The use of LinkedIn as a means of professional communication has always seemed to be beneficial. However, it wasn’t until a lecture last week in my Social Media Studies class led by Geralyn Mitchell that I fully became acquainted with the platform itself. Having worked closely with numerous professionals in the past, hearing the phrase “add me on LinkedIn” became somewhat of a norm. At first I ignored these invitations, justifying to myself that my age and lack of experience in the work force would not suffice as a marketable profile. I would constantly tell myself that once I had achieved something worthy of advertising to potential employers, then would I finally hop on the bandwagon and join in. After hearing this lecture, I became aware of the benefits of progression. Employers are not solely looking for an incredible number of trophies one has at a pre-professional age, but rather that there is a verifiable log of which improvements and growth can be noted.
Not only does LinkedIn provide a platform to further self-marketing, but also as a way to connect with friends, family and acquaintances that can potentially further your experience and opportunities presented to you. Before LinkedIn, “connections” were a lot harder to come by and were solely limited to those in one’s personal circle. Now a vast amount of opportunities can arise simply from clicking on a person’s profile, navigating potential connections within their circles, and sending a message describing your interest to become acquainted. This allows for a larger amount of people to become exposed and take advantage of potential opportunities that, in the past, were not feasible.
