I wish my friends were as excited about LinkedIn as I am
As the adult world looms ever closer, the job-hunt has been more on my mind than ever. I like to pick the brains of professionals, graduates & students to understand their feelings about the current working climate. A topic that always comes up is LinkedIn, but unfortunately it seems, most students & even some recent graduates don’t even have an account. Some think that it’s not going to help them in their industry, while others think that it’s not useful because they won’t know anyone on there. A good number of people I’ve talked to do understand how important it is, but are just putting it off. Maybe until they graduate, or when they’re ready for that first job.
To be honest, this might be a fault on LinkedIn’s behalf. While cementing its status amongst professional and CEO level users, many graduates & undergraduates seem to not be connected with this global network of over 460 million users. When I first started attending careers workshops 2 years ago, LinkedIn was promoted as the equivalent of an online resume… but better! There seemed to be an environment where the service was not only appreciated, but held up high as something that was beneficial to all. Like many social networks, Linked gets better with the more people you know. So after conducting a workshop full of university students, our mentors would often encourage us to swap LinkedIn details; & jump on the bandwagon if students hadn’t already.
So, what has LinkedIn actually given me? I have had 2 internships in the last half of 2016 & I found one of them on LinkedIn. The other I found on my university student portal; also a network of students & professionals (Hmmmm…). One of the problems for students leaving university is that they may not know where to look for jobs. This is why it’s important to have your finger on the pulse of a few job seeker networks. I have found LinkedIn to be a good provider of job opportunities, as your skill set as well as the jobs you are looking for are highly customisable. It also seems that the companies that post job updates are reliable ones that I actually want to work for. I have found other networks are dominated by recruiting agencies & not much else. Don’t get me wrong, this happens on LinkedIn too. However for the moment it seems like there is a healthy selection of job opportunities.
If there are so many opportunities, you say, have I already got a job locked in for when I graduate. No, not yet. The LinkedIn job market is just as competitive as the real-life one. However this brings me to what I really love about the job seeking network.
- Connections! As I’ve hinted at already, part of being on LinkedIn is finding a connected group of individuals to network with. These could be more people at the same level as you, ones with similar or complimentary skills or even potential bosses & employers. Building up connections early on is difficult. I initially added my Facebook friends, family & old high school mates (these could actually form part of your professional network). From there I used my profile as a business card whenever I attended a networking session, new class & once I started interning. The potential of a strong network is: recommendations, linking to different companies & even potential jobs.
- Know how. Your first incarnation of your resume probably looks much different to your current one (I hope!). Even if you still haven’t found a job, you realise what works & what doesn’t, what sounds professional & what is not necessary information. Likewise, my time spent lurking the jobs section on LinkedIn has taught me to ask 2 crucial questions. Who are my dream employers? & What skill sets are my dream employers after? The second question in particular has helped me in refining the skills section on my profile, but also highlighted areas I need to work on to become more employable.
- Becoming a professional. Leading on from the last point, your profile skills & subsequent endorsements from friends & colleagues can help give you an air of professionalism. It’s not just these features, LinkedIn is also a great platform to write about your field of expertise. Voicing your experience in an article can make you seem like you know what you’re on about. Towards the end of my studies, my tutors made sure that this was something on my mind. How can I use my current studies & experience to shape myself as a leader or expert in my chosen field? I find a patience to read through long, dense articles on LinkedIn that I may not have on other social or even news networks. Why? Perhaps it has something to do with me investing trust in the person or company that has shared that article.
Finally, the last question, is LinkedIn really worth it? It depends. Despite the seemingly high amount of effort needed to get a good profile, there’s potential to reap many benefits. The things I have listed above, make me feel that my effort was spent worthwhile. However I’m willing to admit that it might not be the best network for every profession out there. What I have taken away from using LinkedIn, is the power of networking as well as the importance of having a trusted & authentic personal image.
