Do you use LinkedIn?

SGM Clarence Zarnes — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 13:13:39 -0500

Why or Why Not? I started a LinkedIn account over 4 years ago when I left the Service as a means to network for employment connections. I didn't use it fully until about 2+ years ago when I become unemployed. This is when I realized the disconnect many Veterans suffered when seeking civilian employment. A few months later I started a Group on LinkedIn called Florida Veterans Transition Network to assist Veterans in their endeavor to find civilian employment. I use this group to connect Veterans and Veteran Supports to assist Veterans in their Job Search Endeavors. Last year I was recognized by LinkedIn as the Top 5% Most Viewed Profile on LinkedIn. I now hope to duplicate the same efforts here on RallyPoint. Feel free to connect with me on RallyPoint, LinkedIn and my LinkedIn Group.

Response by LTC Yinon Weiss made Dec 13 at 2013 1:48 PM

LTC Yinon Weiss — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 13:48:01 -0500

Clarence, thanks for sharing your story. I believe that many military members and veterans are similar... in that they often do not begin networking until they actually find themselves looking for work, which is often too late. One of the reasons we started RallyPoint was to help service members build and create their network long before they need something, so that when it was time to find a new position (either in the military or during transition), they would have a strong network to support them. <div><br></div><div>LinkedIn has the advantage of many years of development and thousands of employees, and RallyPoint has the advantage of being laser focused on serving our military, veteran, and retiree community. Both are good platforms.</div><div><br></div><div>We look forward to seeing your contributions on RallyPoint, and to hearing more feedback. In 2014 we'll also set up more specific groups on RallyPoint to serve some of the needs you described. We're glad to have you on board!</div>

Response by SGT Ben Keen made Dec 13 at 2013 1:50 PM

SGT Ben Keen — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 13:50:06 -0500

I use LinkedIn everyday.  It's a great tool for those looking to not just find a job but to grow their professional knowledge base.  A few months ago, LinkedIn announced FREE Premium Accounts for 5 years for Veterans as well so now I have that as well.  Not sure if they are still doing it but here is the link for more information on that program.<div><br></div><div><a href="http://jadethunter.wordpress.com/2013/08/01/free-linkedin-upgrade-for-veterans/">http://jadethunter.wordpress.com/2013/08/01/free-linkedin-upgrade-for-veterans/</a><br></div><div class="pta-link-card"><div class="pta-link-card-picture"><img src="http://jadethunter.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/20 [login to see] 17.jpg"></div><div class="pta-link-card-content"><div class="pta-link-card-title"><a target="_blank" href="http://jadethunter.wordpress.com/2013/08/01/free-linkedin-upgrade-for-veterans/">Free LinkedIn Upgrade for Veterans</a></div><div class="pta-link-card-description">UPDATED INFORMATION HERE INFORMATION BELOW HAS BEEN NULLIFIED IN UPDATED NEW POST HERE PLEASE NOTE MS NICOLE HENRY is from JCEP, Job Connection Education Program, and not with LINKEDIN. IF you have...</div></div><div style="clear:both"></div><div class="pta-box-hide"><i class="icon-remove"></i></div></div>

Response by Cpl Anthony Pearson made Dec 13 at 2013 4:07 PM

Cpl Anthony Pearson — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 16:07:32 -0500

Absolutely yes. It is a critical tool for networking and branching out. Unlike Facebook, LinkedIn is a professional alternative. <div><br></div><div>The user groups are also valuable. I use them for various topics such as: SharePoint Administration, Photoshop, Design, Marketing, and other purposes. </div><div><br></div><div>I'm also using LinkedIn to keep in touch with the retirees from our company who also served in our military. They are no longer on our corporate email, so using LinkedIn is a great way to keep in touch via a private, closed "group" that I created for our veterans. </div><div><br></div><div>Many other reasons to use LinkedIn... so check it out.</div>

Response by SFC Stephen Hester made Dec 13 at 2013 5:01 PM

SFC Stephen Hester — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 17:01:06 -0500

I use it and have developed some significant professional and personal connections. It's a very effective networking tool for veterans or active duty service members transitioning or looking for a new job/career. What many networkers and job seekers don't seem to realize is that you have to use LinkedIn for it to work.

Response by SPC Chris Stiles made Dec 13 at 2013 5:41 PM

SPC Chris Stiles — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 17:41:18 -0500

I started a LinkedIn account back in early 2010 and I have to say that it has been very useful to me as far as networking inside my career field.  It has allowed me to network with many individuals that, although most of my field comes from a military background, some key people in my field have no prior service time and I wouldn't have been able to connect to them if it were restricted to only networking within the military community. <div><br></div><div>This site on the other hand has very good potential for me to stay in touch and network with those associated with the military, even ones that I have interacted with that are outside of my career specialty, but are very good to network with, but may not normally consider having an active LinkedIn account due to how open the discussions on there can be and not really specific to a military group of contributors like it is here.</div>

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 13 at 2013 9:20 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 21:20:54 -0500

I just started recently when I started dealing with industry as part of my position. Now that the RIF boards are coming up I have been much more active on the site checking my options.

Response by CW2 Joseph Evans made Dec 14 at 2013 6:29 PM

CW2 Joseph Evans — Sat, 14 Dec 2013 18:29:02 -0500

Using it religiously. Not just for myself, but start ups I'm involved with. Just sat in on a fantastic panel discussion held at Boise State University as well.<br><br>Feel free to add me http://www.linkedin.com/in/joerevans/<br><br>

Response by PO1 Thomas B. made Dec 14 at 2013 11:12 PM

PO1 Thomas B. — Sat, 14 Dec 2013 23:12:58 -0500

I've been on board since the beginning.  It is a fantastic tool for networking and showcasing your skills for future employers.  I feel it is a must in this computer-based age.<br>

Response by CSM Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 17 at 2013 9:48 AM

CSM Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 17 Dec 2013 09:48:29 -0500

<p>SGM,</p><p>  I have heard of LinkedIn but have never looked into it.  RP is my first attempt at Social networking.  I not much for what I have seen with my family and troopers do with Twitter, Myspace, and Facebook.  </p><p> </p><p>A mentor of mine mentioned this site so I gave it a try.  Providing and receiving mentorship to and from other Soldiers has made this a workable site for me.  I have just started to look beyond my Army career.  Retirement may still be a few years out for my family and I.  </p><p> </p><p>Having made the transition yourself, what is a good time frame to start networking for after the Army.  In your opinion, are employers looking for people 4-5 years out?  I am sure I am missing something but not sure what the purpose would be networking so far out.  Please, when you get time explain how sites like LinkedIn help us out.</p>

Response by Lt Col Luis A. Rojas made Dec 24 at 2013 10:55 PM

Lt Col Luis A. Rojas — Tue, 24 Dec 2013 22:55:54 -0500

SGM...Yes, Linkedin is a great tool.  I joined back in June of this year.  Although I do not plan to retire from the Air Force until June 2016, it is never too early to join.  I just sent you an invitation to connect on Linkedin.

Response by 1LT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 26 at 2013 3:58 AM

1LT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 26 Dec 2013 03:58:58 -0500

I have only been a member of LinkedIn and RallyPoint for a very short period of time. Perhaps I have missed some key benefits and/or distinctions. But, for me and for my colleagues, both networks provide unique capabilities for individuals and organizations.

Many of my friends and colleagues, including active duty, reserve, and veteran service members, use LinkedIn for a wide variety of purposes. It provides a natural first point of contact for a quick look at a potential employment applicant, manager, collaborator, business partner, or investor. It provides an opportunity to post a resume in a format that is widely recognized by civilian organizations. It provides concise summary with selective privacy options for connections with individuals, membership in professional societies and groups, professional skills, recommendations, etc. It provides a highly organized and broad range of forums for professional discussions and organizations. More than anything else, it provides a rich environment for establishing connections between potentially interested colleagues without the barriers of a gated community. For individuals seeking professional employment in the civilian world, there is no more target rich environment heavily populated with recruiters and employers. Therefore, for the purpose of putting your credentials in a place where they are most likely to be recognized, I cannot think of any better environment than the LinkedIn environment.

That said, for the purposes for which RallyPoint was organized, RallyPoint is the most accessible and reasonably private environment for reaching out to military colleagues for discussion, mentoring, and/or to offer assistance to other service members. The unique resources on RallyPoint provide more of an opportunity to discover both new opportunities and to gain inside information about the conditions at a new command. More than anything else, RallyPoint provides a private protected environment where service members feel free to ask questions and express opinions w/o public criticism.

The one thing I would like to see in these online communities is a means to send a private message or reply to an individual without necessarily commenting publicly or being perceived as seeking to establish a longer relationship for a limited discussion.

Perhaps it might also be helpful for the organizers to post a mission statement with comparison of the intended purposes of RallyPoint vs LinkedIn etc in the masthead. Simply stating that RallyPoint intends to become the LinkedIn for the Military (while attractive to potential investors) misses the opportunity to differentiate the product.

I think it might also be interesting to provide readily accessible statistics about the number and rate of increase in user accounts and accounts active in a past month - maybe with charts tracking growth of the RallyPoint community over many months.

Response by SrA Eric Olsen made Jan 1 at 2014 11:22 PM

SrA Eric Olsen — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 23:22:57 -0500

I signed up about for LinkedIn about 4 years ago when I got laid off from a previous company. Since then I have updated it from time to time but didn't really have the time to put into it what I needed due to being in college and working full time. Now that I have gotten my BSIT I am working on getting my profile here on RP current as well as LinkedIn. I am also starting to get more active in conversations on both sites. In LinkedIn I have been contacted by a few headhunters but they are always wanting me to move out of state. That's not something I am willing to do for personal reasons. LinkedIn is going to be an integral part of my job search in the coming weeks and I have even encouraged others to sign up as well realizing and understanding the value it can bring to ones career.<br>

Response by Sgt Huy Hoang made Apr 2 at 2014 10:02 AM

Sgt Huy Hoang — Wed, 02 Apr 2014 10:02:22 -0400

I would love to learn more about LinkedIn, can you recommend any training on it or did you just learn everything yourself?

Response by SGT James McCue made Apr 2 at 2014 10:09 AM

SGT James McCue — Wed, 02 Apr 2014 10:09:39 -0400

I just logged off LinkedIn prior to posting here.<div><br></div><div>I am a strong advocate of LinkedIn, even more so when I got my free upgrade. Not only am I using it to find work and network, I used it to crowd source information. </div><div><br></div><div>I posted my resume to a discussion and received a lot of feedback. Amazingly, I received an interview request shortly after my changes. </div>

Response by CPT Richard Riley made Apr 2 at 2014 10:25 AM

CPT Richard Riley — Wed, 02 Apr 2014 10:25:33 -0400

SGM Zarnes, I only started a LinkedIn account when I started my business. I'm not sure I'm utilizing it to it's full extent but do believe it helps me network in many different aspects.<br>

Response by LTJG Robert M. made Apr 2 at 2014 12:48 PM

LTJG Robert M. — Wed, 02 Apr 2014 12:48:26 -0400

Yep, I was an early adopter, signed up<span class="member-since"><strong></strong> January 31, 2005.  Has been a great business tool.<br>http://www.linkedin.com/in/robertmyles/<br><br></span>

Response by Maj Chris Nelson made Apr 2 at 2014 1:08 PM

Maj Chris Nelson — Wed, 02 Apr 2014 13:08:06 -0400

I have a linked in account.  Also have it almost completely completed with ALL my military information.  I have then also attached 2 resumes that are more civilian HR friendly...one for clinical nursing, one for Nursing Education.  I still have about 20 months until retirement, so I am not AS active on the site at this time (although I have gotten 3-4 cold "calls" for employment so far!).  I just don't want to start being serious on the site until I am in a better window to look for employment post military (less then 12 months).  I have also gotten a couple letters of reference and some endorsements.  Overall, I see GREAT potential.  For medical (nursing/nursing ed), I don't see as much potential for employment on Rally Point, but RP has a great network for learning and contributing management/leadership information.  Feel free to look me up on LinkedIn.  Look for Chris Nelson out of Great Falls, MT.

Response by SGT Craig Northacker made Apr 13 at 2014 5:08 PM

SGT Craig Northacker — Sun, 13 Apr 2014 17:08:33 -0400

Let's chat after April 15.

Response by LT Jessica Kellogg made Apr 17 at 2014 9:05 PM

LT Jessica Kellogg — Thu, 17 Apr 2014 21:05:52 -0400

I just created an account.  Still checking it out and trying to figure out how to get the most out of it.<div><ul style="padding-bottom: 8px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; line-height: 17px; display: table-cell; width: 503px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><li style="margin: 0px; padding: 8px 12px 2px 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-size: 11px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1.2em;"><dl class="public-profile" style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;"><dd style="padding-top: 2px; padding-right: 9px; padding-bottom: 1px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: top; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; display: inline-block; zoom: 1;"><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/pub/jessica-kellogg/95/157/22/" title="View public profile" name="webProfileURL" style="margin-right: 10px; padding-left: 19px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: middle; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; display: inline-block; zoom: 1; background-image: url(http://s.c.lnkd.licdn.com/scds/common/u/images/apps/profile/sprite/sprite_profile_top_card_v8.png); background-position: 0px -249px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat;">http://www.linkedin.com/pub/jessica-kellogg/95/157/22/</a></dd></dl></li></ul></div>

Response by CMC Robert Young made Apr 22 at 2014 7:05 PM

CMC Robert Young — Tue, 22 Apr 2014 19:05:31 -0400

I use it regularly as a professional networking tool. It has paid good dividends so far, I am hopeful that it will continue to be a help as I look for whatever the next job might be.

Response by PO2 Michael Campbell made Apr 22 at 2014 10:17 PM

PO2 Michael Campbell — Tue, 22 Apr 2014 22:17:33 -0400

Absolutely yes! I took a job working crap hours and for not great pay when I first transitioned from active duty, a friend of mine introduced me to linkedin, and after I built my profile, I was actually getting emails and calls from people in my area. These are positions I would have never known even existed.

Response by SSG Trevor S. made May 26 at 2014 2:10 AM

SSG Trevor S. — Mon, 26 May 2014 02:10:12 -0400

For anyone who would like to connect on LinkedIn, here is my profile.
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/trevor-smith/69/94b/568/

Response by PO1 William "Chip" Nagel made Jun 10 at 2014 12:31 AM

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel — Tue, 10 Jun 2014 00:31:57 -0400

Been on LinkedIn longer than any other social media.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 25 at 2014 5:00 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 17:00:51 -0400

I use Linkedin but I'd like to find contacts from Linkedin to invite to use RP. Is there a way to do that? I tride to pull contacts from Linkedin with the link above but it only pulls FB.

Thank you

Response by CW5 Sam R. Baker made Jun 26 at 2014 9:06 AM

CW5 Sam R. Baker — Thu, 26 Jun 2014 09:06:27 -0400

Yes, it was forced on me years ago through a volunteer situation and organization for networking. It has grown immensely over the years and I now have a completed profile there as it seems that networking will really need to be pressed for service in the near future!

Additionally, I do believe they give veterans a free year of premium service once you retire.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 13 at 2014 12:54 AM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 13 Nov 2014 00:54:41 -0500

I use it everyday. When I moved to Japan last year I had 7 interviews lined up all using LinkedIn. Today I use it as a headhunter for my civilian job but also to expand my network in search of new opportunities. I'm currently trying to network to those in the Pacific NW for a possible move next year. Feel free to connect. jp.linkedin.com/pub/daniel-morris/62/433/2b/

Response by SSgt Richard Krebs made Jan 19 at 2015 12:04 PM

SSgt Richard Krebs — Mon, 19 Jan 2015 12:04:21 -0500

Linked In is used almost exclusively by corporate America for posting jobs that are serious and finding new candidates. The mistake most veterans make is their profile screams info about their service position and capabilities and not about how they can save the hiring party money or increase their sales. Make the transition.

Response by SPC Michael Poyma made Sep 28 at 2015 4:17 PM

SPC Michael Poyma — Mon, 28 Sep 2015 16:17:56 -0400

Great post! I've been using LinkedIn since 2009, and because of my advocacy and activism in Veterans Employment, I started a group called Michigan Veterans Employment Solutions. MVES is for veterans, employers, service providers, and other stakeholders dedicated to closing the employment gap. I welcome connections also!

Response by 1SG Clifford Barnes made Apr 7 at 2019 3:08 PM

1SG Clifford Barnes — Sun, 07 Apr 2019 15:08:52 -0400

Enjoy it daily and keeps me pretty up to date