Oh, that’s a discussion I was actually looking for. And wasn’t aware of it before I saw this post! I deeply hate and despise LinkedIn. Long ago, I was like ‘who the fuck uses this shit?’ But it feels like it became the de-facto expected standard. Now I’m worried I’m not going to even be considered a real person if I’m having no Facebook (I have it no more), Instagram (won’t recall if I removed it, but I’m not active), LinkedIn (still have, but would be happy to ditch). While Facebook and Instagram kinda not required for any professional communication, it feels like LinkedIn is.

So, what others think of it? I’m okay with losing some potential job opportunities, but not most of them. Perhaps I’m just wrong here, and the skills might overshadow the lack of social fucking network. Which weirdly became mandatory. More than that, I see others claiming ‘oh, you should post a lot there!’ Have you guys seen these miserable pathetic half-sloped posts? I was thinking of looking for a new job this year, and I’m a bit terrified of the prospects if I’m to stick to my principles.

Good on you, that takes guts. LinkedIn is a giant sucking in your data and attention, so closing it feels like a tiny personal revolt. Xing is far from perfect, but if you need something that actually fits EU rules and DACH networking, it makes sense.

Heads up though, network effects are brutal. Expect fewer international leads and some paywalls for features people take for granted on LinkedIn. Also export any contacts or data you want before it vanishes, and put a simple CV or contact page on your own website so recruiters can still find you without feeding a US platform.

Nice to see someone chipping away at the US dependency list. Keep it up and report back if Xing turns into something workable or just another walled garden.

How did you register? I'm not receiving registration emails from Xing, nor error messages. Proton mail and Firefox. Disabling adbloxk and tracking protection does not change this.

Do you have the kind of profile that gets contacted by recruiters regularly? If yes, how did it change? Does Xing already have an active enough community in EU?