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Enough with the Politics Already

| January 27, 2017 12:01 pm

Are you sick to death of seeing political rantings on LinkedIn? If yes, read on. If no, you’re part of the problem.

LinkedIn is one of the most valuable tools out there when it comes to business. It’s a virtual rolodex that allows you to network and seek opportunities with those in your field. The best thing about business is that it doesn’t care if you’re a Democrat or a Republican. Business is politically agnostic. The only thing that matters is whether you can do the job better and faster than your competition.

If you’re going to make it in the working world, you need to have or gain the ability to speak with and gain trust from people from all walks of life and from both sides of the aisle. What are you accomplishing when you post a political article or write down a charged comment? Sure, you might feel smart but you just alienated half of the people in your network.

When it comes to a project or a deliverable, how your counterpart feels about taxes or immigration really doesn’t matter. And we should be thankful for that. In every other area of our lives, politics has become inescapable. It’s on every website, every TV station and I’m sure your family and friends bring it up all the time. It’s even on our phones. It’s become a never-ending reality show and almost feels like a drug as people can’t seem to get their fix.

I love working because it allows me to focus, set goals and execute. It gives me an escape from our politically divided landscape. When I see an inappropriate article or comment, I immediately unfollow that person. They might be happy arguing with complete strangers but I want no part of it. Odds are many of their connections question their motives and possibly, their sanity. That job you were hoping to get with that Fortune 500 company? It might be gone because you pissed off the recruiter who was about to contact you because your skills matched up perfectly.

Hopefully this resonates with folks. Business is the great equalizer and no matter your gender, age, orientation or political affiliations, you can make it if you operate with dignity, ethics and grace. We’re all in this together and no matter where you stand, we’re with you.

Conor Nicholson is the Founder and CEO of NSS RPO, a consulting firm that provides on-site and virtual recruiting professionals. Contact NSS RPO to learn about how we can help your organization meet and exceed it’s hiring goals.