What's the best way to use LinkedIn?
In the United States, LinkedIn boasts over 214 million users - and for those actively engaging with the platform, 40% use it daily. That means over one billion interactions every month, on the most popular social media platform for business - and for job seekers. Whether you are seeking a job or not, does it make sense to post on LinkedIn? How often is too often? Or is it smarter to stay silent, avoiding the cringe of the Spotlight Effect, while your electronic online résumé does the talking? More importantly: is LinkedIn still relevant, or has the platform become a fountain of platitudes, bragging and meaningless positivity?
According to The Morning Consult, 67% of GenZ adults believe that it’s important to have a strong personal brand. Compare that number to just 40% of the overall population, as a whole, believing that personal branding is important. That personal branding footprint, for many professionals, begins online.
For GenZers, personal branding matters. And in the business world, the platform for your personal brand is LinkedIn - particularly when it comes to career opportunities. Every minute, six people are hired via the LinkedIn platform. Every second, 101 job applications are submitted on LinkedIn. Why wouldn’t you post and interact, given the amount of activity and potential opportunity available? The answer, it seems, really depends on personal taste.
Where Indeed Meets Social Media: LinkedIn and Personal Branding
Kaila Lopez says, “I don’t see the point of building an audience on LinkedIn.” She’s the co-host of the popular podcast, Per My Last Email, with co-host Kyle Hagge. “There’s not a lot of room for nuance or authenticity [on LinkedIn]. At it’s core, it’s self-promotional, or at best, inspirational.” To be fair, she admits she hasn’t posted on Instagram since 2019 and has anxiety about sending DMs to people she does not know. That’s not an admission of guilt or failure, it’s a reflection of her own wisdom and personal tastes. Indeed, posting on LinkedIn isn’t for everybody.
But Kaila goes on to share that when you do have something to say, you shouldn’t hold back. Co-host Kyle Hagge, Chief of Staff at Morning Brew, points out that LinkedIn is a place to build connections and visibility - citing numerous times when partnerships have been formed, opportunities have been discovered and yes, new jobs have been identified on the platform. “I think every possible role can benefit from posting on LinkedIn,” Hagge says. “If you want to grow in your career, if you want to become a people leader, being able to give credit where credit is due, demonstrate the ability to be motivational.”
Beyond the persona is the person. Is LinkedIn a place for an authentic exchange of ideas, allowing you to be who you are and advocating for yourself in a way that’s pro-career (not pro-cringe)? Perhaps there’s a way to generate positive interaction without being self-aggrandizing or brag-tastic. Seems that savvy LinkedIn users know how to avoid the Spotlight Effect, by keeping it real.
Stepping Out of the Spotlight Effect, on LinkedIn
The Spotlight Effect is a psychological phenomenon where people tend to believe that they are being noticed more than they really are. It’s the mantra of the over-sharer, based on the classic song by the Police: “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic.” If you believe that online realm is your spotlight, every milestone at work is evidence of your wizardry. You’re going to over-share. Or, taken to another extreme, the Spotlight Effect can make you live under an glaring and harsh imagined spotlight, where you are constantly worried about how you are perceived, observed and judged. The ultimate effect here is silence, even shame. Instead of chasing the spotlight, you fear it - because notoriety is something to shun, not pursue.
What if you step out of the spotlight, and just share what matters most to you? Instead of trying to be cool enough, smart enough, or falling in love with the smell of your own after shave, what happens if you look in the direction of service on social media - and specifically, on LinkedIn?
If your agenda is to hog the spotlight, or hide from it, you are missing an opportunity. False modesty is still false. Why not share your insights, not to build your personal brand, but in the spirit of service? Maybe posting isn’t for you - but what about commenting and interacting with thought leaders in your industry, or other voices you respect, on the platform? How about celebrating others, and recognizing progress wherever you can?
Unfounded judgement about your skills and abilities may keep you from sharing your brilliance. There’s nothing wrong with sharing, or not. It’s a matter of personal preference. But, when you do share, ask yourself this question: Who does this help?
You don’t work for LinkedIn (unless, of course, you are literally employed by LinkedIn). Similarly, you don’t owe Mark Zuckerberg or the leadership at TikTok anything. Sharing, at its best, is service. Not obligation. Not an attempt to sell or influence, but an opportunity to serve. To demonstrate your unique perspective and skill set.
Your service to others, in turn, serves to illustrate your personal character and talents. Online or in person, who are you helping? And how? That answer is listed on your résumé, and also on your LinkedIn profile, if you’re doing it right.
If posting about yourself feels self-serving, consider Kaila’s guidance: comment and advocate for others instead. Be authentic and be an advocate for the ideas that you admire, the people you respect, and the solutions you know you can offer.
Like it or not, LinkedIn is the platform for business - and an open forum for you to grow your personal brand. Taking time to consider how you show up online isn’t an obligation, it’s just good business - no matter where you are in your career.
