A love letter to LinkedIn

When I was a journalist working on newspapers and magazines, LinkedIn was the last place I wanted to be seen. It was akin to a stuffy corporate office, a boring meeting room, the kind of place where people wore grey suits, ties, black court shoes, and said things like ‘Show me the money!’

It wasn’t cool to be on LinkedIn (LI), and it had no purpose. We didn’t find case studies there, and we certainly didn’t find PRs or people who might want to collaborate on content.

LinkedIn was synonymous with boring, bland, uncool.

Now, as a writer and coach, I have become quite the advocate for LinkedIn, and encourage everyone I speak to as a coach to get on there, to get sharing, posting, commenting and connecting.

So what changed? How did this change of heart come about?

It was partly as I shifted into being a coach, also as I went from my 30s to 40s, and also a case of ‘I used it, and the more I used it, the more I liked it’.

You could say we were mates who realised there was something more there after all.

LinkedIn turned 20 this year - TWENTY! It makes Facebook and Instagram look like toddlers. But there are many who would say it’s not a social media platform. For me there is an element of the social media about it - in fact, that’s one of the things that now endears LI to me.

The lovely folks at LinkedIn shared some stats with me, including that there are more than 950 million members across the globe and that, in the beginning, it was a pioneer for “passive” recruiting at scale.

I feel like LinkedIn is way more than a recruitment platform now, though. For me, it is a much nicer place to hang out than Facebook (If I get one more ‘at’everyone I might SCREAM). It’s a more serious way to share my thoughts than Instagram. I’d never share the daft reels I make on Instagram on LI.

Some people say to me LI feels too corporate - I used to think that but I now believe if you surround yourself with the right people - YOUR people - it won’t feel that way. Also, those ‘corporate types’ are actual humans and it’s not always whether they will do business with you but they might know someone who will.

Others say it’s not right for their business - but it’s not all about sales. It’s about a place where you can share you, your work, your goals and so on, with others able to see what you offer in their own time (rather than what can feel like the scroll-tastic chaos of Instagram).

Now if you read this regularly you’ll know I love insta. But LinkedIn has crept up on me as the place I can curate my career - a huge ever-changing CV.

LinkedIn is the long-term boyfriend/girlfriend who is waiting, patiently, while you date those good-for-nothing other chancers (I’m looking at you, TikTok). Yes I enjoy TikTok but there is nowhere like LinkedIn for showcasing a range of what you do, from written and video to sharing what others think and say, too.

I feel bad for being so anti LI all those years ago, and I hope I’m making up for it now. I am on there daily, sharing things and connecting. I found the job I’m in via LI, and see roles on there I don’t see anywhere else.

I also use Linkedin as a place for my portfolio. I add to my articles almost daily, either with something I’ve written or something I’ve appeared in. Arguably, it’s like a living portfolio - without me having to do the CMS.

The other think I love about LinkedIn is the women I am meeting who share my values as I enter peri-menopause and midlife. There are so many voices on there, sharing what I agree with, and making me feel like it’s okay to be a woman in her mid-40s, juggling work and brain fog.

LinkedIn has definitely changed, too - it’s not the place it once was. It’s more of a sharing place, people seem more ‘normal’, there aren’t just black and white corporate photos and people share more openly. People are really letting their personalities shine on LI, and I am here for it.

If you’re thinking ‘ok, I get it, but I’m not sure what I’m meant to do on there…’ these are my ‘if you only do these things today’ on LI that I’d love to challenge you to do:

1. Update that profile pic. Clear, camera-facing, colour. It makes you seem human and it makes you findable!

2. Ask for ONE recommendation. not loads, just one. Start that process.

3. Come find me, connect and say hi - and do the same with others that are suggested on your feed. Start building on it today and see where it goes.