LinkedIn For People Who Hate LinkedIn
http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/JonJones/20131106/204202/LinkedIn_For_People_Who_Hate_LinkedIn.php?print=1
"You need a LinkedIn, and I’m going to explain exactly why: If you don’t have a LinkedIn, you don’t look professional. Worse, you look like you don’t care enough to spend 15 minutes doing the bare minimum to look professional."
There is also a Make Games South Africa group for you to join
"You need a LinkedIn, and I’m going to explain exactly why: If you don’t have a LinkedIn, you don’t look professional. Worse, you look like you don’t care enough to spend 15 minutes doing the bare minimum to look professional."
There is also a Make Games South Africa group for you to join
Comments
What potential business gains would I get from linkedin that I don't already have access to?
The core of the article seems to be "Register on linkedin to match up to people's expectations of this nebulous concept of professionality" that's like the argument for wearing neckties.
"You need a tie, and I’m going to explain exactly why: If you don’t have a tie, you don’t look professional. Worse, you look like you don’t care enough to spend 15 minutes doing the bare minimum to look professional."
Who are you trying to look professional for?
Not everyone has the luxury of being in a position where they already have a built business focused network. LinkedIn has its uses, so don't just write it off because it's not useful to you. 1. Don't you want to look professional?
2. Potential employers or business associates.
I'm not really against using LinkedIn on the basis that anything that will help more, will help more. But I guess it comes down to how much time is spent updating/maintaining something vs actual rewards gained.
Of course ties can be incredibly useful in certain situations. When I was at varsity, me and a friend ran a small {we-will-do-anything-for-money} IT/programming business. Because we were students, we had trouble getting people to trust us; logic and common sense were not enough. Somehow we decided to put on ties, and boom! Even existing clients' attitudes towards us changed. I soon cut my long hair and beard... and that had even a bigger impact. It was easier to get jobs, easier to charge higher. Of course, those effects diminish once your reputation exceeds your looks, but at least initially it can help.
That article has a huge bias towards situations where you need to be hired by someone. If you're running your own studio and not hiring anyone I would still say the advantages are dubious. Also I'd disagree with the twitter point, especially in game dev circles. I definitely feel that is the personal bias of the author being expressed there.
Look, all I'm saying is that instead of focusing on blindly singing up to something like LinkedIn (which will spam your contacts and do other shitty things in your name) because someone you're never going to work with or meet says that you should in the name of nebulously defined "professionalism", doesn't make much sense.
Rather find out who you're trying to be professional for and find out what they consider professional and why. Yes, I chose not to wear suits and ties in meetings with the World Bank because I knew that the work they wanted done was something we could do and I knew we were good at it. I'm not pretending to be ignorant of the perceptual advantages that I have going for me (white, male, able bodied) but that doesn't mean that I have to like them, or that I'm okay with people judging based on anything other than previous work and ability to be part of a team.
In fact, it's that last point that's way more important for almost any hiring/pitch situation than hoping to fit a specific perception through what essentially amounts to trickery. Prove to people that you can work as part of their team, that you listen to their actual concerns and try to solve the real problems they're having and it doesn't matter what you wear or how they were first made aware of you. At that point you're useful, which trumps all else bar social skills.
After all, what does LinkedIn provide beyond a CV storage space and some non-exhaustive networking? If the extent of your understanding of an industry is who says they're part of it on LinkedIn, you need to do better research. If your CV is the only thing getting you jobs, then your portfolio needs work. All my best clients and jobs only cared about my CV *after* we'd struck a deal so they could do whatever paperwork was required of their systems. You don't want to enter via the door that requires paperwork - you want to enter via the door that has a problem you can solve.
P.S. Yes, in certain industries a CV is a good representation of your portfolio - management, for instance. But I would argue that's not the case in creative fields.
Seriously though, you do make good points, with which I mostly agree. No one should focus on LinkedIn and ties; I'm just saying sometimes they can be useful. LinkedIn is a good place you link in your profile, and as you point out, a good place to put your CV, for whatever it is worth. @mattbenic likes it; he hires people, so why not? :P
(And yes, LinkedIn is particularly bad for understanding the industry, because so few are on it o.0 :( )
(I would also argue controlling aspects of your perception that you can control is hardly trickery; however, I get and respect your point of propagating pre-judgement and bias.)
It's all about who you know. It depends on the industry, of course, but if you can get connected to a few key players in your industry, then you start attracting attention from potential employers.
The only annoying thing about it is that I keep having to reject invitations from my students who are trying to look professional by connecting with their lecturers, but that's probably not a problem most people would have.
While every bit can help, if it comes down to whether I wear a tie, or whether my LinkedIn profile is detailed, then my portfolio frankly just isn't strong enough.
That said, I have had people contact me to offer me (well-paying) work if ever I want to leave the games industry. Which is kind of nice, I guess, being able to choose.
I also spent a few years at a company with a tie as part of the dress code, and will never do that again. I view it as a form of social oppression. I'd rather be poor and unsuccessful.
But anyway - moving right along.
@dislekcia you and I may have reached a point where if we were looking for work we'd approach our network directly, but that's because we've been doing this for a decade or more. People who are earlier in their careers don't have the benefit of a personal network like that, and if LinkedIn offers them a way to build a network like that faster-including getting in touch through mutually trusted contacts with people at places they'd really like to work- then why not use it?
@hermantulleken makes the point really well, but I'd broaden it beyond me :p If it's likely someone you would like to hire you uses LinkedIn to find out about potential candidates, it certainly can't hurt to make sure all the information they're likely to care about is there.
Personally, I have used it in the last two weeks to build up contacts in a new area in anticipation of a new venture-I'm using it proactively, not reactively. Sure, I would have been able to make those contacts without it, but not nearly as quickly and efficiently.
What's the female equivalent of wearing a tie? There isn't one; if you're a woman working at a place where the dress code stipulates that the man should wear a tie, the woman will only have to present neatly. That could (and has, plenty, in my experience, in a range of different positions including public-facing) include jeans. A tie is a completely arbitrary item of clothing that has for some no-longer-relevant reason been associated with 'professionalism'. A tie does not help you do your job better and, contrary, for a lot of people (as Jaco said) encourages a feeling of oppression which in turn negatively influences work ethic. I'd be disappointed that anyone in such a wildly creative and intelligent community as MakeGamesSA would encourage pandering to something so largely inappropriate as 'I will be judged by my appearance'.
As for LinkedIn? Useful for some people, less so for others. Shouldn't by any means be an indication of professionalism because - well - it's not; labeling it such carries the notion that if a highly unskilled, unqualified, unreliable individual has a LinkedIn profile that they are professional, and if a highly successful, skilled, qualified, reliable individual does NOT have a LinkedIn profile that they are unprofessional. I hope everyone can see the folly in that. Want to remind people that LinkedIn may be a potential resource they might want to utilise? Sure, go for it. But don't insinuate that they're unprofessional if they don't.
And before I get flamed with "we're a creative industry, professionalism is for bankers", professional is a completely relative thing. As mentioned above suits and ties aren't usually expected in creative industries, so those wouldn't be needed, but use some common sense. It's all good and well to be outspoken about how unfair hiring practices are, and how people should be more open minded, but it doesn't really matter if you think it should be a worker's protected right to rock up to work in a towel and fluffy bunny slippers-if your potential employer disagrees and go to an interview in your bath gear, you're not going to get hired. Just try to give anyone a silly reason to not want to hire you.
:P
He didn't get fired. Because you can still code in a towel and fluffy bunny slippers, and if your position doesn't involve meeting the public as a representative of your company, who cares? :)
I got the job based on the strength of one piece of great work that I had to show them. My CV isn't even all that detailed. I condensed that shit into a concise one-pager with mostly the basics on it.
Also, if you feel that making the effort to make yourself a good fit is too much, and that indicates you really wouldn't be happy there-that's ok, good even. In that case, save yourself and them a lot of wasted time and effort, and find somewhere that does have a better cultural fit for you and where you're likely to be happier.
As you sell it, so shall it be bought.
Perhaps linkedin could be useful for getting employment, I can't say, I don't know enough to say anything useful on that. I'm sure it comes down to the usual rule of balancing maintenance effort against value.
As a small indie effort, I can say I am more concerned about presenting ourselves to potential players. After all, the interest of customers in our games is what gives us any real sway in business terms. When it comes to getting the attention of gamers, I doubt traditional views of 'professionalism' or conservatism are my best friends.
If I was going to hire someone and bet my hard earned money on them, I wouldn't care what they look like. I am interested in what they will be able to do within the studio. Maybe linkedin would give me a list to look through, but the portfolio is what filters it.
And... If someone was bold enough to show up in a towel and slippers, that might just be the kind of crazy mind that is going to help us get the media attention we need. As an indie, I think sheer craziness is one of the most dependable resources we can get, certainly from a publicity standpoint.
Did anyone else read about that dude that got hired at Epic games when he showed up in a stormtrooper outfit?
Finded: http://www.tk409.com/gettingajob.html Just the sort of shit worth pushing out of the picture where we might have some influence.
P.S. I really need to put more effort into more regular presence on this site. ;)