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Comment by joshstrange | Hacker News Reader

Personally I don't update my LinkedIn until I start looking for a new job. There is absolutely no need for anyone to know where I work (or at least for me to share that far and wide publically) and I'm not interested in cold emails/cold linkedin messages.

My decision was cemented in 2020 when someone who didn't like a tweet of mine retweeted it to my old company's twitter account trying to get me fired/reprimanded (The tweet in question called out my local PD for a dubious tweet they made, the person who tried to get me in trouble lived in a different state 12+ hours away). Thankfully my current company wouldn't have cared but there is no need to give people ammo.

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> Personally I don't update my LinkedIn until I start looking for a new job.

Perhaps semi-off topic, but note there are companies that sell software (spyware?) to HR departments that specifically trolls LinkedIn looking for when employees update their LinkedIn profiles as a sign they're looking for a new job. This may or may not be a good thing depending on your position, perspective, or company, but just be aware it exists.

Yeah, though I'd get dinged by that either way since I normally update my bio to include recent projects/tech I've worked with. This way I can hide behind plausible deniability "Oh, I just got around to adding X company to my LinkedIn" if I need to, whereas updating an existing entry is harder to justify (without giving away you are looking). Though I also try not to work for companies that I would need to worry about that.

> whereas updating an existing entry is harder to justify (without giving away you are looking)

I don't think it is at all. Indeed, if you're updating it regularly (every 3-4 months, perhaps?) with new project/task stuff, it's simply keeping things fresh in your mind, vs having to try to trawl back 3 years to think about project FOO.

If you only update it once every 2 years, then people can draw more nefarious conclusions.

I doubt they'd actually ask you about it (and thus give you a chance to "explain" yourself), HR would just note you down and you'd be more likely to be laid off, less likely to get promotions approved, etc.

Fair, though if I'm looking I'm planning on being gone in 1-2 months max and I'm probably leaving in part due to lack of promotion.

I know this is off topic but I'm always confused by the attitude you've mentioned where companies don't actively work to retain staff.

I wonder if there are any courses for managers to train them to think logically about this and not switch into bad decisions based on emotion.

Companies waste so much money on hiring and then deciding to react very slowly to changes in market conditions. If businesses treated their staff like they treat their clients...

> less likely to get promotions approved

This is not how companies work (at least the ones worth working for). Retention risk is a reflection on their current role, compensation, manager, etc.

We have absolutely promoted high performing employees and/or given them raises even though we knew they were looking at other opportunities.

Companies worth working for aren't stalking their employees in LinkedIn.

You can't really reason with algorithms.

You'll be placed in a list with a score next to your name.

> Though I also try not to work for companies that I would need to worry about that.

How do you figure out what kind of software your company uses internally?

> How do you figure out what kind of software your company uses internally?

I work for smaller companies that are more concerned with building instead of turning their workforce into scores on a list.

I can’t believe how living a life with this level of scrutiny on how you behave online is acceptable to anyone.

Last time my RSU cliff came around, I logged into LinkedIn, updated my profile and accepted the backlog of connection requests (and read the flurry of "congratulations on your 4 year anniversary" messages). I almost immediately got Slack messages saying "are you leaving?" But I wanted them to notice; that was the point.

Which is why I simply don't use my real name (well, not a full name) for my Twitter account. I have the right to keep my professional and private persona separate, and if someone really wanted to, they could find out where I work anyway. (I'm not tweeting anything extreme in my own view, but there's always someone who will regard it as such, and as you say, what's good about giving people such option to begin with).

Meanwhile, my company actively gives us hints on how to spruce up our resumes with marketing bullshit that impresses nobody but middle managers who think that keyword searches with word soups like "Innovator. Thought-Haver. Bringer of Boys To the Yard." are their paths to big league success.

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