5 Ways to Ruin Your Career on LinkedIn

What people who use LinkedIn fail to realise, is that you never know who on LinkedIn might be your next manager, customer, client or colleague!
It is known as the premier online business network for a reason, and most people in the recruiting or hiring sector always go there first when checking people out. And before all you tree-hugging, politically correct people out there say that it isn't right, and it is an infringement on privacy etc, well you need to get real and understand that it is going to happen, officially or unofficially!  If you do a name search for somebody on Google now, the chances are that the person's LinkedIn public profile will appear on the first page, so there is simply no escaping from the transparency of it.
As always with everything online, if your privacy is something that you are worried about, then simply don't join LinkedIn or any other networking site in the first place.

While there are many fantastic benefits to using LinkedIn, there are also some pitfalls to using it, if you are not thinking and treat it is more like Facebook than a professional networking focused site. Here are five ways that you do your career some real harm on LinkedIn:

1. Don't lie. Just don't do it, period. Don't be fooled into thinking you can add a few years to your employment, or 'expand' your job remit, or even give yourself a new job title. Remember, you worked with other people -  and what do people do best? Talk. Especially if they weren't a fan of yours, or you gave them a hard time in a job. So you could find yourself working with an ex-colleague at a new employer and, suddenly, you get that call to the bosses office to question you about your past. This is assuming that you have married up your CV with you online LinkedIn profile, just to doubly compound your lies!
If in doubt, leave things off your profile - just don't lie - it will catch up with you!

2. Keep your integrity. There are ways to indicate that you are in need of a new job, and saying that you are near bankruptcy and about to lose your home is not it! Equally, people don't want to read that you are going through a messy divorce, or read about all the reasons why you have lost previous jobs (and yes people do list them!) or at the opposite end of the scale hear about how much money you have made! This is not the medium for that type of information. It simple won't endear you to anyone searching your details, and will make them question your integrity straight away.

3. Treat others as you would be expected to be treated yourself. If you get involved in answering questions (which you should), then maintain a business like, but friendly approach and style. Of course you may disagree, or have a different opinion, and that is fine. As you would in a meeting, put across a reasoned answer, justifying your response. Whatever you do, DON'T be rude, insulting or openly confrontational in your response. Remember, once you have posted the answer, it is there for everyone to read, including a prospective employer!

4. Be honest and respect your audience. If you do choose to get involved in posting questions, then make sure that they are genuine. There is nothing worse that people on LinkedIn posing questions in a (thinly) veiled attempt at promoting their own agenda, or even worse, their products. Then make sure you respond to any comments you get in an honest and respectful way. If you are asking for questions for a survey (which you have been open about) then share the results with all the respondents. As in no.3 just treat others the same way you would want to be treated in LinkedIn.

5. Don't take liberties. There is one word here - spam! Don't, in any circumstances use your connections as a target for any impersonal and direct selling messages. This is an an absolute mistake and any actions like this will see your connections start to un-connect with you immediately.

The majority of LinkedIn users are there for the same reason, to help themselves and others find that new opportunity, client, contact etc. Many are very generous with help and advice and will happily do what they can to help others. However, if you do abuse the ethos of the site then you will only do yourself harm.

If you want to join me on LinkedIn you can find me here or if you are a newbie to LinkedIn then check out my beginners guide pdf here

Have you got any more cardinal sins that users of LinkedIn should avoid?