Anonymous wrote:I am about to fill out a standard application for a job that looks really good and would love the advise of people more technologically savvy than me!
I've had a linkedin profile for a while. This application asks for both a link to my page as well as a cover letter and resume. My linked in profile needs updating- but I don't necessarily anticipate using it for anything other than this job (unless this is request is a new thing)? DO I keep it vague? Exhausted? Is it mostly to see whom they know that I know? (In other words can I delete anyone whom I know who wouldn't say incredibily glowing things about me as friends the same way you could do on Facebook?)
Some job applications websites automatically pull in information from LinkedIn to their databases - it's marketed as a convenience to the job seeker but it also lets the company see all your LinkedIn contacts, and their software will surface anyone who you may be linked to that is already at their firm (not necessarily a bad thing). It could also be a way for them to flag discrepancies between a resume and your LinkedIn profile. If it's minor, probably not a big deal, but they should generally match dates, company names, title and maybe responsibilities.
This is a very hot trend in HR software, so you should probably maintain an updated LinkedIn profile, or delete it altogether. At my old firm HR found 50 percent of candidates via LinkedIn searches for people with the skills they were looking for in particular regions.