Today you can’t go anywhere without seeing or hearing the words recession, national debt, and most of all unemployment. The job market is very competitive. Christopher Rugaber of the Salt Lake Tribune said, “Nearly 14million people were out of work in September.” He also added that averages of 4.2 unemployed workers were competing for each opening. As a result, college students are competing against more adults than before. In order to succeed in today’s competitive job market, college students need to be aware and use LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a social media network that specializes in a professional networking. This specialization gives college students the ability to stand out, network, keep up to date about their industry, and eventually, get a job in that industry.
Many people are personally connected to social media outlets today. (McCornack) Social media is now becoming an integral part of everyday communication. Social media is also a vital part to business. Businesses recently use social media to market and sell products, brand their company image, and hire employees. When asked, 91% of employers said that they use social networking sites to screen prospective employees. Employers don’t just determine if they want to hire applicants based off of their resumes, and interviews. Many are following the trends of technology and using social media outlets like Facebook and LinkedIn to look for and evaluate prospective employees. Some employers even Google applicants. This makes it crucial to maintain a good online image. LinkedIn is a great way to attain that professional image. Many wonder, if employers look at Facebook, why should they bother with LinkedIn and take the extra time to manage two social networking sites. Kathy Kinney, the director of Dixie States Career Center insists that people are two casual on Facebook. Most employers are not
going to be interested if someone is talking about how he or she had a hangover yesterday, or when their friend post how drunk they were last night. The biggest difference between Facebook and LinkedIn is that a LinkedIn profile is an online resume, portfolio, and the students personal brand. LinkedIn a more professional network compared to Facebook and other popular social networking sites. The layout of LinkedIn helps guide users through a basic tutorial so even someone who is not an expert in resume writing can create a good resume, and develop their brand.
LinkedIn not only helps create a good resume layout, but it makes it visible to other business professionals. LinkedIn will take a profile and show it to potential employers that are searching for specific skill sets. If a resume includes the searched skills, the matching profile will appear in the search results. This is just a basic ability that LinkedIn gives its users. Today, many college students do not have a LinkedIn profile whereas many professionals do. This shows professional employers that students with LinkedIn accounts are with the times, making them stand out from other applicants.
Online resume sites are nothing new to the internet. LinkedIn is just considered one of the more well-known and professional sites. LinkedIn’s true competitive advantage is what makes LinkedIn social media and not just an online resume. On LinkedIn, one is able to connect with other profiles of people he or she knows. This grows their network dramatically. There is a common phrase that says, “It’s not just what you know, but who you know.” Other online resume sites just show what people know. LinkedIn however, helps connect its user’s resumes to other friends, family, and colleagues. These are called connections. Career Rookie Magazine gives six steps for first time job hunters. They are: gather references, create a resume, target your applicants, build a network, show enthusiasm, and continue to build experience. LinkedIn does all of these steps. It also makes targeting applicants and building a network not just easier, but takes it to a whole new level. When a new connection is made, one can now receive help to locate other potential connections. In an interview with Kathy Kinney, the director of Dixie States Career Center she illuminates on the true power of networking on LinkedIn:
Let’s say you want to get a job at SkyWest. You don’t have a connection that works at SkyWest but one of your connections does. You e-mail this connection and as them to introduce you to them. From there this new connection will be more likely to help you, and give you inside information or tricks to getting a job at SkyWest. If you are lucky they will won’t just point you to the right person, but also put in a good word for you as well.
This is just the power of one connection. The more connections created on LinkedIn, the more opportunities will arise to network, and soon connections will be made that were once unknown. These connections not only help students acquire jobs, but can give great advice about information pertaining to the persons chosen industry. Matt Ehernburg, the business student senator at Dixie State College, is so impressed with LinkedIn that he has encouraged the Dixie DECA club to all get LinkedIn and connect to each other to help everyone keep in contact, and use these connections to reach potential employers. LinkedIn currently states that they have 135 million users and are continuing to grow. LinkedIn suggests connections based off previously established relationships and matching industries. Not only are resumes visible online, but they become more prominent to those who are looking for an applicant with similar attributes. The possibilities are endless. College students will be able to create a bigger network, allowing them to connect with business professionals in their industry. This gives them the inside information on acquiring the job they want in the competitive market. Networking doesn’t just end at getting a job, but continues when students join groups of other members to view and discuss changes in industry, get tips from experienced professionals, and even ask for help or assist other professional s on projects.
When applying for a job, particularly for big companies, it is good to know what is going on in that industry. Resumes, and networking on LinkedIn are great places to get started. Once connect with an employer they will contact via LinkedIn mail, e-mail, or phone. It is crucial that applicants are ready for any type of interview question that comes their way. In most cases users can contact someone from their network, and learn about what is going on in the industry (LinkedIn). LinkedIn also offers LinkedIn Today. LinkedIn Today, which takes industries from a resume about the industry they are in and shows them some of the most popular articles that are trending in that industry. These articles allow users to stay up to date, so if they are ever asked a question about the industry, and even the company they will be able to answer and have a higher chance at getting the job. When users have a question about an industry, but don’t have a connection, to that industry there is no problem. LinkedIn offers Answers. Got a question needing to be answered post it, and have a professional answer it. This not only saves time for students, but can give better answers, and a contact to question for further information. As a user on LinkedIn I have benefited from having industry news at my fingertips. They have been very applicable as I work on jobs, and talk to potential employers.
One of the biggest problems people see as a new user is not having a big network. This is not a problem. LinkedIn offers other tools where one can see what jobs professionals are posting. The best part is, there is tons of information. Users will be able to look at the company profile of the employer posting the job and who is currently working there. Instead of just filling out the form and hoping to get the job. LinkedIn gives users all the resources they need to succeed.(LinkedIn) On LinkedIn members can learn more about the company, and even try and contact a current employee who works there to get their opinion on the job, and ask for advice on the best way to go about getting a job there. If users locate a job that they find promising, LinkedIn can bookmark it for them so they can access it later. LinkedIn doesn’t just help people find jobs, but helps employers find the best applicant for their job. Mike Sheifield a Dixie State College student has been offered three jobs during his LinkedIn experience.
In today’s economy the job market is very competitive. The unemployment rate is very high, and in order to succeed in today’s competitive job market, college students need to be aware and use LinkedIn. LinkedIn helps students get the competitive edge they need. The LinkedIn profile, LinkedIn Today, power of networking on LinkedIn all students and even LinkedIn jobs are just some of the basic factors giving students an edge. I challenge all students to create a LinkedIn Today profile and begin networking early to get the competitive edge that employers are seeking in today’s job market.
Works Cited
CareerBuilder. “Six Steps for First Time Job Hunters.” CareerRookie 2011: 18.
Ehernburg, Matt. Business Student Senator at Dixie State College Tanner Holt. 3 November 2011.
Kinney, Kathy. Director of Dixie State College Careear Center Tanner Holt. 9 November 2011.
LinkedIn. LinkedIn. 2011. 1 November 2011 <https://www.linkedin.com>.
McCornack, Steven. Reflect and Relate. Boston: St.Martins, 2010.
Rugaber, Christopher S. “Employers post most job opening in 3 years.” Salt Lake Tribune 9 November 2011: E4.
Sheffield, Mike. Business student Tanner Holt. 8 November 2011.
Swallow, Erica. How Recruiters Use Social Networks to Screen Candidates [INFOGRAPHIC]. 25 October 2011. 25 October 2011 <http://mashable.com/2011/10/23/how-recruiters-use-social-networks-to-screen-candidates-infographic/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter>.