You won’t find me complaining about people’s personal news on LinkedIn, even if I am someone who uses the site strictly for its intended purpose of professional networking.
It’s my feed; I control who my connections are and which posts I choose to read. Don’t want to read about the birth of Edwin’s 14th grandchild? I can scroll past it. I’ll keep him as a contact, of course, because he’s a seasoned professional whom I respect And if it weren’t for his proud grandpa posts, I might not have met and later hired his granddaughter as a consultant after seeing his 2016 post about her graduating with a B.S. in computer science.
But I want to dump my morning coffee on the screen when I read seemingly work-related posts that lack self-respect or good judgment.
Case in point (identifying factors changed to protect the senseless): A post from LP: “Finally quit TechStartupInc! After nine months of 62-hour weeks for the same flat salary, I decided the abuse was enough. I’m worth more than this and I know a good manager when I see one. Excited to find the best new match for the long-term.”
In the comments of LP’s post, LP then elaborates on extensive travel; late nights for weeks-on-end to meet go-live deadlines; demanding project managers – all at the job LP signed up for on graduating from college last May – for $80,000 a year.
Sure, 62-hours a week sounds long. But is a forum like LinkedIn the right place to vent about it? Is LP’s extended professional network likely to admire LP for bravery in venturing out alone without a new job? And when I look at LP’s profile, I wonder, “How does someone who just earned a B.S. last May know a good manager upon seeing one?” Heck – even I redefine my description of what good management is on daily basis. As a business owner with a J.D., I’d never be so bold as to assume I can distinguish on first sight whether someone is a good manager.
So, LP, you’re not doing yourself any favors. My opinion of you soured when I thought of the weeks of paid training (and resulting certifications) you received or the project teams you abandoned after only nine months at a very good salary. If the 62-hour weeks were actually harmful to your health or wellbeing, then you should have spent time trying to work out compromises with HR and your managers. If there was something else going on, same thing – speak up, try to work it out, and shut up with the public rants.
But to publicly announce that you quit without having a sure path ahead of you – even in this healthy job market – shows not only carelessness but arrogance. It also paints you as a spoiled brat. Do you not need to work? And when you say you’re excited to find the best match for the long-term, whose long-term do you mean?
LP may have some great transferrable technical skills, but I’m not likely to recommend LP for a position at one of the Fortune 100 companies my firm represents.
I would, however, welcome LP to visit me for 20 minutes in person. I’m willing to listen to what motivated LP to post the way he did on a professional networking site. LP could benefit from being open with someone about the reason for the lack of discretion. I’d ask questions that would lead LP to understand that highlighting the long-term value LP can offer an employer is a smarter move than making LP’s own long-term goals the priority.
Especially since LP is unemployed.
Have some discretion, people. Tell your network about your upcoming nuptials and the years that you and your betrothed will spend with the Peace Corps. Share the news that your spouse was relocated to Timbuktu so you’re going, too, despite having to leave your position at the lab (but you’re still available for contract work by U.S. employers).
But don’t brag on a professional network about doing something that only benefited yourself. Rise above whining disguised as self-congratulations.
I look at hundreds of resumes a week. Every individual looks different on paper than in person. And you better believe that before I or any of my recruiters refers you to one of our valued partners, we’re going to research how you present yourself to the world.
Skills are important. Education is vital. But flexibility is a virtue. And character is everything.