Esenam Agubretu: Curiosity, LinkedIn & Building a Career

Finito World

Curiosity may have “killed the cat”, but it is recognised as a driver of learning, discovery and success. In education, leadership and professional life, progress sometimes begins with a simple question: what is happening here, and what can I learn from it? It is this instinct to question, explore and engage with unfamiliar ideas that expands horizons and opens unexpected doors.

It is therefore surprising that LinkedIn is rarely discussed as a curiosity tool.

The platform has evolved significantly from the static CV repository it once was. Today, it is widely acknowledged as a space for networking, professional visibility and career development. Yet the perception of LinkedIn as a stage for performative updates, humblebrags and competitive signalling continues to linger. For many, this creates a sense of distance. They scroll reluctantly, disengage from conversations or interpret posts through the lens of insecurity, comparison and scepticism. That reaction while understandable may also be quietly holding people back.

Modern careers are increasingly complex. Even traditional professions with supposedly clear entry routes are not always as accessible or straightforward as they appear. There are often hidden pathways that matter just as much as official ones. At the same time, many people will now move between sectors, countries or entirely different professional identities over the course of their working lives. New roles continue to emerge at pace, reshaping what opportunity looks like.  Navigating this dynamic requires curiosity and strategic awareness; and this is where LinkedIn can be useful in ways that are often overlooked.

One of its most powerful functions is helping individuals map what is possible. A brief glance at a profile prompted by nosiness or an update, a comment or a shared connection can become a deeper exercise in understanding how careers actually unfold. Looking beyond job titles to examine the stepping stones, pauses and lateral moves in someone’s trajectory can reveal a path that is far less linear than it first appears. Certifications, institutions attended, interim roles and transitions between sectors can all offer clues about the realities of progression.

This kind of exploration can lead to the discovery of fellowships, schemes, organisations and initiatives that might otherwise remain invisible. Features such as buttons for following pages, subscribing to updates or even using the “People also viewed” function can gradually expand an individual’s mental map of opportunity. Not every discovery leads to an immediate outcome, but over time these insights accumulate into a quiet knowledge repository that informs medium- and long-term decisions.

Equally important is the ability to understand the lived reality behind opportunities. Official pages and outreach materials provide information; individuals provide perspective. Career moves are more than prestige or advancement. They involve financial trade-offs, questions of belonging, risk and timing. Posts reflecting on industry transitions, relocation, further study or participation in competitive programmes and dedicated accounts that throw light on them can offer valuable insight into the complexities behind headline achievements.

Engaging with these reflections through curiosity rather than comparison can lead to more grounded decision-making. Instead of being influenced solely by visible success, individuals can begin to measure their own motivations against likely outcomes.

LinkedIn can also serve as a useful tool for honest benchmarking. Job descriptions and career histories offer signals about the skills and experiences that are genuinely valued. They can help clarify the gap between current positioning and future aspirations, highlighting areas for development or strategic prioritisation. At the same time, they may reveal instances where individuals are undervaluing their own breadth of experience or remaining in roles longer than is necessary. Used thoughtfully, this visibility provides a reality check.

Some of the most instructive insights emerge from observing unconventional career pivots. Stories of professionals moving between industries or evolving into emerging roles illustrate the transferable skills that underpin modern work. In sectors characterised by intersection such as policy, communications, business or international development — this cross-pollination often reveals where the real leverage lies. It encourages a shift in mindset: away from trying to fit neatly into predefined categories and towards integrating diverse experience to build new pathways.

Beyond individual journeys, LinkedIn also functions as a form of industry radar. Updates about meetings, conferences and collaborations can signal who is influencing conversations and which themes are gaining traction. Patterns become visible over time. For those building careers in fast-moving environments, this kind of ecosystem awareness can shape strategy and positioning.

These observations can also form the basis for meaningful professional outreach. Reaching out to someone to understand how they navigated a transition, what surprised them about a programme or how they experienced working in a new context can open valuable conversations. Responses will vary as people have different boundaries and time constraints but thoughtful questions grounded in genuine curiosity often resonate more than generic networking attempts.

Ultimately, this requires reframing the way LinkedIn is perceived. Yes, the platform can resemble a highlight reel. It can trigger insecurity, blind motivation or cynicism. But cynicism rarely teaches anything. Curiosity does.

Instead of assuming someone is showing off, it can be more productive to ask what decisions enabled their progress. What trade-offs did they make? What skills did they build deliberately? What contextual factors shaped their journey? Most importantly, what – if anything, might be applicable in one’s own circumstances?

Approaching LinkedIn through curiosity, humility and a willingness to learn transforms it from a competitive space into an exploratory one. Disengaging entirely may mean missing the opportunity to observe how careers are actually constructed in a world where pathways are increasingly non-linear.

The more useful question may not simply be how LinkedIn can help someone get a job. It may be how it can expand their understanding of what is possible. What is really required to progress, and where they might fit or need to create something new altogether.

Rather than asking “Why are they posting this?” a more powerful question might be: What can I find out?