If executives and employees of a company don't have complete Linkedin profiles what does that tell you about the people and the company?
Answers
On the negative end it could mean that the company and its workforce are somehow insulated from the modern world. On the positive end it could mean that this company enjoys extremely high job satisfaction and extremely low turnover and a product that requires little to no messaging and essentially sells itself...
Nowhere as much as you imply.
Recruiters and
Why is that? Because there is extra work involved in recruiting if a candidate does not have a complete profile. HR and recruiters, to reduce their own workload by using what is called "boolean searches" in google to target online profiles from Linkedin that are indexed in google.
Most employees are bound to NDAs which limit what they are allowed to disclose on the web or anywhere else, so you won't see many CFOs or
When a recruiter bemoans the fact they have to work harder than a Google search for a candidate I question how good the candidates are that I'm getting. Because I can do those same searches without using a recruiter. So in the end what am I paying a fee for?
People have right to privacy and some take that idea very seriously. I for one do not believe it is necessary to put 100% of my resume and job experience on the internet for total consumption. Only the parts with the key words that drive traffic on the topics I care about or to my website.
The lack of a Linkedin profile should not lead you to any conclusion about the executives or employees. There are many reasons why individuals may refrain from publishing a full profile. On a different note - I worked with a company that had a Facebook page and a Linkedin page. Each page was active, but I suspect with different people. There was no clear winner in the area of site traffic.
I generally view users of Linkedin as job seekers, self-employed, professional services industry, sales/
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Malak - I originally started using LinkedIn several years ago because I was looking for a job.
I am currently in a job I love, but I still actively use my LinkedIn account. I have found great uses for it. Connecting with others in my industry, getting industry specific questions answered, etc. I use my LinkedIn account to build my "brand".
If 10 years down the road I am telling a perspective employer I am an expert in construction financial management, the perspective employer would not know if my resume and I are telling the truth. Putting my name (Christopher, not Chris) in a search engine will render my LinkedIn account, as well as posts I have done through Google+.
I love my job, but what if I am not needed when I walk in tomorrow? My LinkedIn profile has activity and visibility to perspective employers. It allows them to see that I am reading and keeping up-to-date on what is happening in
LinkedIn is sort of my professional insurance. Sure I don't need right now, but I should keep it up-to-date in case an accident (i.e. layoff) happens. Consider what Valerie said above also. I want to be viewed as worth considering. I feel that without my LinkedIn account, I am at a strong disadvantage.
Linkedin is the Web 2.0 version of the old paper corporate bio. I agree with Chris, it's like "professional insurance" ... if it is used correctly.
As to companies and executives not being on Linkedin, much like the age issue, perception is in the eye of the beholder. Given the social media trends, I think not being there is going to become an increasingly big issue for both companies and executives in the not-too-distant future. But from a sheer "executive" perspective, in my opinion, it's very foolish to not have your profile active and complete (different entirely from attaching your resume to your profile).
On some levels, I find it problematic, but I find companies that make it difficult to contact individuals from the web site just as problematic (or don't list an address).
On other levels, where is it written that you "have to have" a LinkedIn profile, Twitter account, etc.
I think in a few years, the landscape everyone is following will change dramatically and we'll look back at these types of conversations and say "MySpace".