Anyone use Linked In (social networking site) for hiring or getting hired? It seems to have become rather sophisticated since I signed up some years back, and I am wondering if it is as effective a site as people say?

My husband is headhunted through it on a daily basis, and probably 50% of those are from recruiters abroad. He does get some brazen headhunters that phone him at work, but generally they now use Linked In to get in touch with him.

whats the craic with this linked in can trades people set one up? or is it more for people in suits etc?

Yes I am part of it.

Very useful tool for anyone but unfortunately you need to have worked with people that are also on it.

Useless if you have no links.

Got my first job in Canada thanks to linked in...

I use it all the time for recruiting and have had success with it and I have also been approached for roles myself and my boyfriend has been head hunted a number of times too (from some very well known companies)

I get that too. Not daily but I've had a few cold calls. At work. I don't really like that because I don't actually put my phone number in there so they call via the company's front desk.

I've only just started using it and so far have had a couple of recruiters from the UK asking for CVs etc. Nothing came of it but every opportunity is worth having.

I'm trying to expand my overseas network to get an opportunity abroad. Nothing as yet but fingers crossed something will emerge.

I've got three Canadians on it so far and am always looking for more.

I was on it once. I kept getting spammed by recruiters flattering me by telling me I was being "head hunted" by such and such a company when the reality was that they just wanted somebody else on their books and said company hadn't actually asked for me by name at all. I deleted my account five years ago.

You keep bringing it up.

P.S - Do you know my old Uncle Albert? He's got some cracking e-mails I could send you.

Do the subjects start with a long line of "Fw: Fw: Fw: Re: Fw: Fw: Re:...."?

Yes this is what I was getting at, actually. Do individuals actually use it to network and find jobs or is it primarily a recruiters goldmine? What's surprising is the size of networks now, five years ago many people assumed it was some new web-gimmick, but now everyone in the corporate world seems to be on it or getting on it. I think it's to do with their invitation algorithms.

Not necessarily.

If there are any business organisations, trade groups, conferences or the like, you can join those groups and connect/message people in those groups and that can be great if you're interested in moving to a new location.

I would say that it's probably more useful to recruiters than individuals. But if you think about that logically, every time a recruiter benefits from it via placing a candidate, an individual benefits by getting a new job.

I know individuals who got their current jobs via initial contacts with recruitment consultants on linkedin. Having said that, I don't see much evidence of people getting jobs directly with employers through linked in.

They all seem to be from Nigerians. I didn't know he knew so many.