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| http://www.freefoto.com/preview/04-31-7/Business-Meeting Photo By: Ian Britton |
If you have Facebook, I'm sure you can handle LinkedIn (well, maybe not). LinkedIn is sort of a 'professional' Facebook, so a profile pic from last Saturday night or an angry status update about your experience being stuck on Deerfoot Trail, will probably not be very acceptable. The purpose of this site is for business professionals to be able to network and connect while establishing business relationships - avoiding the personal and social aspects that Facebook provides.
As a 4th year university student, completing my last year of my B.B.A program (majoring in management), I have signed up to LinkedIn in the hopes of staying in the business loop for job opportunities after I complete my degree! I've filled out my profile with my work experience, school information, and my skills and attributes for the public to see! I'm looking to network and make professional connections.
I'm fairly new to the site and have been trying to get a handle on it. LinkedIn offers so much to business professionals looking to excel and connect. It is very informative and provides you with updates about new job opportunities, information on world news and business news, and offers you with recommendations regarding business and how to improve your LinkedIn experience. You can follow specific companies, be friends with people from other firms, join groups and get involved in chats, all while allowing you to stay connected with other professionals through email.
I think it's important for our generation to be actively involved in the business world, along with continually pursuing our future and careers - and LinkedIn seems to be a great start! LinkedIn is definitely something to look into!
I'm crossing my fingers that LinkedIn will provide me with opportunities and assistance in finding a job and making professional connections!
Are you LinkedIn? Do you think it's something you would be interested in signing up for? Do you feel our generation is actively involved enough in the business world and pursuing career opportunities?
Are you LinkedIn? Do you think it's something you would be interested in signing up for? Do you feel our generation is actively involved enough in the business world and pursuing career opportunities?
Hi Heather,
ReplyDeleteI have been on LinkedIn for a few years now and I feel like it's finally getting popular enough to be useful. I found it especially useful in the last year when I was recruiting for accounting jobs. While I didn't get a job offer directly from LinkedIn, I can guarantee you that some of the recruiters that I talked to checked out my profile.
I feel that LinkedIn is above all things a great networking tool. You shouldn't just add random people who work in offices that you're interested in, that's creepy! But instead of sending all those "it was so nice to meet you" e-mails after a recruiting or networking event, you can send a request on LinkedIn with the same message. This way, your e-mail doesn't just get filed away. You actually make a connection. It's also a great way to get them to remember you. A recruiter or professional may get 10-15 follow-up e-mails after an event, but if you have a profile picture attached to your connection request it is more likely that they will remember exactly who you are.
Even more, if a company is considering hiring you, and they look into your LinkedIn page and see that you're connected to someone that they know, there's a good chance that they will call that person up and ask about you. So you may be getting personal references without even knowing! This is always a good thing because you are more likely to get hired with a recommendation than without.
I also think that it proves that you are relevant and tech savvy. it's one thing to say that you're good with technology, but if you participate (responsibly) in these types of online activities, it reenforces that idea.
Last but not least, it's a sneaky way of validating information. I met a man in a bar last year and he claimed that he was the CFO of an oil services company. He told me that he got his CA at KPMG Australia and was here on a 3 year contract. He offered me a summer job right there at the bar. I gave him my card and told him that I already had a summer job lined up, but that I would love to stay in touch. The next day I looked him up on LinkedIn and sure enough, everything that he had told me was right. Then I got a formal job offer in my e-mail on Monday. I still declined the offer, but LinkedIn definitely helped me validate his information.
Hi Heather and Allie,
DeleteI found your blog and your response (Allie) very insightful to read. As a second year business student I've begun to hear about the topic a lot especially since I've begun searching for a summer co-op job in accounting.
I've found many company's (not just accounting firms) have integrated their recruiting strategy more towards connecting to applicants through social media like Twitter, and Facebook. While I personally don't have a LinkedIn, I've always explored the possibility of starting one but I feel I will refrain from doing so until I gain more relevant work experience to my career interests.
LinkedIn is definitely something I want to look into using with the hopes of gaining a competitive advantage over my peers applying for the same jobs.
Hey Heather,
ReplyDeleteI've had linkedin for a couple years now and found it very useful. A lot of my co-workers use linkedin and I use it to keep in touch with old co-workers. I've noticed that linkedin is a great way for employers to recruit new people. Since last summer, I've received numerous job offers from different employers but I've declined all of them since I already have a flexible job that allows me to go to school part time and work part time.