update your linked at LEAST 1 month before starting the job to maximize networking exit opps.

Honestly though, it serves as a way for you to keep track of your business network and is like a 21st century rolodex. Might also give potential future managers another way to get a feel for your personality, as it can hold a lot more information than your resume.

 

Also, lots of recruiters use it as a tool to find candidates, so it can be helpful in getting seen by recruiters/companies looking to fill openings. It is somewhat like a digital resume (I keep it brief to company/title/group, no bullets) that is always out there for your network and others to view without much work on your end other than initial creation and quick updates. It isn't a game-changer, but it is definitely beneficial - one potential job opportunity or useful connection that comes from it makes it worthwhile imo

Array
 

Really? I get messages quite frequently from various recruiters about opportunities. Not always interesting ones, but considering I do nothing other than politely decline/ask for more info, I find that beneficial (even if only marginally). Obviously, traditional headhunters may have other methods of finding you, but LinkedIn definitely is a tool that is increasingly used by recruiters, at little/no effort from you.

Array
 

I've been contacted by recruiters via LinkedIn profile, but I take that as a sign that they are casting their net very wide and hauling in whatever they can. Much more trawling than head hunting.

Those who can, do. Those who can't, post threads about how to do it on WSO.
 

Like SSits said, I get some pretty wide cast recruiters from LinkedIn and some really weird ones, like "would you like to open a State Farm insurance sales office?" But I think it's one of those things you just need to have.

I recently went to use LinkedIn to look for certain people at a number of companies, and I'm not quite sure if it's always been like this or it's a recent thing, but there's a "commercial search limit" or some such nonsense and they want you to sign up for a Premier account, which is free for 30 days but after I did that I quickly hit another search limit and they want you to upgrade beyond that. I think the free month is ~$30 and the upgrades are something like $60 and $90. I understand wanting to produce revenue, but the $30 acct was very limited and way overpriced and $60/90 just seems like a complete ripoff.

 

Commercial search limit is a relatively new thing. It is fairly easy to get around but I think people who use LinkedIn like recruiters do must pay the premium.

If using chrome, simply open the incognito/private tab and search names or positions in google search. For example "Blackstone analyst london linkedin". Then when you locate the names you are interested in just type them into your LinkedIn search bar or copy the link of their public profile.

 

Great for job applying as well, or at least finding opportunities. I prefer it over things like career builder and monster for finding opportunities.

Regarding being contacted by recruiters, that doesn't generally happen while you are in college. During my second year of work, I was contacted from many local recruiters regarding some pretty awesome corp dev opportunities. I got a few PE messages, but I didn't care to explore the route, and they weren't local, so a HUGE net was probably cast.

Also, there are many smaller boutiques, Corporate roels (under $2B) and firms who only post on Linkedin (and their own website), and don't use headhunters. Some of these are really good opportunities IMO (I'm a non-target, so probably different perspective).

 

My wife recently decided to leave her F500 firm, and did LinkedIn premium for a month for free. In addition to reaching out through our personal/professional networks, she also worked with some of the recruiters who reached out to her through LinkedIn. Long story short, 2 of those LinkedIn leads led to great offers, and the opportunity she took was one that was posted as an available opportunity at LinkedIn. It gave her the recommendation based on her network and the companies she was working with. She took it at a 30% raise from former position, + signing bonus + performance bonus. I'm sure its hit or miss depending on personal situations, but it was excellent for her search.

In addition to the rolodex purposes mentioned before, I'd also like to add that its helped me keep track of college friends and acquaintances. Seeing that a buddy of yours that you've lost touch with is headed to get their MBA, or switched companies, got promoted, etc. is a great way to reconnect.

 

Cheers. And while I'm at it, I'll share my second favorite LinkedIn tactic, which is to enable the feature that lets people know when you visit their profile (ie they can see your full name, rather than 'Anonymous LinkedIn User') - then you can go around and just quickly visit the page of lots of people at the companies you're interested in (or specifically in the group that recently listed an opening), and if you're lucky, they'll see that you visited and decide to check your profile out in return.

 
dublin:
Cheers. And while I'm at it, I'll share my second favorite LinkedIn tactic, which is to enable the feature that lets people know when you visit their profile (ie they can see your full name, rather than 'Anonymous LinkedIn User') - then you can go around and just quickly visit the page of lots of people at the companies you're interested in (or specifically in the group that recently listed an opening), and if you're lucky, they'll see that you visited and decide to check your profile out in return.

How do you do that?

I recently got a job and I am looking to do the opposite. Thanks.

 
<span class=keyword_link><a href=http://tinyurl.com/3zap9yh target=_blank rel=nofollow>John Rolfe</a></span>:
dublin:
Cheers. And while I'm at it, I'll share my second favorite LinkedIn tactic, which is to enable the feature that lets people know when you visit their profile (ie they can see your full name, rather than 'Anonymous LinkedIn User') - then you can go around and just quickly visit the page of lots of people at the companies you're interested in (or specifically in the group that recently listed an opening), and if you're lucky, they'll see that you visited and decide to check your profile out in return.
How do you do that?

I recently got a job and I am looking to do the opposite. Thanks.

By default it is set to show your picture, name, headline statement, and current firm/university when you view another user's profile.
I am permanently behind on PMs, it's not personal.
 

I've been contacted by a few recruiters who found me through LinkedIn but have never been contacted by the HR department of employers. I guess HR people don't necessarily actively go headhunting through LinkedIn.

 

I'm currently in consulting, and I've been contacted for consulting positions by a couple different HR departments via LinkedIn, but those were large consultancies looking hire quite a few people to build out their practices. So from my experience, it can be useful if you are looking to make a lateral move. Firms screen profiles for skills/experience that meet their needs, however. So I don't think you'll be contacted by an investment bank without prior IB experience, for example.

I've had interviews with 4 or 5 different firms over the past few months, and each one of them looked up my profile on LinkedIn at some point before the interview.

 
threatlevelmidnight:
I'm currently in consulting, and I've been contacted for consulting positions by a couple different HR departments via LinkedIn, but those were large consultancies looking hire quite a few people to build out their practices. So from my experience, it can be useful if you are looking to make a lateral move. Firms screen profiles for skills/experience that meet their needs, however. So I don't think you'll be contacted by an investment bank without prior IB experience, for example.

I've had interviews with 4 or 5 different firms over the past few months, and each one of them looked up my profile on LinkedIn at some point before the interview.

I sent you a PM

 

lol - I don't get yours either. Not sure what you're disagreeing with - I think we're on the same page. I think we're both saying adding connections is a good thing.

My point was it doesn't add value to peruse LinkedIn and let it be a time suck like Facebook. If someone invites you, you'll get an email in your personal inbox, so no need to log on to LinkedIn. Five minutes once a week is more than enough time to check if there's anyone else you might want to invite yourself.

 

Why not just copy and paste the bullet points from your resume into the experience section? Sure, you're not gonna have headhunters poring over your LinkedIn page, but it can't hurt. If nothing else it makes you look more professional if people happen to see it.

 

Yes it's helpful. I had a BB contact me via LinkedIn for a front office spot they had open and had an interview scheduled with the MD before they even posted the job publicly. It's definitely something HR uses to screen for candidates.

Then again, I've been out of college for a few years so I have relevant experience to put on there, but like the above poster said, you might as well start since it's free anyway.

 

I've never understood why people underestimate how useful LinkedIn is. If you use it in the right way, it is the best networking tool available.

Dad, thanks for not letting me study liberal arts.
 
PAC12 Finance:
I've never understood why people underestimate how useful LinkedIn is. If you use it in the right way, it is the best networking tool available.

Can you explain further? I've never seen the appeal. At least not for trading.

 
Scorcher:
When I search for something like traders from a certain school on linkedin it just returns results of private profiles with no name/picture. All I can see is where they work, where they have worked and the school they went to.

First time using linkedin so if anyone knows how to get around this or any tips, it would be much appreciated :)

You can either click on the profiles of "viewers of this profile also viewed..." and be able to get back to that same profile. For example, the private profile is "currency trader at GS"; and you see under "viewers of this profile also viewed.." Joe Smith, S&T analyst GS and go to his profile. Then repeat the process, except this time you see George Jones, currency trader at GS and you have your private profile uncovered.

Also, which is probably easier, if they have a specific title(Head of fixed income trading), copy and paste it into google and you should get their linkedin with their name.

 

LinkedIn has been a huge addition to my career so far. When I was looking to break into banking, it offered a number of networking contacts in the industry that I would not have found otherwise. I am also currently looking at lateral opportunities that were all sourced from LinkedIn. If you are looking to move laterally in the current market and you aren't a beneficiary of a great alumni network, LinkedIn should be your first stop.

I would advise joining as many relevant networks as possible and reaching out to potential contacts frequently. Since I have been a member for a few years, I have had offers to try out their premium membership a couple times. Back in the day, you used to be able to message anyone who you were in a group with or you no less than a 3rd connection with. Now, you have to use their "InMail", which is a garbage way to make you pay money to be able to send messages. If you can't try out the free trial, I would recommend making a list of contacts on LI and then trying to source additional contact information externally. You could also pool a list and fork over the 50-60 bucks and fire all of these people messages. Regardless, it is extremely effective (I got a response about 60-70% of the time) and you have a much higher hit rate with potential opportunities than just applying online or solely via your school's career jobpage.

Anyways, I would give LI a ringing endorsement and recommend it for all looking to find new (or better) opportunities. If you don't think it works, then you haven't been trying hard enough. Let me know if you have any further questions, I think that I have used nearly every trick in the book to get a hold of people on there.

 
CorpFinHopeful:

In my opinion, having a LinkedIn profile is a great networking tool, and given that the basic package is free, I see no reason why you shouldn't have one. It has helped me get in contact with both alumni and complete strangers via cold-mailing and as a result I have scored informational interviews and other opportunities.

Is it essential?

 
Best Response
CaptainMorganSachs:
CorpFinHopeful:

In my opinion, having a LinkedIn profile is a great networking tool, and given that the basic package is free, I see no reason why you shouldn't have one. It has helped me get in contact with both alumni and complete strangers via cold-mailing and as a result I have scored informational interviews and other opportunities.

Is it essential?

Nothing in this life outside of breathing and putting food and water in your face is essential.

It's free. Just fucking make one.

 

Whether or not it is "essential" depends on your own situation. Some people do fine without a LinkedIn account, but some people due to a variety of reasons need/want a conduit such as an online professional network/database to effectively reach out to people. It is a potent tool when used correctly and it is for the most part free, therefore it can be an important tool in one's arsenal.

 
CaptainMorganSachs:
CorpFinHopeful:

In my opinion, having a LinkedIn profile is a great networking tool, and given that the basic package is free, I see no reason why you shouldn't have one. It has helped me get in contact with both alumni and complete strangers via cold-mailing and as a result I have scored informational interviews and other opportunities.

Is it essential?

At some firms, not having a linked in will lead to an auto ding because they'll assume you're very ugly.

 

I don't have LinkedIn, I'm doing fine.

[quote]The HBS guys have MAD SWAGGER. They frequently wear their class jackets to boston bars, strutting and acting like they own the joint. They just ooze success, confidence, swagger, basically attributes of alpha males.[/quote]
 

Just make one. It is free and isn't difficult to set up.

When a plumber from Hoboken tells you he has a good feeling about a reverse iron condor spread on the Japanese Yen, you really have no choice. If you don’t do it to him, somebody else surely will. -Eddie B.
 

I think it's a pretty good way to get more exposure to head hunters. I can't think of a reason not to have one tbh.

I'm talking about liquid. Rich enough to have your own jet. Rich enough not to waste time. Fifty, a hundred million dollars, buddy. A player. Or nothing. See my Blog & AMA
 

Peter Thiel allows requests on his Linkedin btw...I've always wondered if he is constantly getting moronic shit in his inbox.

There's only two states here...either you have one or you don't. If you don't, make one. If you have one, make it better. It can always be better. I have made a few helpful contacts through it. Why not do something free and easy and helpful.

"When you stop striving for perfection, you might as well be dead."
 

For anyone in this thread applying to business school: I applied to a handful of schools THIS WEEK (round 2), and have already received two visits to my Linkedin profile from two of the schools (I imagine they googled my name or something).

Get yourself a solid picture, and clean up your profile.

 
holla_back:

For anyone in this thread applying to business school: I applied to a handful of schools THIS WEEK (round 2), and have already received two visits to my Linkedin profile from two of the schools (I imagine they googled my name or something).

Get yourself a solid picture, and clean up your profile.

I'm thinking about going with a Bateman style suit, tie, and hair. Batemanas.jpg

 

I've been locked out of LinkedIn for 6 months or so. My email changed and I forgot to update it on LinkedIn.

So, I found the part of LinkedIn where they let you add a new email if you send an official photo ID to the site. But, the upload didn't work for me. I tried multiple times - it didn't read my ID. And there is no help, email, or phone number to Linked In. I don't really want to start a new Linked In as I already had probably 1000 connections (had been on there since 2005 or so).

But now, I'm off Facebook, off of all social networking, and LinkedIn was starting to bug me like Facebook, and so in some ways I'm not too worried or sad about not being on it.

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

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Velit hic distinctio provident. Earum nemo omnis et. Eum est molestiae velit quam odio modi.

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Rem eaque omnis possimus voluptatem. Non et consectetur amet quia. Rerum omnis et vitae fugit quod. Facilis in vel eum aut voluptatem reiciendis cumque minus.

I am permanently behind on PMs, it's not personal.
 

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Totam totam corrupti tempore quo qui minima voluptate. Voluptatem ipsa fugit unde consequatur officia.

Sunt sapiente non non similique. Quidem officia quia quaerat et aliquid.

 

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Eaque necessitatibus et fugiat expedita modi nemo. Quis voluptatem quos aliquid occaecati itaque voluptas. Nisi cumque architecto perferendis possimus. Adipisci non dignissimos velit perferendis dicta. Voluptatibus velit nihil dolorem placeat illum aut. Deserunt quibusdam corporis maiores impedit.

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The Knicks are back?
 

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Money Never Sleeps? More like Money Never SUCKS amirite?!?!?!?
 

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