Social media is an amazing thing, but we all also know that misused and misunderstood it can create adverse reactions or even cost you your job if you’re plain stupid.
I’ve found LinkedIn quite accurate in assessing if people are about to make a career move. How useful is this information then? Well, I can see three scenarios: anyone looking for a new job and don’t want to tell the world about it, managers that want to take the pulse on their team members career-plans, or partners that just want to keep tab on if their key contacts are about to make a move.
I have noticed the following three symptoms of “job hunting” in many industry colleagues and partner’s Linked In activity prior to them sending me an email to let know that they’re moving on.
Three LinkedIn Symptoms of Job Hunting:
- A Massively Updated Profile, especially for the current role with a previously unprecedented detail outlining the importance of the person to the current company. Typically carefully matching the wording in their linkedin bio to that of the job they are seeking
- A batch of Fresh Testimonials. The keen job hunter will likely get a few fresh testimonials from colleagues and partners, highlighting their strengths as per point number one
- Connecting with Recruiters. There can of course be natural explanations for this if they work in HR or in a managerial position, but for most other this is a dead giveaway
In isolation the above won’t tell you much, but when you see 1 & 2 in combination that’s from my experience typically when you can suspect a move in the next few months, and if number 3 is present and recurring, well that’s the clincher that they’re definitely on their way out the door.
…or maybe I’m totally wrong and have watched to much House lately and just felt like diagnosing something.
Ps. If you do want a new job, here’s some tips to get a job in search marketing.
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Great article! Another hint that someone might be searching for a new job is if they remove their link to their employer’s site and replace it with a link to a personal blog or site.
Thank you for linking to my blog post.
When you see 1, 2 and 3 in combination… Just cuff your staff directly to their desk…
More seriously, you can act before it’s too late. When you see these symptoms, try to understand why your staff is leaving. Discussing the frequent linkedin update with your team member could prevent the drama!
Greg, Like your thinking (about talking to people – not cuffing them