Does LinkedIn actually work?

[john]

I don't understand how randomly connecting to various CEOs and HR managers will help you land a job if they've never actually met you, heard about you, or know you.... Not to mention the giant amounts of spam the website generates. And honestly, how often can they really be checking this website, or routing through tons of "connections" they probably get?

It doesn't seem worth it, as it just doesn't seem like it should actually work compared to actually being proactive with an actual application (i.e. not sending in your resume and then never speaking to them again... call the HR manager, ask about it, make yourself known...), asking friends about jobs they heard of, networking events where you can actually MEET people, or getting a referral from someone you know within the company.

[Blkandwhtlion]

Well, you can't be more from the truth. I too was skeptical, but my mother works at a college as a secretary and made me meet with a career councilor for an interview. The lady showed me how to fix up my resume and all that crap, but she really stressed how I should have a linkedIn account. I didn't even have one at the time, and she even told me that once I make it, to model it off of a few example LinkedIn accounted she found very professional. I took her advice and within the month I was called for three interviews at large impressive organizations, one I actually work for to this day. It is well worth it, and make sure you put down all of your skills and have your friends endorse them. Keep things professional, its not facebook, and it is a incredibly large tool at your disposal. Make sure to even put a link to the profile on your resume, and before doing this, change your linkedin profile address from the usual http://www.linkedin.com/YOURNAME. This is much more professional.

[fatsnow838]

You're thinking of it like Facebook for work, which it isn't. LinkedIn is more about being an interactive, living resume, in which your connections validate your experience and can vouch for your ability, and their trustworthiness is in turn vouched for by their connections. It's an invaluable tool in the modern world.