In these days where social media seem to control every inch of our existence, it is quite surprising that LinkedIn remains the most popular and largest professional networking platform. Although there are other few similar sites, LinkedIn has more than 610 million users in more than 200 countries around the world. A professional or aspiring professional without a profile on LinkedIn is made out to be an unserious individual. LinkedIn is great for what it can do, a tool for leveraging professional network and a useful recruitment platform for both employers and job seekers but what happens when LinkedIn sets the trap for professional comparison?
What comes to your mind when you are looking at someone’s LinkedIn profile? Their profile picture or headshot as it is called these days is perfect and immaculate. Their headlines and summaries are perfect and well pitched. Their job titles are high ranked and enviable. Their business trips look like dreamy vacations. They just seem like they have hit professionally jackpot. That is when you begin your professional comparison on a professional networking site. Yet, you don’t believe that LinkedIn impacts you just the same way as the other social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, etc. Although LinkedIn is seemingly harmless on the surface, being a professional network and all but the effect is exactly the same.
Professional Comparison on a professional networking site refers to the tendency to assign a value or to make judgments about your personal professional achievements, your career progression and job title, the salary figure you earn or don’t earn, the company you work for and your entrepreneurial abilities based on your perception of success inferred from LinkedIn. It is easy to compare your progress with that of your contemporaries. It is easy to see who has just changed roles or have just had a promotion. It is not hard to see who is working for which big corporations.
LinkedIn harmlessly encourages you to upload as much as you can about yourself, education; work experiences, articles, recommendations, promotions and what have you. This can only go two ways, either you feel positive about your progress or you start to feel like you haven’t done much so far. To make matters worse, LinkedIn is also a perpetual talebearer. It alerts a user as soon as another person accesses their profile. Except you are doing exceptionally well in your career, you get a funny feeling of being checked out when your profile is being assessed, especially by old friends and school mates.
Let’s be honest, LinkedIn can cause a mix of various emotions – pressure, defeat, determination, inspiration, etc. It all depends on how an individual can channel these emotions either positively or otherwise. There are ways to ensure that professional comparison does not have a negative impact on your career progression:
Live in the moment
At this time, you are who you are and you are where you are professional. Examine the patterns of life of the people you regard as successful. Decide who you will like to become and set out achievable short and long-term goals. Own your goals; learn how to learn more and become the best version of yourself.
Use LinkedIn appropriately
Rather than focusing on other people’s successes on LinkedIn, use the platform to understand the processes that these successful people have used to achieve what they have.
Feel free to link out
While LinkedIn can be a great resource if harnessed appropriately, it can also be your worst professional enemy if you allow it to stifle your progress. If you are constantly checking out other people’s profiles on LinkedIn, then maybe its time to link out and focus on just you.
