LinkedIn Benefits

By: Maureen Corbett

Like most other typical college students, I spend a fair amount of my time on social networking sites. Between Facebook, Twitter, Google +, Tumblr, checking my email regularly,  and  my newest addiction, Pinterest, it's a wonder that I have time to get all my homework done. So a couple of months ago when someone suggested that I create a LinkedIn account, I thought they were crazy. When would I find time to manage another social media account? LinkedIn is for grown-ups anyways, I don't have nearly enough professional experience to create a proper business profile, right? 

It turns out that I was drastically wrong in my assumptions about LinkedIn. I eventually created an account and quickly discovered the endless benefits of using this new way of networking. LinkedIn has been around for a decent amount of time now, and it has quickly become the most commonly used professional social media site. However, only about 21% of college students have a LinkedIn account, and it can be assumed that an even smaller percentage of those students are actually active users. When college is a huge stepping stone to help launch students into a profession of their choice, it made me stop and wonder why more students weren’t taking advantage of this tremendous resource.

I came to the conclusion that most students must not be aware of all the benefits that LinkedIn can provide. Why else would so many be passing up this great opportunity? The main advantage of LinkedIn is that it helps users network professionally with people they otherwise would never be able to connect with. This can be greatly beneficial when searching for a job, as it provides a way to contact potential future employers. But even if you have found career bliss, LinkedIn can provide you with a way to summarize your professional accomplishments and share them with your colleagues.  Active use on LinkedIn helps you build professional relationships with the people you work with as well as promoting yourself professionally and highlighting your achievements. The small amount of college students on LinkedIn can also be used to your benefit. A LinkedIn profile can help you stand out among your peers and make you seem more professional. Many employers are impressed to hear when young students have a LinkedIn account because it shows that they are ready to jumpstart their career.

LinkedIn has greatly benefitted me in my job as an intern for the LACD office. As project manager of the Liberal Arts newsletter, Professional Pathways, it is my job every month is to contact a Purdue Alumni who has been successful in their career path and write an article featuring their accomplishments. Without LinkedIn, I never would have been able to contact several of the people I have written about. LinkedIn provides advanced search settings and group discussions that allowed me to connect with several Purdue graduates with backgrounds in Liberal Arts. After connecting with them on LinkedIn, it was much easier to ask them if they would like to be featured in the newsletter. Because of this, not only have I become more familiar with several Purdue alumni but I also know I have broadened my professional network by connecting with them via social media.

So to those of you who feel that you have no time to devote to LinkedIn, my advice is to make time. There are unlimited resources awaiting you just by using this social media site, and the career possibilities are endless. So do something to help benefit you career, and start by taking networking to a whole new level via LinkedIn.