This post first appeared as an article on LinkedIn.

Recently I read a LinkedIn post by Adam Prybelski, titled

“LinkedIn is not Facebook…seriously, it’s not”.

Being the type of person I am, I commented on this, principally because I thought that it was a narrow minded view to take, but also because clearly Mr Prybelski doesn’t know how decent recruiters work.

Firstly; This is social media, not anti social media (for that you can got to Twitter & read the @ mentions of just about any celebrity). Where self-appointed guardians, like Mr Prybelski dictate what is “professional”.

• By the way, the OED defines ‘professional as:
  Worthy of or appropriate to a professional person; competent, skilful, or assured.
• Engaged in a specified activity as one’s main paid occupation rather than as an amateur

Secondly; As I alluded to earlier, decent recruiters will look at a potential candidate’s social media presence, and use it as part of their evaluation. My company includes this information on our candidate’s CV, as we believe that the client should have as much information as possible, before making their decision. With chefs, it’s a brilliant tool to demonstrate their work & how it evolves, far better than any interview.

Thirdly; I go to work in jeans & a hoodie, does that make me any less professional than somebody who goes to work in a suit? No it doesn’t, we live a results driven age and that’s what managers, clients & business owners are interested in.

Forth; Mr Prybelski uses LinkedIn’s claim to be “..the world’s largest professional network with more than 433 million members in 200 countries and territories around the globe.” The sad reality is this, yes LinkedIn has its uses, but it accounts for less than 5% of the connections & contacts I make. Twitter (1.3bn users) & Facebook (1.79bn users)are far more successful. And the reason for this? Because fellow users can have a look at your profile and get a more rounded view of you as a person.

What I took away from Mr Prybelski’s post, was that he likes things & people to conform. Creative thinkers clearly scare him, those that are different. Sadly for Mr Prybelski it is those exact same people who make very large differences in the world.

I’ll leave you with a quote, which just reinforces the point, & remember; LinkedIn is a tool, use it how you wish.

“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… The ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… They push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.” – Steve Jobs (1955-2011)