10 reasons why LinkedIn is better than Twitter for finding work

10 reasons why LinkedIn is better than Twitter for finding work

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13 min read

I stumbled on an article titled " 10 reasons why Twitter is better than LinkedIn for finding work ", written by Andrew Baisden where he made some very convincing arguments as to why he believes Twitter is better than LinkedIn for finding work. I was so excited by the article that I literally followed him on all his social media handles. Asides from writing here on Hashnode, I also write on LinkedIn as such his article left me thinking "Can I write the exact opposite of this?". The more I thought about it, the more excited it made me so I concluded I'd do it. As a British Parliamentary style debater who has won a lot of debates when I was an undergraduate (representing my department, faculty and the University of Lagos), I've always known that the best way to provide counter-arguments is to take the arguments of the opponent and use them to show why your stance is better and that's what I'll be doing today.

Please note that this article isn't aimed at discrediting the work of Andrew Baisden, I really respect him and we have a lot in common, we both write on Hashnode, we both watch anime and we are software engineers, this article is more lighthearted than serious. You are however free to read his article and weigh it against mine in the comment section. With that said I guess I'll dive into it right now. To show how lighthearted it is I'm going to simulate a boxing bout as a reference to Andrew's cover image for his article.

Commentator: Let's get ready to rumble!!!!!!!

Commentator: Introducing our IBF and WBA unified heavyweight champion weighing two hundred and five pounds Andrew Baisden!!!!!

Commentator: Introducing our WBC and WBO unified heavyweight champion weighing two hundred pounds OLABAYO BALOGUN!!!!

Radio presenter 1: This a very exciting matchup that will decide the undisputed Heavyweight champion of the World!.

Radio presenter 2: What's more interesting is that they have a history of heavyweight champions in their country, Andrew Baisen comes from Great Britain which produced Anthony Joshua, an undisputed heavyweight champion and Olabayo comes from Nigeria which produced Samuel Peter, a WBC heavyweight champion in 2008 as well as other UFC champions like Isreal Adesanya aka stylebender and Kamaru Usman aka The Nigerian Nightmare.

Radio presenter 1: While boxing has 12 rounds, we have confirmation that this matchup will be settled in 10 rounds. And they begin!

Here are 10 reasons why LinkedIn is better than Twitter for finding work.

  1. It is less casual

Andrew makes several valid points about why Twitter trumps LinkedIn because it is more casual and fun, I fear that is what makes Twitter less of a platform for build a professional career as a software engineer, Twitter is awash with so much diversity of content that it is easy for the serious content to get buried under the rubble of trending topics. Due to LinkedIn's focus on professionals, you tend to find more consistent content that resonates with such a professional audience which makes it easier for you to swim with the tide, You don't want to be the person who is posting about tech when everyone is giving hot takes on a trending issue, at best you'll be ignored, at worst you'll quickly become a subject of public reprimand for being so insensitive. You have to constantly read the room with Twitter and that can sometimes get in the way of finding a job.

When trying to build or develop a professional brand that will get you a job or take you to the next level, those who will work with you or hire you will prefer to see your game face as your professional etiquette and thought process is what you bring to the workplace and not your more casual self. As for the issue of spams and harassing messages Twitter is home to some of the most toxic elements on Earth, while they had to revise their policies against cyberbullying and the likes we still see a worrisome amount of harassment on that platform and as such LinkedIn is a much safer choice, you don't get so much sponsored messages (ads) or harassment on LinkedIn.

  1. Developers are more open to connecting with their peers

Andrew makes a case about how it is easier to follow people on Twitter than it is on LinkedIn because people of interest can easily choose not to accept your connection request on LinkedIn and he makes a valid point on the issue of connection requests being a coin toss. I am sure he forgot that LinkedIn also has the "follow" feature, you can follow a person of interest and send them a connection request which then grants you unfettered access to message said individual privately. Why I believe LinkedIn trumps Twitter in this regard is that with LinkedIn you can see the career history of people you want to connect with, with that you're able to evaluate the calibre and the level of experience the person has, unlike Twitter where you really don't know how experienced the person you're connecting with is.

An influencer can have maybe 3 months of experience but may be exceptionally good at writing engaging content, this doesn't in any way mean that this person is someone who can mentor you in tech or connect you with a job. With LinkedIn, you know the person's job role and their entire CV and career history. LinkedIn also helps people connect with you by emphasizing things you and the person share in common like mutual connections, Alma mater etc. While LinkedIn can't guarantee everyone will connect with you, it guarantees you an impressive quality of connections. Quality trumps quantity any day. When trying to get a job you don't exactly need 1000 followers the way you need 1 experienced individual who is willing to get your foot in the door and give you a referral that can land you a job.

  1. more recruiters, fewer companies

Andrew makes valid points about how companies engage more with people on Twitter than on LinkedIn and I agree. He posits that it's easier to journal your developer journey on Twitter than it is on LinkedIn and that's where I disagree. Because of the diversity of content and the fickleness of Twitter trends you find that your posts, likes and retweets will lack the consistency that is easily found on LinkedIn. Twitter is a playground and as a result of that, you will find yourself engaging in witty banters, retweeting your friends, liking some funny content and giving your opinion on trending issues, all these dilute the consistency of your content. If one is to peruse the timeline of a Twitter user, there's hardly any consistency. If you want a job you need to put yourself in the faces of recruiters (who are more abundant on LinkedIn) by creating consistent content.

While companies engage more on Twitter we need to admit that companies aren't the ones making hiring decisions, people run companies and the people who hire are recruiters. On LinkedIn, you have the opportunity to get yourself in the faces of these recruiters by creating useful content and having a timeline that documents such consistent efforts. The dividends pay off a lot faster and can serve as a repository of your evolution as a professional, You have to remember that most people don't put their Twitter handle link on their CV, you're required to put your LinkedIn profile link on your CV, as someone who wants a job that should tell you enough about which social media platform is more important in helping you get a job.

  1. LinkedIn Engagement quality is much higher

I agree with Andrew that it is easier to go viral on Twitter, people spend more time there and are more generous with Likes and Retweets than they are on LinkedIn. However, you have to admit that the quality of engagement on LinkedIn is much higher than on Twitter and this is because professionals who like or comment on LinkedIn contribute to a post in a way that elevates the post while remaining consistent with what the post is about. On Twitter, a post may have many likes, retweets and comments and still miss the point by a mile. As a job seeker, you have to constantly remind yourself that quality always trumps quantity. LinkedIn is where you get the quality of engagement that can drive your career forward.

  1. LinkedIn Event is awesome!!!

Andrew makes a case about how Twitter spaces help you speak and hear from people and these audio conversations can be very insightful and I agree that it can be beneficial. LinkedIn however has a feature that helps you find professional events, events where you're more likely to bump into a recruiter or senior management of a company you really like than on Twitter. Events are great for networking and the LinkedIn events feature is a treasure trove of events that can help boost your network and get you more noticed. You get to learn more from acknowledged professionals who are veterans in the industry than on LinkedIn where anyone can create a space and churn out content that may have more flair than actual substance. When we weigh the Twitter spaces feature against the LinkedIn events feature we can agree that the utility Twitter spaces offer is marginal compared to the LinkedIn events feature. Once again I will remind you that the quality of network and events trump quantity in your search for a job.

  1. LinkedIn is a good way to gauge competence and company fit

I agree with Andrew that you're better able to express your personality on Twitter and people can easily gauge your personality and culture fit on Twitter. However, we need to also evaluate if it's always true and more importantly if it can easily backfire. Because Twitter is such a wide community with diverse topics (some of which are polarising) you can easily like/comment/retweet your way out of a job. You must acknowledge that your recruiters (and people who can help you) are human, they may have beliefs that you may not share with them. It's common to like or retweet content because it's funny or witty, that content may be deemed offensive to others. This is why LinkedIn is safer, because of the kind of content that permeates the LinkedIn environment you're less likely to carelessly endorse or promote polarising content that a recruiter may find insensitive.

LinkedIn helps recruiters assess their most important quality in a job seeker, competence, they can look at your CV and profile and will be able to tell where you've been and what you've done, company fit can also be assessed from the companies you've worked at especially if these companies have a well-known company culture, it's also easier for the recruiter to reach out to people who know you at that company in a bid to assess who you are. All these put together is why LinkedIn is a better place to be spotted by recruiters.

  1. LinkedIn is a better learning tool

LinkedIn has LinkedIn learning which has so much content that can take your skill to the next level, what's more, you get certificates that reflect on your LinkedIn profile and you can earn badges that display on your profile when you apply for jobs, these certificates and badges are what helps you rank higher than other applicants and can help convince a recruiter that you're the right hire. With LinkedIn reportedly developing their own freelancing platform that will rival the likes of Upwork, Turing, and Fiverr, now is a good time to begin developing your brand on LinkedIn in order to be easily spotted because we know that this platform LinkedIn is working on will integrate with LinkedIn the way LinkedIn Learning does. While I agree with Andrew that you can get a lot of free resources on Twitter we need to emphasize quality once again, LinkedIn has this in spades and you can just as easily ask industry experts for pointers on which content to learn from. I've had free courses and materials gifted to me on LinkedIn and I can tell you that the quality is much better than what I found on Twitter.

  1. LinkedIn Blogging opens up doors to new opportunities

Twitter is a microblogging platform with too few characters to enable you to display your depth of knowledge on any given subject, writing threads can be quite stressful and may not guarantee as much engagement. While Andrews posits that Twitter is great for blogging he shoots himself in the foot quite naturally, I'm here asking myself "If Twitter is so great why are you on Hashnode? ๐Ÿ˜‰". While I concede that I am not a veteran in blogging like Andrew I believe LinkedIn is a better microblogging platform because it has more character allowance and helps you catalogue your content in a more consistent way with a higher quality of engagement. You can decide to target different professional audiences. I personally focus on demystifying tech for the average individual, I connect more with a lot of people in tech and outside tech and I've gotten a lot of acclaim owing to how easy it is to digest my content. You don't have to write complex stuff that only tech people can understand. If you work on simplifying your content you can reach a wider audience and become more impactful on LinkedIn.

  1. More quality meetings

Andrew argues that it's harder to socialize on LinkedIn and I agree, you're not on LinkedIn to socialize, you're on LinkedIn to network and possibly land a job. This means you don't have to engage in small talk which can be quite draining and timewasting. With LinkedIn, you're able to schedule meetings with professionals whom you want to learn from, you have more access to mentorship which is value-based. Before I got into tech I had several zoom meetings with veterans in the industry within and outside my country, a lot of professionals agreed to see me and they gave me bits of their time that I will forever be grateful for. What's more, because LinkedIn is majorly for networking you can save money with virtual meetings which removes the distance barrier. If you're looking to land a job it's preferable you expend less financial resources in achieving this goal especially if you're currently unemployed. You can get a lot of quality mentors who can keep up with your journey without needing unprofitable discussions to maintain a relationship with them.

  1. LinkedIn has a rich community of experienced professionals

I agree with Andrew that Twitter has about 335 million monthly active users whereas LinkedIn has 294 million active users and this may seem like a big deal but it isn't. You don't need more than 5 - 10 professionals to help give you get a job. Remember, quality over quantity. It is indisputable that the quality of profiles on LinkedIn surpasses that of Twitter. If you're looking to get a job you need to take the path with more assurance of success. Your activities on LinkedIn are more notable in an interview than your activities on Twitter (except you're into social media management). You can easily get careers mentors in person of recruiters, developers etc. And with LinkedIn when you upload content you get insights on the calibre of people who read your content, Twitter doesn't offer you this. Your posts can easily reach a CEO, a VP engineering, a recruiter and other professionals who are beneficial to your goals with LinkedIn and you will know you're reaching them due to analytics. This trumps whatever it is Twitter offers in form of active users and engagement.

With these few points of mine, I hope I have been able to convince you and not confuse you that LinkedIn is better than Twitter for finding work (I just wanted to reference a cliche we pandered to when debating in elementary school ๐Ÿ˜‚. We don't do this in British Parliamentary style debate though). All in all, I'm hopeful that the article was insightful to you. I look forward to your feedback in the comment section.