Don’t let the fear of self-promotion cost you job opportunities

Forrest Gump’s mama was right when she compared the human experience to a box of assorted chocolates. It’s true: “You never know what you’re gonna get.” And these days, the same could be said of my LinkedIn feed. The social network—once a bland haven for professional connections and job listings—has morphed in the influencer age. It’s the only place on Will Smith’s internet where you’ll find entrepreneurial bros preaching hustle culture alongside weirdly inappropriate overshares, clearly fabricated business allegories, and, yes, “some personal news” related to a new job or promotion. It’s no wonder multiple publications have crowned LinkedIn as social media’s king of the cringe. (There’s at least one Instagram account dedicated to it, too.) And yet every day I’m right there lurking. My M.O