How A Classmate Inspired Me To Take Social Media Action
Deep in the throes of first year recruiting at MIT Sloan, I found myself at a loss. What was I doing wrong? Sure, I had managed to get interviews with some of the top banks and consulting firms that traditionally seed their pipelines with the individuals like myself, but I wasn’t getting any offers. Rejected at Bain, McKinsey, BCG, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley, I was frustrated and at a loss. What was it that separated those receiving lucrative offers from me? To answer this question I turned to LinkedIn…
Within a few minutes it was clear to me that my social media presence, particularly on LinkedIn, was lackluster in comparison to some of my closest friends. Notably, I did not have a summary on my LinkedIn page that clearly communicated both my value to a firm and my personal objectives for growth and opportunity. As I parsed through my classmates’ LinkedIn pages, it quickly became clear how much a candidate could stand out by adding these details. Moreover, the summary did not need to be long or particularly stylized to demonstrate commitment to a career, ability to write well, or even a sense of personality.
Despite the vastly different career objectives, the below example struck me for these reasons:
While remaining appropriate in tone and content, this individual managed to convey that he is professionally and academically accomplished, a team player, a complex analytical thinker, and a strong writer. And while I could not recreate my own resume to mirror his, I too wanted to convey these same traits.
As I embarked on round 2 of recruiting (for me this meant searching for jobs in my desired field of Media and Entertainment), I knew that I had to create a summary that demonstrated my professional promise and personal sensibility. Here is what I developed:
With my summary complete, it was truly shocking how different my recruiting experience became from my initial foray. After receiving no offers for 6 months, I soon received four offers in just two weeks at all of my top choice employers. It was clear that this previously neglected section of my LinkedIn page was a key element of this success. I owe it to my classmates, whose examples showed me a better way to present myself, for the amazing summer internship and full-time offer I subsequently received.
I have since shared this bit of wisdom with several first-year MIT Sloan students in hopes that they will take seriously the potential for employers to recruit based on social media. How one represents themselves online can be a powerful indication of potential, commitment, and ability. I am extremely grateful that I have had the strong examples of others to emulate and hope that in some way I can offer the same for others in my position in the future.
