LinkedIn doesn’t have to be this toxic

Does the constant exposure to others’ career success bring you down?

Be intentional and mindful of your interactions with LinkedIn.

LinkedIn is extremely addictive, but also toxic.

Five minutes of scrolling and you’ll see your friend just received a promotion at their dream company and a random stranger you connected with two years ago when you were trying to grow your network got a job in San Francisco. Next thing you know, you’re sitting there asking yourself “when will it be my turn?”

With hustle culture’s emphasis on career success, LinkedIn is more anxiety-inducing than it should be, normalizing the portrayal of perfection—which can shatter one’s self-confidence.

Whether you’re a soon-to-be graduate looking to start your career, or you’re searching for an internship, it’s important to remember job hunting isn’t a competition and there’s no reason to keep comparing yourself to others.

Consider the type of career you want and identify why it’s important to you. Explore your experiences, values, skills, and achievements to help you determine what job opportunities to focus on.

After establishing career goals, create a job-hunting plan. Block out time dedicated to job searching, and turn notifications on for positions you’re most interested in.

Job searching involves regularly updating and customizing your resume and cover letter. Adapting these documents is a great way to stand out. Be sure to include your skills, experiences, and achievements, and ensure documents are concise and easy to read.

Using job search resources other than LinkedIn can provide you with more opportunities. Attending career fairs is a great way to better incorporate face-to-face networking.

The addition of competing against others for a job and seeing others’ accomplishments only takes a hit on your self-esteem and mental well-being. Luckily, there are ways to manage the anxiety and negative thoughts LinkedIn can provoke.

Treat LinkedIn as a social media platform and understand your feed is nothing more than a highlight reel of experiences users cherry pick to show their network. Though the hard work, setbacks, or challenges of the process rarely make appearances, everyone has them in their careers.

Examine your reactions to the platform. If LinkedIn makes you feel bad about yourself, pause, and ask yourself why. Understanding the root cause of your discouragement helps manage your emotions and thoughts.

If you find LinkedIn causes anxiety or negative thoughts, focus on what you can control to help alleviate those feelings. Actions could include limiting your access to the platform and curating your feed.

Follow people or companies who inspire you or have missions that align with your values and goals and filter out posts that trigger self-comparison. If there’s a connection whose updates aren’t serving you, it might be worth unfollowing them.

While it’s easier said than done, resist the urge to browse. Set a criterion for why you use LinkedIn and remain disciplined about not straying away from your objectives.

Additionally, you can set a certain amount of time for using LinkedIn, remove the mobile app from your home screen or delete the app and turn on email notifications for important updates only.

Despite its shortcomings, LinkedIn can be a valuable resource when used wisely. If you feel overwhelmed or disheartened, it’s probably time to disengage with the platform and manage your consumption before it starts to control you.

Tags

Anxiety, Job hunting, LinkedIn, Social media

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