Is LinkedIn Necessary?

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Hello,

I'm sorry if this is a topic that has been addressed before. I've searched around and didn't really come a cross an answer that's relevant to my concerns but I'm wondering if having a LinkedIn account as a nursing student/new grad is really necessary? Or even for nurses in general. I know a couple of folks who have accounts and several who don't or have accounts but have never updated or kept up with their accounts even after graduating and have had no problems getting jobs.

I can see why LinkedIn would be beneficial: makes you look professional, gives you opportunities to network, contact with recruiters, etc. But I'm more concerned about privacy. I'm really the type of person who would prefer to keep sensitive information off the internet as best as I can. I especially hate those websites that collect public domain information and put it in a neat little package for people to find at the tip of their fingers on Google. I have a really uncommon name as well so it'd be very easy to find me (not including recruiters/job opportunities or anything like that, just people in general) and that thought is a little unsettling.

Honestly, I'm really not into social networking and while I have a Facebook account, I use my nickname, have it set on the highest possible privacy settings, and I don't include sensitive info (work, education, location, etc.). I only really post benign things like photos or articles and even then I'm rarely on it but I keep it so I can contact family overseas.

Most people or at least articles in regards to LinkedIn have leaned towards having an account or that it's imperative to have one in this day and age” but I'm wondering as a prospective nurse/someone working in health care if it's really necessary since it seems to be geared more towards those in business/marketing type jobs. At least from what I've seen. Would it greatly diminish my chances of finding a job if I didn't have an account? I really value my privacy!

What do you think?

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

Nope. Not necessary at all.

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Specializes in critical care, ER,ICU, CVSURG, CCU.

I have 43.5 years of successful RN experience without LinkedIn....., I also felt it too intrusive

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Specializes in Dialysis.

Nope!

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Specializes in PCU, Hospice, Psych, ICU, Case & Disease Mgmt.

Got my highest paying private duty job through LinkedIn, so yea. :)

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You can control how much or how little you put on most job sites. I don't think you have to be on any of them if you network well on your own.

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Specializes in Acute Care Pediatrics.

I haven't seen much benefit for our profession. My husband uses it on a regular basis and swears by it.

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Specializes in Critical care.

I was told it was a pretty big deal for nursing. One of my classes in school required us to set up an account. There had been feedback that past graduates got jobs specifically through LinkedIn. I think it's a good idea, but I think you'll be fine without it too.

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I think it depends on your area. If new grads are competing heavily for jobs and people are searching for jobs for 3,6,12 months then yes. LinkedIn is about networking and networking is a big piece of finding jobs.

I have a LinkedIn account from my previous career, but my area is desperate for nurses so I doubt that I'll be using it to find a job when it's time.

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Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.

If you want something for recruiters to find, I have found that having an updated resume on Monster and/or Careerbuilder to be very effective. I get calls and emails weekly from recruiters as a result of my resume being on there (to the point where I've considered taking it down, as I am not currently looking for a new job).

But I'm not on LinkedIn.

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

No..I was hounded by unverified "agencies", no legitimate hospitals. I know many people that have achieved professional growth via LinkedIn, but (and this may offend some but I will say it anyway) they have professional careers and not shift work.

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I mean I am all for being able to put myself out there for potential recruiters, employers, and whatnot; I do really like the idea of that... I'm just more concerned with the fact that all of this information will be out in the open in the world wide web for anyone to see. From my understanding you have the option to control what non-users can see but that doesn't stop regular users from seeing what you've shared. I think my information should be available to my potential employer and... that's it. Does that make sense??

And again it's really just a matter of privacy. I had an incident where someone had harassed on every social media account I had before deleting a majority of them and this occurred over a number of years. They have since stopped but to think they could easily find me, much more find and harass other people in my life due to association, is just really scary. It's a huge part of the reason why I'm so adamant about keeping my information (especially things like work, school, location) private.

I've considered putting my resume on websites like Indeed or Monster, etc. (like klone had stated) but I'm just not sure about LinkedIn.

Anyway, thank you for the feedback!

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