Loosely Talking: LinkedIn

The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about – Oscar Wilde. 

Hello! Welcome to our second issue of Loosely Talking, where we reflect on our lives between the cobblestones. 

In case you haven't noticed, it’s almost mid March. From the third year onward, many “adult” deadlines start approaching, from planning trips for next year to applying for master’s programs and internships. All stress related events that all have one thing in common. By this point we suppose you have all become familiar with the new digital curriculum vitae, our beloved LinkedIn. 

LinkedIn is an odd one. Since when has the random person from your tutorial participated in a UN peace plan, internshipped at Nestle, and been to the moon?? It seems that people’s every life accomplishment is on the website, from simply waking up in the morning to running a half marathon. We would recommend not doom scrolling through it during your Sunday night blues, you may fall victim to what we call Linked-ziety. 

The culture is wild. While we do have to acknowledge that both of us use it and it is a helpful professional tool (trust this column is on our profiles), it can be incredibly overwhelming. A breeding ground for comparison and a vacuum of oversharing with your academic peers. This formal version of Instagram, people on their LinkedIn do not appear as they do at Defile on a Tequila Thursday. But it’s all about balance!

While it’s important to be proud of one’s accomplishments and fighting to get the 500 connections as if your life depends on it, LinkedIn has its ways of bringing out our inner struggle for recognition. A playing field of who did what and who knows who, it is important to find the middle ground between your actual accomplishments (not the half marathon) and having a competitive profile for job and academic applications. 

Indeed, we cannot deny it, the app pretty much encourages daily activity. But posting so much as to obscure who you really are presents a hyper-accomplished profile that detaches achievements from actuality.It becomes more “for show” than for yourself. Alas, we have realized that you must play the game or the game WILL play you.  

So LinkedIn wisely, but beware of Linked-ziety. And if you want to continue seeing our columns and our accomplishments and our future half marathon, tune in into the Maastricht Diplomats LinkedIn (or ours)!

Until next week, 

Celia and Ella