For our Marketing Research project we designed a survey to identify if our population survey matched national trends identified in our literature review.

1. Are College Students LinkedIn?
Team: You’re Hired!
Seth Brown
Christopher Dietz
Jeffry Gunter
Jeremy O’Connor
BUS M-303
Marketing Research
Spring 2016

2. 1
Table of Contents
Executive Summary…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………2
Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...3
ProblemDefinition………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….3
 Symptoms………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….3
 Probable Problems…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….4
 DecisionStatement……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………4
 ResearchObjectives……………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………..4
 ResearchQuestions……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………5
ResearchMethods………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….6
 Literature Search………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..6
 Survey………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..6
o Questionnaire Development…………………………………………………………………………………………6
o Target Population………………………………………………………………………………………………………….7
o SamplingFrame…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….7
o SamplingMethods………………………………………………………………………………………………………..7
o SamplingProcedures…………………………………………………………………………………………………….8
o DemographicInformation……………………………………………………………………..……………………..8
Data AnalysisandDiscussion………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…8
 Literature Search……………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………………8
 Survey………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………………12
o AnalysisResults…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….12
 AdvancedDataAnalysis……………………………………………………………………………………….……………………22
 Overall Discussion……………………………………………………………………………………………..………………………23
Recommendations…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………26
Limitations………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………27
References……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………………29
Appendix:Questionnaire………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………………31

3. 2
Executive Summary
Priorresearchhas establishedthatLinkedInprovestobe one of the most unpopularsocial media
applicationsamongadultinternetusers,especiallymillennial collegestudents.Ithasbeenestimated
that almost50% of college studentshave neverestablishedaLinkedInaccount,andoutof all LinkedIn
users61% viewthe site everythree weeksorless.This iscreatingopportunitiesforcompetitorsto
establishsimilarprofessional networkingtoolsthatare aimedatyounger,inexperiencedprofessionals
whofeel thatLinkedInis notadequatelyconnectingtheirstrengthstofuture opportunities.
Basedon the understandingthathighschool careercounselorsandcollege careerdevelopmentcenters
are pushingforclassestomandate studentstoestablishaLinkedInaccount,we decided tofocusour
decisionstatementonincreasingtheirawarenessof the benefitsof increasedsite usage.Inorderto
understandwhycollege studentswouldwanttoincrease theirusage,we developedthree research
objectivestoassistincollectingvaluable information.
Our firstobjective wastoidentifywhichsocial mediaapplicationsare mostpopularamongour target
population,whichpreferreddevicestheyuse toaccessthemandhow often.The nextobjectivewas
designedtounderstandtheirperceptionof the importance of professional developmentandhowoften
theyactivelyseekinformationonprofessionaltopicsof interest.The lastobjective soughttoidentify
howmany respondentsare alreadyusingLinkedIn,how often,andtheirperceptionof itsdifficulty.
Our resultsmatchedthe informationfrompriorresearchinmanywaysconcerningsocial mediausage,
smartphone dependability,andcareercenterdevelopmentservice awareness;however,ourpopulation
sample were muchmore active inestablishingaLinkedInaccountandrepeatusage.Comparedto
national trends,72%of our respondentshadestablishedanaccountand57% were checkingtheir
account once a month or more often. Thiswasa small sample size andcouldhave beenskewedto
distortactual campus statistics,butitestablishesthe importance of continuingtrainingandeducation

4. 3
concerningthe importance of professional networkingandhow LinkedIncanbe a benefittoall future
professionals.
I. Introduction
There has beenasharp increase inthe amount of college graduates,butthere isanincreasinglylarge
numberof unemployedandunderemployedcollege graduatesamongournational workforce.However,
employersare cuttingtheirrecruitmenteffortsandreducinghiringcosts.Thismaynotseemtomake
sense,butLinkedInhasmade iteasierthaneverbefore forrecruitersandhiringmanagerstoconnect
withprofessionals,andprofessionalstohiringopportunities.
There has beenanobvious disconnectbetweenemployersandcollegestudentsinthe areaof
professionalnetworking.Collegestudentsare underthe belief thatprofessionalnetworkingisnot
somethingyoubeginuntil justbefore,oraftergraduation,andemployersare reportingthattheyneed
graduatesto have alreadyestablishedexperienceanda credible professionalnetworkmuchsooner.
Thisis a marketopportunitythatLinkedIncannotallow tocontinue topersistunaided.The signsfor
marketgrowthare apparentand competitorsare startingtoact onthe lackof LinkedIn’sguidance.
LinkedInmayhave a strongholdonestablishedcareerprofessionals,butasthe nextgeneration
continuestomove intothe workforce withoutaclearunderstandingof LinkedIn’sservicestheywill
begintoseekotherproviderswhoare willingtofill the gap.
II. Problem Definition
A. Symptom(s)
 Slightlylessthanhalf of collegestudentshave neverusedLinkedIn.
 Competitors,suchasAbout.me,are beginningtofill the professionalsocial networkingvoid
amongmillennials.

5. 4
 LinkedInhasa lowrepeatusage,61% of usersview the site everythree weeksorlessoften.
B. Probable Problems
Probable Problem1
College studentsare intimidatedby lack of professional experience andbelieveaLinkedInaccount
shouldnot be initiateduntil after graduation.
Probable Problem2
College studentshave difficultytranslatingtheir skillsintoprofessional bulletpoints.
Probable Problem3
College studentsdonot realize the value in creating a social identitywithLinkedIn.
Probable Problem4
LinkedIntraining is available,but lack of guidance causes newusers to put off or decline returnusage.
C. DecisionStatement
How can LinkedInincrease its usage rate among college students?
LinkedIn,andsocial mediaexpertcontributors,offerawide varietyof informationconcerninghowto
setup a professional account,growyourprofessional networkamongfellowstudents,anddiscover
internshipsandentry-level positions,butitisnotintuitivelyeasytofindorapply.The majorityof
problemidentificationinourliterature review establishesthatstudentsare late toadoptprofessional
social networking,butcompaniesandrecruitersare increasingtheirusage of LinkedInasahiringtool.
LinkedIncouldbridge thesetwosegmentsbyprovidingmore obvioustrainingtoolsandtargetingthe
studentpopulationwithmore specificinformationpertainingtotheirdevelopmental situation.We will
narrow ourresearchto ascertaininformationonwhattype of professional developmentupdates
interestthem,andhowtheywouldprefertolearnhow to betterutilize LinkedIn.
D. Research Objectives
Research Objective 1

6. 5
The firstresearchobjective wasdevelopedtounderstandhow college studentsaccesssocial mediain
theireverydayenvironment,andtheninterpretitintoactionableinformationthatcanbe usedto
identifyhowLinkedIncaneffectivelycapture the marketsegment.
Research Objective 2
The secondresearchobjective wasdevelopedtobetterunderstandhow college studentssearchfor
informationpertainingtoprofessional development.Thistype of informationwillallow ustoidentify
possible trendsbetweenacademicgrade levels,studyconcentrationsandage groups.
Research Objective 3
The third researchobjectivewasdevelopedto identifyhow LinkedIncanimprove usage amongcollege
students.Byidentifyingstrengthsandbarriersthatcollege studentsface whensettingupandusingtheir
accounts,LinkedIncanpositionthemselvestoprovide betterservices.
E. Research Questions
 ResearchQuestions(Objective 1)
RQ1) What formsof social mediaare mostpopularamongcollege students?
RQ2) How oftendocollege studentsaccesssocial media?
RQ3) What type of devicesdocollege studentsmostcommonlyuse toaccesssocial media?
RQ4) Why do college studentsuse ornotuse LinkedIn?
 ResearchQuestions(Objective 2)
RQ5) How importantisprofessional developmenttocollegestudents?
RQ6) How oftendothey researchtopicsof interestinprofessional development(Internships,Co-op,
Entry-levelpositions,Startingsalaries)?
RQ7) Is there a preferredsite,magazine,journal,newspaperorapplicationthattheyuse toaccess
informationonprofessionaldevelopment?
 ResearchQuestions(Objective 3)

7. 6
RQ8) Insteadof searchingandresearchingforguidance,wouldcollegestudentsbe interestedin
receivingpresentationsandinstructional videos(throughnewslettersorotherformsof social media)
that specificallyhighlighthowtobuildagreat studentprofile?
RQ9) Ratherthan receivinginformationaboutthe businessenvironmentingeneral,wouldcollege
studentsbe more interestedinreceiving LinkedIn Pulseupdatesspecificallyhighlightingresumewriting,
networking,andinternshipsamongtheircareerfocus(particularlytemplatesandexamplesof success)?
RQ10) Wouldcollege studentsbe interestedinsubscribingtoaLinkedInPremiumaccountata major
studentdiscount?(Therefore increasinglikelihoodthatstudentswill repeatusage more oftenand
remainsubscribersaftercollege,whilealsoprovidingfundingforfuture LinkedIninitiativesdirectly
focusedonstudentusers)
III. Research Methods
A. Literature Search
In orderto have a greaterunderstandingof how college studentscanbenefitfromLinkedIn’sservices
our teamthoroughlysearchedthroughonline articles,social journalsandpreviousresearchstudies.
We foundall of our sourcesoverthe web,usingGoogle Scholarandthe IndianaUniversitySoutheast
librariesonline services.The amountof time spentonthe literature review wasanhourperteam
member,anda total of fourhours. There isa summary of our literature searchlocatedinthe Data
AnalysisandDiscussionsection.
B. Survey
Questionnaire Development
The surveyon college students’ usage of professional developmentwasbasedonanddevelopedfrom
the researchobjectives;assessing college students’ usage of social mediaandtheirpreferencesof
access,gaininga betterunderstandingof college students’ awarenessof professional development,and

8. 7
identifyinghowLinkedIn canboostusage amongcollege students.The questionnairewasorganizedinto
foursectionstoappropriatelyacquire essential information.SectionA,social media usage and
preferences,provides respondentswithquestionsaboutwhatformsof social mediathey access,which
device(s)theyuse toaccesssocial mediaandhow many hoursperday theyare utilized,wheretheyare
typicallylocatedwhenaccessingsocial media,what categoriesof interesttheyfollow onsocial media,
and the abilitytorate how muchor little social mediahashadan effectontheirlives.SectionB,
professionaldevelopmentawarenessandusage,provides the respondentwithquestionsregarding; the
importance of professional developmentonan individual basis,frequenttopicsof interestwithin
professionaldevelopment,preference of accesstoprofessional development,frequencyof information
searchesregardingprofessionaldevelopment,personal interestinreceivinginformationabout
professionaldevelopment,andthe individual’sperceptionof how importantprofessionaldevelopment
isto college studentsingeneral.SectionC,usage of LinkedIn,provides the respondentwithquestions
regarding;the establishmentof theirownLinkedInaccount,whetherornottheyreceivedassistance in
settingupthe account, howfrequentlytheyaccesstheiraccount,ease ordifficultyof usingLinkedIn,
awarenessof the CareerDevelopmentCenter’sweeklytrainingsessionandinterestinattending,and
interestinreceivingastudentdiscountrate ona premiumLinkedInaccount. SectionD,demographics,
providesthe respondentwithquestionsregarding;age,currentacademicgrade level,currentdegree
relatedconcentration,preferredcareerfield,andgender.
Target Population and Sample Frame
The target populationforthe surveywascollege students.The samplingframe wascomprisedof current
college studentsatIndianaUniversitySoutheast,specificallybusinessschool studentsenrolledinthe
spring2016 International Businesscourse.
SamplingMethods

9. 8
Convenience samplingwasusedtoadministeroursurvey.Thisisa non-probabilitysamplingprocedure
of obtainingpeople orunits(respondents) thatare mostconvenientlyavailable.Because of the
restrictionsintime andotherresources,ourteamwasnot able toadopt othersamplingtechniques.
Survey Procedure
The questionnaire wasadministered byourprojectmanager,Dr. Choi,usingaWeb form online survey
whichwasconstructedby our teammembers. The surveywasmade availableonMarch 12 and 13, for
ProfessorChoi’sInternational Businessclass.Respondentswere providedwith instructions,descriptions,
and projectpurpose withinthe survey.Includingasmall test-surveysample, 39 targetrespondents
participatedinoursurvey.
Demographic Information
The age range of our 42 respondentswas from19 to 38, withan average of 24. Eightysix percentof the
respondentswere of the millennial generation(age 12 to 34), whichplacesthe greatermajorityof our
respondentswithinourtargetpopulation. Inregardstothe academicgrade level of ourrespondents,
56% were juniorsand44% were seniors.Outof 39 respondentswhowere instructedtoselectall
concentrationsthatapply;67% are pursuinggeneral management,56% are pursuingmarketing, and
15% are pursuinghumanresources.Whenaskedif the respondenthadalreadyselectedthe careerfield
theywill seekaftergraduation,53%respondedwithyes. The respondentsconsistedof analmostequal
representationingender,20males(51%) and 19 females(49%).Ourteamwaspleasedwiththiswell-
balancedgenderrepresentation,because of the possibilitythatmale andfemale consumersmayhave
differentperceptionsconcerningsocial mediaandprofessionaldevelopment.
IV. Data Analysis and Discussions
A. Literature Search

10. 9
As we beganreadingthe selectedliterature we were abletoidentifynationaltrendsdisplayedwithin
the millennial generationandtheir use of professional developmenttools,suchasLinkedIn.
1) In a worldwhere social mediapresence andactivityisgrowingrapidly,college studentsare not
alwaysas preparedastheybelievetheyare toshowcase theirdigital identity.The Education
AdvisoryBoard,a researchandperformance improvementorganization,publishedareport
analyzingstudents’socialidentities.Whileconductingforumresearchaboutthe connection
betweenrecruitersandpotentialemployers,theydiscoveredthat94% of recruitersresearch a
potential candidate’ssocial mediapresence and43% of employerspassedonhiringapotential
candidate due tonegative informationontheirsocial mediaaccounts.Theyalsoreportedthat78%
of employershave hiredcandidatesthroughLinkedIn,butonly 41% of college studentsuse
LinkedIn’sprofessionalservices.
2) So whathappensif LinkedIncontinuestorelyontheiralreadyprofessionallyestablishedclientele,
insteadof pursuingthe millennial demographicsandthe nextgeneration?About.me founders,Tony
Conradand Ryan Freitas,are showingLinkedInwhytheyare notdoinga great jobof capturingthe
highschool and college student’sinterest. Theytold USA Today thatrecenthighschool gradsand
newcollege studentsdon’tunderstandhow toshowcase themselvesif theyhaven’taccomplished
anythinginthe professionalworld.About.megivesthemthe opportunitytowrite ashort essay
explainingtheirinterestsandgoals,andhow theywouldlike tobe involvedwithanemployeror
theircommunity.Although ConradadmitsthatLinkedInisuseful andimportant foragraduate with
multiple yearsof experience,he explained,“Idon'tthinkwe wouldhave builtthisproductif Ifelt
like LinkedIn'sproductorotherproducts outthere servedthisdemographicwell. Iknow thatit
doesn't.”
3) In September2014, The PewResearchCenterconductedasurveyinvolving1,597 internetusers,
aged18 and up, to determinesignificantinformationconcerningsocial mediausage.They

11. 10
discoveredthatFacebookstill remainsinthe leadwitha71% usage rate,but multiple platform
usage has increasedfrom42% in2013, to 52% in 2014, andLinkedIntoutsa 50% usage rate by
internetuserswithacollege degree.Of the entire populationsurveyed,only28% of adultinternet
usershave a LinkedInaccountandthis populationislargelymade up of employed,college
graduates,whocome fromhigher-incomehouseholds.Anotherinterestingpiece of information
fromthe reportwasthat LinkedInisthe onlysocial mediasite thathasmore 30-64 yearoldusers
than 18-29.
4) College studentsshouldbe askingwhatLinkedInandothersocial mediaplatformscandoto help
thembetterthemselvesprofessionally, that’swhy social mediaexpertandauthorof “Job Searching
with Social Media forDummies,”JoshuaWaldmanwantsto helpyoumake that realization. “Youcan
finda careeryou enjoythatbringssomethingtothe world.If you’re goingtospendsomuch of your
life working,doesn’titmake sense todosomethingmeaningful,”saidJoshuaWaldmantoan
audience of Hillsdale College students.He wasbroughtinbythe school’scareerdevelopmentcenter
to share howLinkedInhashad suchan effectonhiringthat companieslikeCoca-Colahave reduced
theircandidate hiringsearch expenses by50%.He alsoexplainedthatafterMay(2015) graduation,
twoout of tengraduateswill be underemployedandevenmore willbe employedinanindustrythat
theydo notlike.
5) Hasn’t anyone conductedastudyto identifywhycollegestudentsare late adoptersof LinkedIn?
Readwritewrote an article highlightingaresearchsurveyjointlyconductedbyMillennial Branding
and AfterCollege.The surveywassenttothousandsof registeredcollege studentsand600
responded.Theyidentifiedfromtheirfindingsthat90% of studentsuse Facebook,butjustlessthan
half have neversetupaLinkedInaccount.Theytendedtorelymore onthe company website,
careerfairs,and online jobpostings forinformationpertainingtoemployers.Studentsresponded
withrequestsformore helpfromtheircollegesabouthow tonetworkforjobsearches,but50%

12. 11
identifiedthattheyhadnevervisitedthe careerdevelopmentcenterorhada negative experience.
Dan Schawbel,founderof Millennial Branding,believes thatstudentsaren’tthinkingabouttheir
professionalnetworkuntil aftertheygraduate,buttheyshouldbe thinkingaboutbuildingtheir
professionalcontactsatthe beginningof theirfreshmenyear.
6) Have millennialsrecoveredfromthe GreatRecession?Accordingtoanarticle publishedby The
Atlantic,it’snot that simple toanswer.Accordingtoa studyconductedbyThe AssociatedPress
(AP),54% (1.5 million)Americanbachelor’sdegreeholders,aged25 andunder,were unemployed
or underemployed in2012. Thisnot onlycreatesa dilemmaforcollegegraduates,butfornon-
graduatesas well.If recentgraduatesare applyingforpositionsas atlow-skillretail positions,then
chancesare that for everyunderemployedgraduate there isanunemployednon-graduate.AP
statedthat college graduateswithabachelor’sdegree have grownby38% since 2000, and the job
markethas not beenable tokeepupwiththese demands.Soare prospectivecollege students
supposedtostopgoingto college?APreportsthatstudents shouldactuallybe more focusedonthe
skillstheyattain,andlessfocusedonthe actual diploma.Theyreportedstudentsinthe technical
fields,sciencesandaccounting(toname afew) were more likelytohave successinfinding
employmentaftergraduation,andthatinan environmentfloodedwithgenericcollegediplomasit
isthe skillsthatmattermost.
7) Accordingto a recentarticle from The Wall StreetJournal,if youare ignoringLinkedInyoucouldbe
ignoringyourcareer.A fewtopicshighlightedin the article were how tosuccessfullynavigate
LinkedIn’snewsfeed,buildastrongernetwork,andfindacareerthat youwant.By personalizing
LinkedIn’snewsfeedtoyourskillsandinterests,youcanreceive personalizedindustryupdates
(desktopandsmartphone) thatbenefityourprofessional developmentandkeepyouonthe cutting
edge of industrydevelopments.Andhow manyof us have contactson Facebookor Twitterthatwe
have no ideawhotheyare,or howtheygot there?That may notbe a bigdeal on othersocial media

13. 12
platforms,butitisnot acceptable onLinkedIn.Before yousendanetworkinvite oracceptone,ask
yourself howthisconnectionwouldaffectyouina professional office.Youshouldthinkof LinkedIn
as your rolodex,andif the personnel inyourcontactscan’t benefityou,oryouthem, thenit
becomesapparentthatyour400 contacts onLinkedInare simplyjustforshow.Lastly,andmost
importantly,treatyourLinkedInaccountthe same wayyouwoulda resume.Youwouldn’tturnina
cluttered,typo-filledresume,sodon’tletyourLinkedInaccountsuffereither.AccordingtoLinkedIn,
profileswithacompletedsummaryfieldreceive seventimesmore views,andprofileswithhead
shotphotosare 14 timesmore likelytooutperformthosewithout.Andforprofessionalswhowant
to pay forevenbetterservices,cansubscribe toLinkedInPremiumandreceivespecialperkssuchas
havingtheirprofile placedatthe top of a recruiter’shiringlist.
B. Survey
Upon completionof the electronicsurveys, ourteamprintedoff the surveysandprovidedaunique
identificationnumberforeachone.Thenwe inputthe respondents’answersintoanSPSSdatabase
where we useddataanalysistechniquesincluding,frequencies,descriptive analysis,cross-tabsand
ANOVA.
AnalysisResults

14. 13
RQ1) Whatforms of social mediaare most popular among college students?
Figure 1 showsthat 90% of our respondents chose Facebook astheirmostusedsocial mediasite,
followedbyInstagramandTwitter.Thisfigure issimilartothe informationreportedbythe Pew
ResearchCenter.
Figure 1
90%
64%
49%
39%
15%
3%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Facebook Instagram Twitter Pinterest Other N/A
Social Media Rank by Usage (n=39)

15. 14
RQ2) How oftendo college studentsaccess social media?
Figure 2 displaysthatsmartphone usage ismostpopularat a cumulative total of 89 hours.Laptop
computerscame insecondat 22 hours, andthentabletsat 12. Thiswouldbe an indicatorasto why The
Wall StreetJournalarticle inour literature review mentionedthatLinkedInwasputtingmore emphasis
on smartphone applicationdevelopmentthanthe desktopversion.
Figure 2
8
22
89
12
131
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
Hours
Hours per Day Spent on Each Device (n=38)

16. 15
RQ3) Whattype of devicesdo college studentsmostcommonly use to access social media?
Figure 3 reaffirmsresearchquestiontwo,thatsmartphonesare the mostpopulardevice usedtoaccess
social media.Laptopscome ina distantsecond,andthentablets.
Figure 3
15%
49%
95%
18%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Desktop Laptop Smartphone Tablet
PreferredDevice Usedto Access Social
Media (n=38)

17. 16
RQ4) Whatcategories do college studentsfollowonsocial mediafeeds?
Figure 4 displays that92% of our respondentsselected keepingintouchwithfamilyasthe most
importantreasonforaccessingsocial media.The nextcategoryof importance issportsat46%, and then
news,politicsandbusinessare thirdmostimportantat44%.
Figure 4
92%
41% 44% 44% 44% 46%
15%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Family Celebrity News Politics Business Sports Other
Categoriesof Interestto Social Media Users
(n=38)

18. 17
RQ5) How important is professional developmenttocollege students?
Figure 5 showscontradictinginformationconcerning respondents’perceptiononthe importance of
professionaldevelopmenttothemselvesandtocollege studentsingeneral.Fromthe perceptionof
college studentsoverall,50%of respondentsbelieve thatprofessional developmentiseitherextremely
importantor veryimportanttocollege students.However,88% of respondentsselectedthat
professionaldevelopmentiseitherextremelyimportantorveryimportanttothemselves,personally.
Figure 5
2%
10%
44%
44%
8%
42%
32%
18%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%
Not Very Important
Somewhat Important
Very Important
Extrememly Important
College Students' Perceptionof Professional
DevelopmentImportance (n=39)
Professional Development Importance (College Students Overall)
Professional Development Importance (Personal)

19. 18
RQ6) How oftendo they research topicsof interestin professional development(Internships,Co-op,
Entry-level positions,Startingsalaries)?
Figure 6 showsthat the majorityof our respondents(39%) searchforinformationonprofessional
developmentatleastonce a month,followedby28% whosearch at leastonce a week.The professional
developmenttopics of greatestinterestamongourrespondentsare internshipsat66% and thenentry-
level positionsat64%.Resume writingwasthirdmostimportantat47%.
Figure 6
23%
39%
28%
10%
66%
64%
47%
29%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
Less than once a month
At least once a month
At least once a week
More than once a week
Internships
Entry Level Positions
Resume Writing
Student Co-Op
FreqofSearchTopicsofInterest
PD Topics of Interestand Freq of Search
(n=39)

20. 19
RQ7) Is there a preferredsite,magazine,journal,newspaperor application that they use to access
informationon professional development?
As showninFigure 7, 82% of our respondentsreportedthattheyprefertoaccessprofessional
developmentinformationthroughinternetresearch.Accessthroughmobile applicationscame in
secondat 51%, and the CareerDevelopmentCenteristhe thirdmostusedat 39%.
Figure 7
51%
21%
82%
39%
8%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
PreferredAccess to Professional
Development(n=39)

21. 20
RQ8) Wouldcollege studentsbe interestedinreceivingpresentationsandinstructional videos
(through newslettersorother forms of social media) that specificallyhighlighthowto builda great
studentprofile?
Figure 8 displaysthat48% of respondentsfoundLinkedIntobe veryeasyor easyto use,while only13%
founditto be difficult. Giventhatthere isstill apopulationof respondentswhodobelievethatLinkedIn
isdifficulttouse,there isevidence tosuggestthatmore LinkedIntrainingcouldbe beneficial.
Figure 8
72%
29%
19%
39%
13%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
Very Easy
Easy
Neutral
Difficult
Est.
LinkedInLinkedInDifficulty
Ease of Use (n=31)
and LinkedIn Account Establishment(n=39)

22. 21
RQ9) Rather than receivinginformationabout the businessenvironmentingeneral,wouldcollege
studentsbe more interestedinreceiving LinkedInPulseupdatesspecificallyhighlightingresume
writing,networking,and internshipsamongtheir career focus(particularly templatesand examplesof
success)?
Figure 9 showsthat 64% of respondentsshow some interestinreceivingprofessional development
advice inthe form of a newsletter.A Wall Street Journalarticle amongourliterature reviewdescribed
improvements withinthe LinkedInmobile appthatallow auserto update theirpreferencesand
interests,inordertoreceive more industry-specificupdates.
Figure 9
8%
28%
49%
10%
5%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
Not at all Interested
Not Very Interested
Somewhat Interested
Very Interested
Extremely Interested
Interestin Receiving Professional
DevelopmentInformation(n=39)

23. 22
RQ10) Wouldcollege studentsbe interestedinsubscribingto a LinkedInPremiumaccount at a major
studentdiscount?
Figure 10 showsthe respondents’answersrange from10-100%, witha meanof 43% and a mode of
50%. We were tryingto understand if studentswouldbe interestedinreceivingadiscountsimilartothe
50% discountthatAmazonoffersstudentstosetupaPrime account.Basedon the wide range of
responses,we believethatstudentsmaynothave fullyunderstoodthe benefitsof LinkedIn Prime.
Figure 9
C. Advanced Data Analysis
Duringour literature review,we discoveredina readwritearticle a commentabouta selectedstudent
whohad recentlybeenhiredforapaidsummerinternship,andshe activelyusedLinkedIntosearchfor
advancementopportunities.Sowhile completingourdataanalysiswe decidedtolookatthe
10%
100%
43%
50%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
Minimum Maximum Mean Mode
Student Discount
Student Discount Preferences(n=39)

24. 23
relationshipbetweencollege studentswhohave establishedaLinkedInaccountandtheirindividual
perceptionconcerningthe importance of professional development.We wantedtotesta prediction
that college studentswhoconsiderprofessionaldevelopmenttobe importantare more likelytohave a
LinkedInaccountestablished.We setupthe followingnullandalternate hypothesistotestour
prediction:
(H0):College studentswho have aLinkedInaccountestablishedare lesslikelytoconsider
professionaldevelopmenttobe important.
(HA): College studentswhohave aLinkedInaccountestablishedare more likelytoconsider
professionaldevelopmenttobe important.
We testedthe above hypothesiswithanANOVA analysis.The resultsare showninTable 1.Because the
p-value (0.015) issmallerthan0.05, we rejectthe null hypothesis.Therefore we conclude thatcollege
studentswhohave a LinkedInaccountestablishedare more likelytoconsiderprofessional development
to be important.
D. Overall Discussion
The reasonbehindourresearchon the subjectof whetherornot college studentsare utilizingLinkedIn
was to identifywhymillennials,especiallythose enrolledincollege,are notusinga provideddigital tool
to gainan advantage insecuringemploymentaftergraduation.Inordertocollectthe appropriate
information,researchquestionswereformedfromourobjectivesandthendistributedamongstour
collegiate peers.We believe the answerstothe questionsprovidedwill giveusabetterunderstanding
of college students’perceptiontowardsprofessional development.
3.82 4.46
F(1,37) = 6.558 p = 0.015 N = 39
Mean on Students w/o LinkedIn Mean on Students with LinkedIn
Dependent Variable: B1) Importance of Professional Development
Independent Variable: C1) Establishment of LinkedIn Account

25. 24
 Discussionof Resultsby Research Objectives
Findingsfor ResearchObjective 1
Our firstresearchobjective wastoidentifyhow college studentsare accessingsocial media,andwhich
sitesare most popularamongour population.We discoveredinourliterature review thatthiswasthe
firststepinprior studies,sothatresearcherscoulddevelopastrongunderstandingof whattoday’s
strongestsocial mediainfluencesare.
Ranking of Social MediaPopularity
Our surveyfindings are similartowhatwe discoveredinourliterature review.Accordingtothe Pew
ResearchCenter,Facebookismostpopularamongadultinternetusers,aged18-29,at 87%. Instagram
was secondmostpopularat 53%, and wasfollowedby Twitter(53%),Pinterest(34%) andLinkedIn
(23%).Our respondents’social mediausage ranksinthe same order.
Most UsedDevice to Access Social Media
Ninety-five percentof respondentsselectedtheirsmartphone astheir mostpreferreddevice for
accessingsocial media.Accordingtoourlatestarticle amongour literature review, TheWall Street
Journalanalyzedthe userfriendlynature betweenthe LinkedInwebsite andthe LinkedInsmartphone
applicationanddeterminedthatthe applicationwaseasiertouse.ItwouldappearthatLinkedInis
aware of smartphone dependability,andisworkingtodeliveramuchbetterexperience ontheir
applicationtoencourage more frequentusage.
Findingsfor ResearchObjective 2
The importance of thisobjective wastoidentifycollege students’ general interestinprofessional
developmentandtodetermine theirmostpopularsourcesof informationonthe topic.
PerceptionofProfessional Development
Our respondentsshowedoverwhelmingsupportforthe importance of professionaldevelopment.
Eighty-eightpercentof respondentsselectedthatprofessionaldevelopmentwaseitherextremely

26. 25
importantor veryimportant,and10% selectedthatitissomewhatimportant.Surprisingly,our
respondentsdidnotbelieve thatcollegestudents,ingeneral,thinkthatprofessionaldevelopmentis
that important.Only50% selectedeitherextremelyimportantorveryimportant,and42% selectedthat
it wassomewhatimportanttoall college students.
Topics of Interestand Information Sources
Respondentsselectedinternships,ata rate of 66%, as theirmostpopulartopicof interestamong
professionaldevelopment,withentry-level positionavailabilitycomingin ata close secondof 64%. The
majorityof respondents,82%,utilize the internetastheirnumberone source forlocatinginformation
on professional development.Surprisingly,the CareerDevelopmentCenter,anon-campusresource,
was selectedasthe thirdmostpopularresource at39%. Thiswasconsistentwithanarticle inour
literature review, readwrite,statingthatapproximately50% of college studentsamongtheir featured
surveyhaven’tusedtheircareerservicesdepartment either.
Findingsfor ResearchObjective 3
The final objective wastoidentifypotentialopportunitiesthatLinkedIncouldutilize toboost college
students’usage of theirservices.
Establishmentof LinkedInand Repeat Usage
Overall,we were impressedthat72% of our respondentshadalreadyestablishedaLinkedInaccount.
Thisfindingwaswell above the PewResearchCenter’sestimatesof 23%, andMillennial Branding’s
assessmentthatlessthanhalf of college studentshave notusedLinkedIn.Whenaskedabouthowoften
theyvisitthe site,39%of respondentsselectedlessthanonce amonthand 36% selectedonce aweek.
These percentagesare muchbetterthanthe Pew ResearchCenter’sfindingsthat61% of LinkedInusers
visittheiraccountsonce everyfewweeksorlessoften.
Ease of Use and Interestin LinkedInTraining

27. 26
Forty-eightpercentof ourrespondentsbelievethatLinkedIniseitherveryeasyoreasyto use,and39%
selectedtoremainneutral onthe subject.Whenaskedif respondentswere aware of weeklyLinkedIn
trainingat the CareerDevelopmentCenter,92% repliedno;butwhenaskedif theywouldconsider
attendingatrainingsession,46%repliedyes. Thisfindingisconsistentwith readwrite’s article fromour
literature review,theystatedthatbasedonMillennialBranding’ssurvey46% of studentswantedtheir
school to offermore instructiononprofessionaldevelopment.
Interestin ReceivingProfessional DevelopmentNewsletters
A large portionof respondents,49%,selectedtheywouldbe somewhatinterestedinreceivinga
newslettercontaininginformationonprofessional development;while 15% selectedtheywere either
extremelyinterestedorveryinterested.LinkedInoffersthese servicesforfree throughtheir LinkedIn
Pulse newsfeed,andaccordingtothe Wall Street Journaltheyare activelyimprovingthe information
that Pulse offers,alongwithitsuserspecificity.
V. Recommendations
We were surprisedatthe large percentage of respondentswhoalreadyhave aLinkedInaccount,and
howmany confirmedthattheychecktheiraccountoften.Butthisis a goodthing,and mightprove tobe
a turningtide inLinkedIn’smarketstruggle toconvince collegestudentsof the importance of growing
theirprofessional networkasearlyaspossible.
 Continue to Developa Market for Millennials
LinkedInrecentlyreleasedtheirfirst-everTV commercial duringthe Oscars. Thisisundoubtedlyanother
steptowardmarketingtothe millennial generation,buttheyneedtofocusondeliveringbetter
informationonthe benefitsof professional networking.College studentsare alreadyaware of LinkedIn
and itspurpose,buttheyfail tounderstandhow touse it on a repetitivebasistobenefitthemselvesand
theirprofessional growth.

28. 27
 DevelopBetterTraining Instruction
Our nextrecommendationforLinkedInistodevelopbettertrainingorbetterpartnershipswith
universitycareerdevelopmentcenters.Asourliterature review confirmed,the soonerastudent
understandsthe benefitof growingtheirprofessional networkthe more likelytheyare tobe prepared
whentheygraduate andenterthe workforce.LinkedInhastodoa betterjobof convincingcollege
studentsthatLinkedInisnota professionaltool thatyouuse aftergraduation.
VI. Limitations
MissingSurvey Data
Althoughthe datathat was obtainedwasuseful indevelopingactionable information,there wasone
surveythatwas onlypartiallyfilledout,one thatwasnot filledoutatall,andone studentthat
submittedanexamguide insteadof the actual survey.Whendealingwithasmall selectiongroupsuch
as the convenience groupselectedforthisproject,everysurveyisof the utmostimportance.
RespondentSelectionCriteria
Due to the large majorityof juniorandseniorrespondents,we believe thatourfindingsfailedto
representparticularareasof the national literaturereview due toalack of freshmenandsophomore
respondents.Ourrespondentsindicatedthatthe majorityof themhadbeenaware of,and using
LinkedInforsome time.If we hadaccessto more firstandsecond-yearstudents,we coulddevelopmore
informationonthe studentpopulationthatdoesnotuse LinkedIn.
SPSS Training
IBM’s SPSSsoftware isincrediblyuseful andsimpletouse,howeverif youare not ina professionwhere
youuse it commonlythenitcan be difficulttodraw on previoustraininginstruction.We are interested
inreceivingmore trainingthanwhatwasoriginallyprovidedinordertodevelopmore complex findings
fromour surveydata.

29. 28
Recommendationsfor Limitations
Use the CareerDevelopmentCenterandsocial mediatoseekstudentswhoare more interestedin
activelyengagingprofessionaldevelopmentandinvitethemtoattenda focusgroupdiscussion.We
woulduse informationobtainedfromthe focusgroupto identifyspecificstrengths,weaknesses,
opportunities,andbarriersfacingstudentsinourimmediate area,andthendevelopamore detailed
surveythatcouldbe randomly administered tostudentsof all academicstandings,includinggraduates.
Developmore opportunitiesforSPSStraining,usingdatathatis available fromteamsurveys.The more
opportunitiesthata teamhas to use SPSSinthe presence of a trainer,givesthe teama betterchance to
developbetteranalysisformanagementdecision-makers.

30. 29
VII. References
“A New Perspective:Social Media, Digital Identity, andStudentLearningOutcomes.”Education
Advisory Board. (n.d.), (accessed1/28/2016), [available athttps://www.eab.com/].
Ahlquist, Josie. “College StudentDigital Identity Development.”LinkedIn Pulse(2015), (accessed
1/28/2016), [availableatwww.linkedin.com].
Blumenthal, Eli. “About.megoesafterLinkedIn forcollegestudents'attention.”USA Today
(2015), (accessed 1/28/2016), [available atwww.usatoday.com].
Duggan,M., et al."Social mediaupdate 2014. Pew ResearchCenter."(2015),(accessed
1/28/2016), [availableat www.pewinternet.org].
Finney,Jordan.“Social mediaexpertgivestipsto students.”TheCollegian (2016), (accessed
1/28/2016), [availableat www.hillsdalecollegian.com].
Hall, Brian. “Why Aren'tCollege StudentsUsingLinkedIn ToFindJobs?”readwrite(2013),
(accessed 1/28/2016), [availableatwww.readwrite.com].
Kim,Daejoong,Jang-HyunKim, andYoonjae Nam."How DoesIndustryUse Social Networking
Sites?AnAnalysisOf Corporate DialogicUsesOf Facebook,Twitter,Youtube,AndLinkedinByIndustry
Type."Quality& Quantity 48.5 (2014): 2605-2614.SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 28 Jan.2016.
Modzelewski, Angela. “ReachingCollege StudentswithSocial Media.”LinkedIn Pulse(2015),
(accessed 1/28/2016), [availableatwww.linkedin.com].
Stern, Joanna. “IgnoringLinkedIn IsHurtingYourCareer.”The Wall Street Journal(2016),
(accessed 4/13/2016), [availableatwww.wsj.com].

31. 30
Tadena, Nathalie. “LinkedIn’s FirstTV Commercial toAirDuringOscars.”The Wall Street Journal
(2016), (accessed 4/14/2016), [available atwww.wsj.com].
van Dijck,José."‘YouHave One Identity’:PerformingThe Self OnFacebookAnd
Linkedin."Media,Culture&Society 35.2 (2013): 199-215. SocINDEXwith Full Text.Web.28 Jan.2016.
Weissmann,Jordan."53%of RecentCollege GradsAre JoblessorUnderemployed-How?."The
Atlantic 23 (2012), (accessed1/28/2016), [available at www.theatlantic.com].

32. 31
VIII. Appendix: Questionnaire
Survey on College Student’s Usage of Professional
Development
Student Research Project
Marketing Research
BUS-M 303
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Pilsik Choi
School of Business

33. 32
Important Note for Informed Consent
This survey is part of a class projectthat Seth Brown, Christopher Dietz, Jeffry Gunter, and Jeremy
O’Connor are working on fora Marketing Research class in School of Business at Indiana University
Southeast. The overall purpose of this project is to better understand how college students access
and utilize LinkedIn, as well as other professional development. Based on this survey, a detailed
marketing strategy forthe LinkedIn Corporation will be presented forthe class project.
Your participation in this survey is completely voluntary.You can terminate your participation in
this research at any time or refuse to answer any questions to whichyoudon’t want to respond.
Your responses will be confidential and only general results from this research will be reported. No
one other than the research staff will know individual answers to this questionnaire.
If you agree to participate in this project, please complete questions on the followingpages. This
should take about 10 minutes. Yourcompletion of the questionnaire will signify your informed
consent to participate.
If you have any questions or concerns about this questionnaire, please feel free to contactDr. Pilsik
Choi (faculty advisor, Assistant Professorin Schoolof Business) at pilchoi@ius.edu or (812) 941-
2355.

34. Directions:Please answer all of the followingquestionsbycheckingoff appropriate boxesor writing a
description.For the purpose of thissurvey, professional developmentisthe actions you take to
prepare yourselffora future internshipor career.
33
A. Social MediaUsageandPreferences
1. What forms of social media do youuse? (Check all that apply)
 Twitter
 Facebook
 Instagram
 Pinterest
 Other:
 I do not use social media (Please skip to Question 5)
2. How do youtypically access social media, and how many hours a day do youaccess
it on each device?(Check all that apply)
Device Hours per day
Desktop Computer 
Laptop Computer 
Smartphone 
Tablet 
Other 
3. Where do you use social media the most? (Please checkonly one option)
 Home
 Work
 School
 Other:
4. What kind of accountsdo youfollow on social media? (Check all that apply)
 Personal (friends/family)
 Celebrities
 News
 Politics
 Business
 Sports
 Other:
5. Please rate, on a scale from 0 to 10, the amount of effectsocial media has had on
your life.
(0 being: Has not affectedmy life at all, 10 being: Has substantially affectedmy life)
 0  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

35. Directions:Please answer all of the followingquestionsbycheckingoff appropriate boxesor writing a
description.For the purpose of thissurvey, professional developmentisthe actions you take to
prepare yourselffora future internshipor career.
34
B. Professional DevelopmentAwarenessandUsage
1. How important is professional development to you? (Please read the above header)
 Extremely important
 Very important
 Somewhat important
 Not very important
 Not at all important
2. What are yourtopics of interest in professional development? (checkall that apply)
 Internships
 Entry level positions
 How to write effectiveresumes
 Student Co-op (Cooperative)
 Other:
3. How do younormally access content related to professional development? (Check
all that apply)
 Apps (phone and/or tablet)
 Newspaper, Journal or Magazine
 Internet research
 Career Development Center (On Campus)
 Other:
4. How frequently do you search for information about professional development?
 Less than once a month
 At least once a month
 At least once a week
 More than once a week
 Never
5. How interested wouldyou be in receiving information on professional development
in a weekly or monthly email newsletter?
 Extremely interested
 Very interested
 Somewhat interested
 Not very interested
 Not at all interested
6. College students, in general, think professional development is:
 Extremely important
 Very important
 Somewhat important
 Not very important
 Not at all important

36. Directions:Please answer all of the followingquestionsbycheckingoff appropriate boxesor writing a
description.For the purpose of thissurvey, professional developmentisthe actions you take to
prepare yourselffora future internshipor career.
35
C. Usageof LinkedIn
1. Do youhave a LinkedIn accountestablished?
 Yes
 No (Please skip to Question 4)
2. Did you establish your LinkedIn accountfor yourself or as a requirement fora class?
 Myself
 Class 2b. Did yourinstructor/teacher inform youhow to setup your
LinkedIn account?
 Yes
 No
 I don’t remember
3. How often do you access your LinkedIn account?
 Less than once a month
 Once a month
 Once a week
 Never
4. How easy do youfind it to use LinkedIn?
 Very easy
 Easy
 Neutral
 Difficult
 Very difficult
5. Were you aware that the Career Development Center offersweekly LinkedIn
training sessions? (Whether your answer is Yes or No, please answer Question 5b)
 Yes 5b. Would you consider attending a LinkedIn training session at the
 No Career Development Center?
 Yes
 No
 I already have
6. LinkedIn offers greater advantages, such as bumping an applicant to the top of a
recruiter’s job posting, to members who subscribe to their Premium services fora
monthly cost of $30.00. If LinkedIn offereda student discount, how much of a
discount would youwant to receive?
%

37. Directions:Please answer all of the followingquestionsbycheckingoff appropriate boxesor writing a
description.For the purpose of thissurvey, professional developmentisthe actions you take to
prepare yourselffora future internshipor career.
36
D. Demographics
1. What is yourage?
2. What is yourcurrent academic grade level?
 Freshmen
 Sophomore
 Junior
 Senior
3. What is yourcurrent concentration? (Double majors, checkall that apply)
 Accounting
 Economics
 Finance
 General Business
 General Management
 Human Resources
 International Business
 Marketing
 Supply Chain & Operations Management
 Other:
4. Have you already selected the career field you willseek after graduation? (Ex.
Banking, Financial Analyst, Retail Management, Sales, etc.)
 Yes 4b. If yes, what career field have you selected? (Please be specific)
 No
5. What is yourgender?
 Male
 Female
This concludes our survey and we greatly appreciate your responses!