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LinkedIn® is Not Facebook.
Don’t treat it like it is.
Jamie Boyle
Imagine a resume. It has contact information, professional experience, and education, just like a good resume should. It includes a professional summary and a list of technical skills, all targeted to a specific job goal. It is a good, solid resume.
But then, interspersed among the traditional elements of the resume, there are peculiar pieces of information: “I liked this because I hate this election season!” or “My mom’s dog is trying to get 1,000,000 likes!”
Any reasonable person would be alarmed to find these entries on a resume because… Personal opinion and interests don’t belong in professional marketing materials.
Although I know this is true, I frequently see LinkedIn® newsfeeds that are riddled with opinions, politics, social commentary, and content best left to the water cooler or other forms of social media. As someone looking at LinkedIn® in a professional capacity, it’s always a little surprising and frustrating to me when I see the platform being misused.
Everyone has opinions, and everyone has a right to their opinions. But putting those opinions into public circulation by liking a meme on a professional forum is tantamount to shooting oneself in the professional foot.
If you are using LinkedIn® to connect with recruiters, you want to craft a professional persona that aligns with the interview-worthy credentials you present on your resume. Liking or posting memes detracts from your professional persona. Every time you like a meme or express an opinion, you are gambling on whether you will annoy recruiters (who are looking for potential employees) or offend them (because their opinions and your opinions do not align).