Writer Sanctum
Other & Off-Topics => Bar & Grill [Public] => Topic started by: The Bass Bagwhan on April 04, 2020, 10:02:32 AM
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As a writer I'm not only penning novels, I do freelance work, a bit web content and voice-overs. I've been ignoring my LinkedIn profile for years (didn't we all sign up at first?). Wondering if I should make an effort to grab maybe some freelance stuff. Has anybody ever gotten anything useful from a LinkedIn memberships?
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NO. And I don't know anyone who has.
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I'm considering the same thing. I was juuuust about to chase some marketing work for architects when the pandemic hit. Architecture is one of the first professions to feel an economic downturn because businesses cancel long-term capital investments. That profession will be dead for at least two years. What I'm seeing now is a strong uptick in jobs for people with social media experience, including on LinkedIn. I'm penning some articles to post there, as well as at Medium, my website, and the various other platforms. It's called content marketing. Those job postings say right out that they want people with the ability to tell a business's Story! Imagine that!
Put together a resume/portfolio and post it at LinkedIn, being aware of what is in demand now - online engagement. On a sidenote, I also ordered some tabletop LED video lights and a backdrop so I can look presentable in an online interview/job interaction. Brush up on Zoom, GoToMeeting, and the others. We're gonna be here for a while...
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I did get some freelance work via LinkedIn, but it happened in a weird way. First they contacted me and I answered their questions, and then A YEAR LATER, they contacted me again with some work. The company turned out to be a very good client, but even so, it's just too random.
People are always trying to link with me on LinkedIn because of my repute in a field I haven't worked in for ages. I can't do anything for them. Some old friends only communicate with me that way. Apparently they don't have email addresses. I don't get it. :icon_think:
Unless one actively participates on a regular basis and aggressively seeks well-targeted contacts, really hustles, it's kind of pointless.
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I often get friend requests or whatever the term is there, from people in debt collecting companies, because my job title in my day job includes the word 'collection', although in my case it refers to art collections.
I hadn't even thought of posting an article there until just this past week, when somebody congratulated me on my 30 years with the same organisation, and when I was checking to find out how they knew that, I discovered the place where you can post articles. I wrote a very short piece about the 5 things I had learned in 30 years, and to my surprise that generated quite a bit more activity there. But at first glance it seemed to be mostly from existing connections. I doubt if it will lead to anything but I was interested to find anything at all on the site that was even vaguely of interest to me.
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The marketing side of LinkedIn is mostly about B2B connections. The resume side is about networking, but they both overlap. As a freelance writer, you straddle both sides. You're a small business that can provide a service - content, and a potential hire who can fill that role directly within a company. In the current situation, it may be best to consider both arrangements and position yourself accordingly.
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I managed to get somebody else I "knew" from LinkedIn a technical writing gig, but generally the site is not that useful for translators. Also, the discussion groups have pretty much withered away.
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Thanks every, Tom's inspired me to at least spend a half hour on polishing up my profile.
Cheers!