Posted from Dahab, Egypt -- Just a few minutes ago I shut down my LinkedIn account. Why? First, I never got any use out of it. Nor have I ever heard of anyone getting a job from using it. Second, I don't want certain people following me or trying to figure out who I am. Third, spending time developing an internet profile means time not finding a job. Although I already have a job, I realize that I am going to be looking for another one when I move to the west coast in a few months. That means that I will need to do a job search.
But will I need LinkedIn? No, I will not. I am 100% convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that LinkedIn serves absolutely no purpose in the job hunt. While many people state that "every resource is important," the reality is that some resources do more harm than good. Some are just a waste of time and productivity. This is where I feel LinkedIn lies.
The internet is great for a lot of things, but it has always been a horrible place to try to find a job. Many people who have grown up with the internet and who are now in law school may disagree, because they never have found a job in the traditional way. And for some jobs, such as Burger King, you may need to do a pre-employment personality test. But, many of Earth's oldest and boldest are the ones hiring the youthful law graduates, and geriatrics, as a whole, are distrustful of the internet. In short, they want you to show that you are willing to go the extra mile to get a job, and that oftentimes means climbing off your computer and pounding the pavement. Not the epavement, either.
My LinkedIn account had been non-existent during much of law school, but I let people who may or may have not a financial state in the site (such as those who own LinkedIn stocks) state that I should be on the site. When fellow students somehow found my e-mail address and invited me to LinkedIn, I caved like a 12 year old man-child. Then I realized that I was right all along for not being on the site. I started to feel just icky for spending a good 15 minutes creating my profile. So, on the shores of the Red Sea, here in Dahab, Egypt, I got rid of that account. And now it's history -- forever gone.
Read my lips: I will NEVER join LinkedIn again. Never again; no matter what. Those days are gone. Gone -Long-Gone! I know this will come as a shock to some of my readers who are convinced that such sources that the news-media peddles as 'necessities' are required for the job hunt and a happy life. But, such things are irrelevant. LinkedIn exists to make money -- not to get people jobs. And to think I was so stupid. Yes, I was wrong! I actually thought, for some strange reason that having an account would be worthwhile.
I gave in to peer pressure! And there is nothing that makes me feel dirtier than wasting my time because I gave into the idea that maybe someone else was right. I am generally proving over and over again that I am right. Therefore, it's time to say goodbye LinkedIn! You are out of here! Goodbye and good riddance!
Mr. Infinity, J.D. is a graduate of a law school in the New York area and is traveling in Egypt, Israel, and The Netherlands before taking the New York Bar exam and moving to the west coast.
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