LinkedIn as an information source for human resources, competitive intelligence

LinkedIn, the online professional network, provides people with the opportunity to interact with other professionals in their fields, locate potential employers through company pages and employees, and participate in forums relevant to their professions. As an information resource, LinkedIn lets people learn more about a company, assess an individual's professional record, and gather clues about industry and social trends. Professionals from human resources and recruitment environments to competitive intelligence researchers find innovative uses for LinkedIn. Information professionals will find LinkedIn useful as a source of information not only on individuals and companies, but also as a means of gathering and sharing data across various LinkedIn entries. Endorsements and recommendations are LinkedIn equivalents of reference letters. Instead of a formal referral, former or current colleagues write a recommendation or endorse a skill. Recommendations are more robust, requiring actual writing, while endorsements simply require the click of a mouse.