A look at professional social networking
By Jessica Skaggs
In the modern era of technology and tweets, social networking has become an important trend of society. However, the once limited personal day-to-day life networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter have a growing contender that offers a more professional experience.
LinkedIn is a social networking site for professionals. And since its launch in 2003 it has grown to over 259 million users worldwide.
While considered by some as just the “Facebook for old people,” college program director Keith Krieger sees it differently.
“LinkedIn is what Facebook is after it graduates from college,” Krieger said. “So it’s just another social network but the orientation is around professions and building networks. Where Facebook is obviously building a personal network, LinkedIn gives you the business network. […] It’s the Facebook for working people.”
As a professional networking site, LinkedIn offers users, both employers and job-seekers, opportunities to get connected as well as highlight skills and experience.
LeAnn Cunningham, employment relations and internship coordinator at the college, believes there are several ways students can use LinkedIn to enhance their professional pursuits.
“They can use it in career development as well as in job search,” Cunningham said. “It’s a great teaching tool. In a way it’s sort of a mini-vocational biography that you’re looking at. [Students] can research different positions, and see what people who have that same job title are doing. Or if they’re trying to create their profile, it’s good to look at other people’s examples.”
The topic of LinkedIn arose when the career development center advisory committee met in the fall. On this committee are 29 members, most of which are employers from the Kansas City area.
“At our last meeting,” Cunningham said, “one of the employers stated that LinkedIn is becoming even more important to them than resumes. And in a way when you look at this, it is an online resume in some ways. It’s sort of a combination of a portfolio in way and a resume. And there’s the ability to get all that information out there and you’re controlling the marketing on what you put in your profile.”
Ryan Jones, adjunct associate professor of Graphic Design, is one professor that makes students create a LinkedIn account as a part of his courses, as its importance continues to increase in the business world.
“Part of the reason for the class is to prepare people to go out in to the job field and give them all the tools they need to find the job they want, do interviews, create their resume, portfolios things like this,” Jones said. “So it’s our job to make sure they’re aware of all the tools that are being used most commonly by recruiters and people that are hiring and things like that. Recruiters are using [LinkedIn] to go find people right now. It spans all sorts of industries but its really good in that it’s basically an interactive version of your resume so people can see your experience right there.”
Student senator Joe Beeso uses LinkedIn not only to network professionally with businesses, but also to connect with other students.
“LinkedIn has helped me in several different ways,” Beeso said. “First of all, it can help you get jobs, but the thing that it’s most important for is networking. Every college student should have a LinkedIn because if you’re trying to get a job […] usually the first thing they’re going to ask you is ‘Do you have a LinkedIn?’ Other ways it’s helped me is collaborating with other students, so I get to know other business students, other students who are in graphic design, marketing students and that helps me because those are going to be my future colleagues.”
Another feature Beeso enjoys is the ability to make possible connections by following different professional groups.
“You can follow people just like on social media sites, but it’s all professional,” Beeso said. “You’re following Richard Branson or CEOs like Arne Swanson, who’s the CEO of Marriot Hotels, and you get advice and articles just like you would find on Facebook except they’re professionally focused and you can reply to them and connect with them. It’s very facilitated to helping you learn while you’re in college.”
For students looking to get started or improve their LinkedIn profiles, resource packets are available in the career center.
“All of this information is very good for students both in terms of the educational components LinkedIn offers when it comes to career development and when it comes to job search,” Cunningham said. “But also how to act professionally. I’m happy to meet with students who need to work on this, and if I get several students from this article that need to do it then I’ll probably come up with a couple of workshops and try to get in as many as possible that way.”
Contact Jessica Skaggs, managing editor, at jskaggs4@jccc.edu.