What is LinkedIn?
How LinkedIn Is Different From Other Social Networks?
LinkedIn is designed simply for the purpose of professional networking. You can't host a blog. You can't playfully "poke" your friends. You can't personalize the colors or layout of your profile page or search for "single females, age 25-30" in your area. Also, your LinkedIn profile page is essentially an online resume. you can list highlight from each job that you want to share; and you can use this space like a cover letter to address readers. Overall, LinkedIn is different than other social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace allowing you to connect with potential business partners rather than sharing photos, videos and music. Finding a job, connecting with potential business partners rather than simply making friends or sharing media like photos, videos and music. LinkedIn is much more focused on the individual and her/his accomplishments while Facebook is more group-based. Also, LinkedIn allows users to find jobs, people and other opportunities. Employers list their jobs on this site, and screen potential candidates. Why You Should Join LinkedIn?
LinkedIn's mission is to connect the world's professionals to make them more productive and successful. LinkedIn says approximately 200,000 college students join every month, encouraging companies to use the site to recruit internship and entry-level positions. You don’t want to miss those opportunities by not having a profile.Network ! This is greatest benefit of this platform.
When you join LinkedIn, you can find your coworkers, colleagues, classmates and family members on this platform. And it's never a tough job connecting with them. You can search for people in your field or organization of interest and get introduced to 2nd degree connections. You can ask a friend of a friend to give you 15 minutes over coffee or phone. You can reach out to alumni and ask if they would willing to speak with you.
You Can Conduct Company Research
One
of the biggest benefits LinkedIn offers to us college students and job
seekers is that they can check out the pages of their targeted
employers. By visiting company pages, you can conduct research on
what the company is doing right now, the hiring process and what people
have to say about that organization. This kind of company research on
LinkedIn can always keep you a step ahead of your competition and increases
your employability.
You Can Let Companies Find You
According to a new survey by Bullhorn,
a 14-year-old Boston company that makes technology products for
employers and recruiters, shows how powerfully LinkedIn still dominates
the world of job search and recruitment. Almost all of the
respondents—98.2%— said they tapped some form of social media for
recruiting in 2012. That’s up from 94% in 2011. Almost as
many—97.3%—said they used LinkedIn as a recruiting tool in 2012. Today, many organizations look for talented candidates on social networking platforms like LinkedIn. If you have created a good and detailed professional profile, chances are you will attract employer’s attention.
----
I hope that I have opened your eyes if you are not currently on LinkedIn. The time is now for you to create a profile on LinkedIn and start to use this social media platform for connecting with professionals. If you prepare yourself as early as possible, you can easily stay ahead of your competition when it comes to landing a job of your interest.
