Today, I deleted my LinkedIn account. I rarely used it, and when I did, I received little benefit. Oh, I had plenty of contacts. Folks outside and inside my field. Folks looking for work. Folks gainfully employed. Folks who don’t return emails or phone calls.

My big problem with networking when trying to find employment is I wind up meeting a bunch of other unemployed people. To meet the Gatekeepers, you have to go out and find them. Meetup and local trade associations and other professional groups let you meet folks face to face. Once you’ve done that, you check with them to see what needs of theirs you can fill. That’s how it works.

LinkedIn doesn’t. Not for me.

For me, Facebook and Meetup are where it’s at because Facebook and Meetup allow for personal communication. The best you can hope for on LinkedIn is to apply for a position to a company that doesn’t provide an address, phone number, or even (sometimes) a name.

Wheeee…

Don’t fall for it.