Job Search (and Life) Without Social Media
A few weeks ago, the amazing startup where I worked: that was going to revolutionize the at-home diagnostics world; folded. Since that earth-shattering event, my then coworkers have talked about all the recruiters that have reached out through LinkedIn. This is something that I’m not privy to because I have not had a LinkedIn account for approximately 6 months.
Getting back on the job market has led to a great deal of pressure from loved ones to join the professional network again; yet, I don’t feel inclined to do so. Many would say that looking for a job without a LinkedIn account is a fool’s errand. Yet, when I reflect on my professional career thus far the end and beginning of each chapter in my career thus far were not affected at all by LinkedIn. If anything, it has functioned similarly to all other social media that I no longer partake in: digital noise.
I challenge you to think back on your career jumps and ask yourself whether LinkedIn actually helped. Looking back on it now, it was like most social media was, a Nano pet that didn’t satisfy that connection IRL pets give you:
- A profile that needed feeding.
- An inbox that needed cleaning.
- Privacy settings that required constant vigilance and regular check-ups.
As a person who cares about her privacy and has worked in security companies, I’ve been rejecting social media for some time now. I’ve not had a Facebook account since November 2016, for somewhat obvious reasons. Twitter, Instagram, and the rest are all dead to me. This and my portfolio website, which I actually need as a designer to showcase my work are my public digital presence. In 2017, despite my privacy qualms, I ran for public office and opened a campaign Facebook page, posted a website, and a Twitter account. I deleted them after my campaign lost to a 28-year incumbent; that’s another story.
All this to say, that since I closed my social network accounts, I’ve managed to stay informed about current events by actually reading the news from reputable sources. I’ve maintained connections with loved ones through the very accessible ways of SMS, email, and (gasp) snail mail. The connections have grown warmer and stronger as a result of the intentional effort we’ve made to stay connected.
What’s more, when I see people I care about, I’m not confirming what I may have seen in their curated public life updates, rather we actually catch up on what’s happened since we last saw each other. It leads to more engaged conversations and typically a few moments of introspection and discovery.
It’s been a few weeks since I’ve been looking for a job and so far, I’ve not needed LinkedIn. The only thing I use it for is stalking people I’m about to talk to. If I can’t get to their profile because it required a login, guess what I do? I ask them when we actually get to chat. 😉
