How losing access to LinkedIn changed my life
About a personal encounter with "The LinkedIn dependency pitfall"
Intro
This article was written in response to the temporary removal of my LinkedIn profile due to a third party who tried to hack the account. As a result, I was non-existent on LinkedIn for 3 weeks and, among other things, lost more than 4,000 connections. The profile has now been restored and I regained access to the platform, my network and my professional identity. Nevertheless, I learned a thing or two.
LinkedIn, with its impressive user base of more than 774 million global users, has become the go-to platform for professional networking and recruiting. While the platform offers many benefits, such as networking and business opportunities, dependence on LinkedIn also poses serious pitfalls for one's professional identity, as well as recruitment. This article highlights the pitfalls of LinkedIn dependency and offers insights into how to avoid them.
The LinkedIn dependency pitfall
Professional Identity
One of the most disturbing dangers of LinkedIn dependency is the risk of losing your entire professional identity if you lose access to your LinkedIn account. The platform acts as a digital CV that lists your work experience, skills and professional contacts. Losing access to this online profile could be catastrophic for your career.
Opportunities and Connections
LinkedIn dependency often involves using LinkedIn authentication for job applications and job postings. This could lead to restrictions for those who don't want to use LinkedIn or who can't recover their account. It limits access to opportunities and connections, and can lock you out of job opportunities and networking opportunities.
References and Recognition
LinkedIn also offers the opportunity to receive recommendations and gain professional recognition through connections and endorsements. Losing your LinkedIn profile means losing these valuable references and recognition, which can affect your credibility and opportunities.
Friends or competition
Another thing I discovered in the Terms of use of LinkedIn is that a user can “report” other user’s content, or even the profile. When a number of your connections present themselves as friendly competitors online, they could make a joint effort to at least get your profile and content suspended for review.
If the competitor wants to push the limits, he can try to hack the account. He doesn’t even have to succeed. LinkedIn will automatically notice the attempt and take the account offline for further review, which can take weeks or even months - at the risk of losing your access and all your data permanently 🤯
How to avoid LinkedIn dependency?
Diversify your Online Presence
Create a personal website or portfolio to build your professional identity beyond LinkedIn. This allows you to maintain control over your data and present yourself in your own way. Use other platforms to get customers or a job.
Some say Xing is the European alternative to LinkedIn. With roots in Germany, Xing barely manages to break through to the Dutch public compared to LinkedIn.
Why not transform “good old” Facebook and give it a more professional look? Join groups that are relevant to you and network further digitally.
When we mention Facebook, we must immediately also mention X (former Twitter), Instagram, Discord(groups) and niche forums. Digital interaction across multiple online platforms increases your online presence.
Write articles on publishing platforms like Medium or Substack and increase your digital footprint again.
Why not create your own website. It is no longer that expensive today, i.e. with Payhip it even comes with your own webstore (totally free). Also, a link-in-bio page like Linktr.ee or Bio.link are SEO optimized and are already increasing your digital presence. Even URL shortener Bit.ly offers this feature. In addition, these “one-pagers about yourself” also create useful QR codes, provide insights about your visitors and offer these visitors the opportunity to reach you very easily.
Ultimately, it's about you deciding which data you share with whom. If you know that something is on the internet, you also know that your employer or client can Google it (as a reference check).
But finally, this does not solve the problem of ownership of your own data, a certain awareness of your diverse online presence and image will still go a long way.
Maintain Real Connections
While LinkedIn is useful for digital networking, real personal connections are even more valuable. Invest in personal meetings and build relationships within and beyond the digital realm.
Visit networking evenings, events and fairs and exchange experiences or explore possible collaborations. Demonstrate your knowledge and skills in your authentic way, because you belong where they are valued.
Keep a backup of your LinkedIn data
LinkedIn offers the option to download your data. Make regular backups of your LinkedIn profile to avoid losing data. Once access is denied, you immediately lose access to the backup option.
LinkedIn support is overcrowded, so it will probably take a while before you get your data back - if you do get them back. As an individual it is bad to be denied access to LinkedIn after ten years of presence and development, but as a company it is a disaster if you suddenly lose all that data.
Consider Alternative Career Channels
Don't be limited to vacancies that are offered exclusively via LinkedIn. Explore other recruitment channels and platforms to increase your chances of finding job openings.
Other professional alternatives to a “digital CV” or “digital portfolio” are the well-known job boards such as: Indeed (or IndeedApply as an alternative to the LinkedIn login), Monster, Jobat, Glassdoor or consider emerging end-to-end freelance platforms like Malt, Upwork, Fiver or Toptal.
While LinkedIn is a powerful tool for professional networking and recruiting, dependence on the platform poses significant risks and consequences for professional identity. Losing access to your LinkedIn profile can harm your career and lock you out of opportunities and connections. By diversifying your online presence, cultivating real connections, and being prepared for potential losses, you can avoid the dangers of LinkedIn dependency and protect your professional identity.
Future solutions for digital identity challenges
An emerging and innovative approach to collecting and exchanging professional data, which is seen as a potential challenger to LinkedIn, is the application of blockchain technology and self-sovereign identities (SSI) in combination with Web3 solutions.
Web3 and Blockchain-based SSI solutions
Web3, a movement toward a decentralized internet with user control over data, has the potential to transform the way we manage and share our professional data. Within this framework, blockchain technologies are used to create self-sovereign identities, where individuals have full control over their personal data and who has access to that data.
Such a solution makes it possible to manage a digital resume or professional profile on a decentralized, blockchain-based platform. Here are some of the features that make this approach innovative:
Ownership of Data
Users have full ownership and control over their professional data. They can determine who has access to what information and for what purposes.
Enhanced Security
Blockchain provides a high level of security and encryption, better protecting users' data from breaches.
Removal of Intermediary Parties
This approach eliminates the need for intermediaries like LinkedIn, allowing users to communicate and exchange data directly and securely.
One-Click-Login
Users can easily log in to different platforms and services with a single click, while maintaining control over what data is shared.
Enhanced Privacy
This approach minimizes the collection of personal data by third parties, thereby increasing user privacy.
While this approach is still evolving and its wider adoption will take time, it has the potential to revolutionize the way we manage and exchange professional data. It can act as a serious challenger to LinkedIn by offering individuals greater control, security and privacy in managing their professional identity and data. Nevertheless, to my surprise, Microsoft has that covered and already provides a digital identity ownership application. Digital Identity is going to be a thing in the near future.
To me personally, the experience made me question my professional career, which has been pretty dependent on LinkedIn in the last couple of years. I like being an independent HR Transformation consultant and HR Tech startup advisor, yet I have to evaluate if all the personal branding (and hustling) is worth the trouble.
As much as I like being an expert with an extraordinary fascination for people-centric digital HR transformation and innovation, I politely refused a keynote in Greece - where I have 0 clients. I did accept the invitation to Unleash to moderate the Talent Acquisition panel, because it is one of the biggest HRTech events in Europe and I can finally meet a few LinkedIn-connections in real life.
Yet, it was never my ambition to “take the stage”. I consider myself rather an observer, advisor, a trainer, or even a change manager with excellent marketing and communication skills. So I’ll be just that.
Therefore, I’ve made the decision to convert HRTOOLZ.online into a Dutch Digital HR forum, where knowledge sharing and collaboration are key. I will still be administering this forum and its commercial offers, but I am transforming the business to a side-hustle and my regained LinkedIn profile into “Open to work”.
Don’t worry, I will still be writing a WorkTech Mangled on a frequent basis, as I have to diversify my online presence anyway. 😉
Have fun out there!