2. WHAT IS
Social networking website for anyone!
Founded in December 2002 & Launched
May 2003
As of January 2013, LinkedIn acquired
more than 200 million users in more than
200 countries and territories!
6. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Recommended News Articles
Discussion Groups-
Diversity of groups
Chemistry
Tourism/Recreation
Women’s Studies
*Helps with your current job!
7. WHAT CAN LINKEDIN DO FOR
YOU?
Our mission is simple: “To provide you with the best
possible assistance in developing and achieving your
career objectives as you work toward the goal of
lifelong career satisfaction.”
How does LinkedIn help
students meet these goals?
-Many ask, what exactly is LinkedIn.com? I personally did not make a LinkedIn profile page until two days ago when I first met all of you- I will not lie. But within a few short hours, I was quickly on my way to creating something I knew I would use endlessly.
-LinkedIn is a Social networking website for any person, in any language, utilized locally and globally.
-It was founded by a man named Reid Hoffman in December 2002 and launched quickly by May 2003.
-As of January 2013, LinkedIn has acquired more than 200 million users in more than 200 countries and territories. Thinking about these numbers blew me away, but I can see how easily the word can spread on what a great resource this has quickly become- and already for me!
LinkedIn has many benefits and advantages, one of them being that it is a “living resume”. The idea behind a “living resume” is how quickly and easy this live streamed website can advertise your experiences, skills, background, schooling, past careers and what you are looking to do in the future.
1. The first benefit is how you can update something instantly. Paper copies of resumes are needed to be typed up, similar to linkedin, although you must print out the updated copy. This also includes making sure you are not handing out a past resume to potential future jobs etc. Resumes also require you to limit yourself to what you are putting on them- being only 1 to 2 pages in length. LinkedIn allows you to endlessly add your experience, and it will instantly be updated for others viewing!
2. Another great part is the endorsements and recommendations you can receive and create with those who you choose to connect with, whether that be friends and family, classmates, past professors and bosses or colleagues and those you’ve interned with. To a potential job option, seeing that others endorse your skills and experience, confirms your abilities as if they were reference letters. Doing this in return for others, can influence them to do it for you and push others in the right direction to finding their career path.
3. Lastly, it is extremely professional. This website does not allow you to post pictures, other than your profile picture, and it is not for every day socializing, like say Facebook is. This website is strictly for career searching and building strong, concrete proof of who you are and who you are becoming- working towards your future goals.
This allows you to connect with professors for example on a professional level. A perfect example that I was told recently about Facebook was a young student, was friends with her teacher on facebook. Not thinking she would ever see her professor out, she saw her professor in a bowling alley having a drink with her friends and family. This is nothing out of the ordinary, and has every right to be there… Although, this student took a picture of her and posted it on facebook. Without that professors knowledge of it, she ended up getting fired. I know this example is some what extreme, but it shows you how careful you have to be. Whereas LinkedIn, does not allow those opportunities to have things posted about you without your full consent prior.
-Looking at this image, career planning is all about knowing yourself, exploring your options, making decisions and moving on. Where linkedin can help you do just this. Career planning is never an easy task, and people seem to constantly be searching for a better job, so why can’t we? Keeping Linkedin open, and live to others, updating is as I mentioned before, allows for people to continuously better themselves and stay up to date on what is available in their field.
This website helps undergraduate students a great deal. Advertised throughout this website are different businesses in every area. While working through your undergraduate years, it is highly influenced, if not required of students to find an internship in their desired field. Although, stuck in a small town or feeling trapped to where your school is located, might not be the case! LinkedIn is consistent networking that can help you find an internship that suits you best.
After this experience, you can add it to your linkedin, and pursue this location for a job in the future, or use them to endorse you to another career you are interested in right on the same website! You can reach out to members of a club or workers and professionals in the field of your interest that you can connect with and contact for further information. Researching future employers on their linkedin to find what their skills are and make those same goals yourself- to eventually look for that same, if not similar position down the road. This prepares you and allows you to set up goals and a timeline of your undergraduate experience to ensure finding a job after receiving your degree.
This is also the idea that you can connect with people working in your “dream positions”. When searching for a major, or even a career you want to pursue in the future, while maybe knowing nothing about it… Contacting those in that same career path already is a perfect marketing tool for yourself- showing your interest, while preparing you to work towards the same skills/achievements.
As we all know job searching is never easy. But as I mentioned, it’s something you never stop, and you only continue to grow- with the help of LinkedIn.
1. The first amazing piece of this is the endless connections you will have to future employers. You never know who you can find, and who finds you to connect with and learn more about each other. Just within the past 24 hours, I have connected with people I do not even know, and answered questions about my experiences in my internship. (Knowing that I was just learning the website myself, amazed me, that people already enjoyed what I had to offer). This website is once again a chance to refer to facebook. I only say this, because on facebook, it is easy to see the friends that your friends have made or “added”. With linkedin, you can do the same, growing your chances at connecting with potential employers or businesses you want to ask questions. My point behind this, is your options are endless.
2. I can say that almost, if not every site has some form of search engine to find whatever you may need. In this case, linkedin allows you to search jobs, or expertises of yours to find a job that entails just that! You can find groups, more connections and more.
3. This website allows you to connect locally and globally. Meaning that those of us that love to travel, are not limited while using LinkedIn. Globally, businesses are using this website to contact men and women for opening positions. This is a great chance for those not afraid to move and travel. Knowing how limited towns or states can be, especially in certain fields- reaching out of your realm is not a bad idea.
4. And last but not least, this site allows the employer to contact YOU! This is one of the best parts of this website in my opinion because many job positions are not listing their openings! They are going to websites such as linkedin to find their next “victim” so to speak It is giving them a chance to reach out to you, and find the person that best suites their needs, rather than interviewing people that aren’t qualified, over and over again. Businesses are looking at this process as simple and ultimately more rewarding with whom they find, based on my research.
Gaining the skills and knowledge in the career path you have chosen, is never a simple nor easy task. But LinkedIn generates interesting articles that are constantly fed while searching your webpage. It recommends people/groups/careers/skills, anything you can imagine, to further your knowledge and strengths. It is known as consistent support to better yourself, every time you sign on.
Another great part about Linkedin, that I recently found out, is the discussion groups that are available. You can find them, just as if you were searching for a person to connect with. After finding a discussion group of interest, any of those members can pose questions/answer questions, where this group creates an on going discussion of topics that may interest you. For example, there could be a group for teachers, and they can join groups, where they can ask questions on how to spruce up their lesson plans or how to engage their students further on a difficult topic.
I wanted to show some of the completely different majors and minors that Niagara University holds and how LinkedIn can easily be a resource.
When typing in “chemistry”, I found groups such as, American Chemical Society, along with connections that have a background in Chemistry that I may be interested in connecting with.
When searching Tourism and Recreation, I was able to find colleges, management links and many groups.
When searching Women’s Studies, I found Universities, Associations and groups, along with potential career options. * Not only does this site help with finding a job, but it also helps with your current job as well! You can constantly expand on knowledge behind any topic, as you can see just typing in those three, I was able to find endless sites and links. You can connect with others in similar positions to compare jobs, programming you are working on, and to keep as references for each other. People can constantly look for a bigger and better career with this as a resource, opening yourself to an endless list of knowledge and opportunity.
-Here at Niagara University, The Career Services Office has created a well known office to help the undergraduate and graduate students to succeed to their highest potential. With the mission statement that they will, “provide you with the best possible assistance in developing and achieving your career objectives as you workd toward the goal of lifelong career satisfaction.” Where linkedin does just this. Linkedin can assist you in developing the resume, skills, and knowledge of any desired topic or career choice. While working towards these life long goals, Linkedin can keep you updated and aware of upcoming career options and the people that each person can connect with to only better their chances at finding something they will truly benefit from.
At Career Services, you offer students and alumni a wide variety of support and services with the goal of lifelong career satisfaction. The Office of Career Services prides itself on being able to integrate current technology with personal contact, enabling students and alumni to build the skills and relationships they need to successfully compete in an ever-changing world.
Through using this site, your career services office is not only helping students find the newest resources and technology, but it is allowing students to forever be impacted by what Linkedin can offer. Just wait, as our students are growing around us, Linkedin can grow and become even more than it is now!
