Students Not Using LinkedIn
I had the pleasure of speaking to about 75 students and staff at Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, New York earlier this week. I was invited by the school to talk with the students about how employers are using the web to both include and exclude them from the hiring process. What an impressive group of students.
During the hour long and very interactive discussion we talked how many Gen Y'ers thinks nothing of posting photos and other information to sites such as Facebook and MySpace under the mistaken impression that employers either can't see it or won't care about it. I showed some examples of students using the web to enhance their employment opportunities and others who are killing their chances because of what they've posted on-line. We also talked about what candidates can do to remove harmful information that they've posted or which has been posted by others and to bury information that can't be removed.
I was very impressed with the students. In addition to be attentive and focused, they frequently asked great questions so we had much more of a dialogue than a presentation. That made it more interesting and educational for them and a lot more fun for me. Several of the students approached me afterwards to discuss their situations.
One takeaway that I need to chew on for a while: of the 75 or so attendees, only one indicated that he had heard of LinkedIn and that was because his boss had insisted that he sign-up. He uses it and understands its phenomenal potential for job seekers so hats off to him, but what about the others? Why are the others not using LinkedIn? Is it a generational gap? I can't imagine that the answer is that they feel that it won't help them because apparently only one had heard of it. If you don't know about a tool, you can't know whether it is going to help you or not. Perhaps the real question here is why haven't these students even heard of LinkedIn and are they representative of students at other colleges across the country?
Steven,
I have to wonder if it is because those of us who are teaching the students aren't really using it and therefore don't know how good it might be. I am on linkedin, but haven't used it's capabilities yet. I simply have some acquiescences there.
Deb Bashaw
Steven - as a former Career Counselor and now private practice one, I believe it is because college career counselors are NOT telling them about it. They all know about Facebook and Myspace but NOT Linkedin and the power of networking. You are right, more people need to be aware of it!
Wendy Stubbs
www.dreamcareercoaching.com
I have been spreading the word about LinkedIn one student at a time. I have not seen any marketing about the site. That may be one reason students are not aware of it. Didn't MySpace and Facebook both do an initial marketing campaign? This college career coach is telling students about it but albeit, it is happening one student at a time. Looks like I better do some marketing on my own campus!
I do use LinkedIn and like it MUCH better than Facebook. Facebook is good for spreading the word to students about activities and events. I use LinkedIn to find professionals who can provide me with career-specific insight for our students or to link our students directly to them. I've shown more than one student what a powerful resource this is!
I am a senior student at UCLA and have been using LinkedIn to gather relevant information about job-hunting rather than looking for jobs. I feel that seniors who are job hunting should use professional networking sites more often than they use social networking sites because every connection could lead to a potential offer from a company.
A tool that I have found very useful during my job hunt is the "Ebook: The New Rules of Recuitment - Making Yourself Stick." (http://thefdworld.com/edge/pub/cat/ebooks) I feel that every student should read this because it will help them prepare for the recruitment process.
Steven -
I speak to college student frequently and continue to recommend LinkedIn. Depending on the school, I have noticed vary degrees of usage. I spoke to a group at Arizona State a couple of weeks ago and most of the students were actively using it to help them network.
John Mellor
President/CEO
WorkInSports.com
Steven,
That's a great question. I recently graduated from the Fisher College of Business at the Ohio State University, and I personally know many Fisher students that have a LinkedIn account. I am sure, however, that the number of collegiate LinkedIn users is much less than the number of students on Facebook, etc. I suspect that LinkedIn use among college students is strongly correlated to the type of college they are going to and the major they are pursuing.
Dan
Steve - I'm not surprised that students aren't using Linkedin. The currency of LinkedIn is experience and business connections, which is not the right fit for students. Facebook and MySpace serve the students needs by providing a space for them to create their personal story and drive connections/relationships from there.
What I do think is an opportunity would be a feature on LinkedIn that allowed students to have access to business connections as they explore career possibilities and internships. Susan
Steve,
It is my honor to comment on your question as to why "Students Not Using LinkedIn." At the least the answer will come from the perspective of a recent college graduate who is actively looking for a career opportunity.
I was informed of LinkedIn approximately 5 months ago. Prior to that time
the opportunity to connect with numerous professionals with a click of button had not downed on me. I believe there are colleges who spend a great deal of making sure their upcoming graduates are prepared to write a Resume, Cover Letter and are informed about updated career search sites besides Monster.com, HotJobs, etc.,(such sites are a great place to start with a job search but not a parking lot to dump your resumes).
Yet there are many more which have not taken the time to invest in their future business partners, Alumni and potential colleagues. It appears students are preoccupied with their school work assignments coupled with FT/PT jobs and forget to seriously job search while still in their early years in college. Many believe an internship at a perspective company will assure their success of being hired after college.
While others spend more time socializing on Facebook and MySpace to have any time left for LinkedIn. I would personally like to have Virginia Commonwealth University being added as an Alumni Group.
LinkedIn is a great professional networking tool and seems to be popular amongst recruiters. However, the layout of the contents on it's site seems to be geared towards a professional with many years of experience, senior, mid-senior and therefore might not necessary attract a student. The site could benefit by adding articles on Industries, Internships and Externships opportunities, suggestions on how to approach a recruiter (etiquettes tips which many students are unaware exist). In addition, I believe it it vital to build relationships with colleges and alumni on LinkedIn.
Now having written this response I wander what can do better with my LinkedIn profile?
http://www.linkedin.com/myprofile?trk=hb_side_pro
Thank you for an opportunity to seriously think about your question.
Have a great week!
Aleksandra Totskiy
Steve,
It is my honor to comment on your question as to why "Students Not Using LinkedIn." At the least the answer will come from the perspective of a recent college graduate who is actively looking for a career opportunity.
I was informed of LinkedIn approximately 5 months ago. Prior to that time
the opportunity to connect with numerous professionals with a click of button had not downed on me. I believe there are colleges who spend a great deal of making sure their upcoming graduates are prepared to write a Resume, Cover Letter and are informed about updated career search sites besides Monster.com, HotJobs, etc.,(such sites are a great place to start with a job search but not a parking lot to dump your resumes).
Yet there are many more which have not taken the time to invest in their future business partners, Alumni and potential colleagues. It appears students are preoccupied with their school work assignments coupled with FT/PT jobs and forget to seriously job search while still in their early years in college. Many believe an internship at a perspective company will assure their success of being hired after college.
While others spend more time socializing on Facebook and MySpace to have any time left for LinkedIn. I would personally like to have Virginia Commonwealth University being added as an Alumni Group.
LinkedIn is a great professional networking tool and seems to be popular amongst recruiters. However, the layout of the contents on it's site seems to be geared towards a professional with many years of experience, senior, mid-senior and therefore might not necessary attract a student. The site could benefit by adding articles on Industries, Internships and Externships opportunities, suggestions on how to approach a recruiter (etiquettes tips which many students are unaware exist). In addition, I believe it it vital to build relationships with colleges and alumni on LinkedIn.
Now having written this response I wander what can do better with my LinkedIn profile?
http://www.linkedin.com/myprofile?trk=hb_side_pro
Thank you for an opportunity to seriously think about your question.
Have a great week!
Aleksandra Totskiy