Is LinkedIn the New and ONLY Way to Network?

We have all heard about LinkedIn and there is a large chance that most of us have an account, but why is this? Is it because someone told you that it was necessary in order to get a job? Did you feel pressured because everyone you knew all of a sudden had a LinkedIn account? Is this the new and only way to network in this generation?
Our class discussion about LinkedIn really left me with some questions and thoughts that I would like to share with you.

LinkedIn offers an easy way to discover new jobs and opportunities with certain companies which I believe to be a great thing. It is a great way to showcase yourself how you would like employers to see you, from your picture to posting publications. This way, it seems as though you can even 'edit' yourself or 'refine' your image to what you would like your personal brand to be. Now with all of this being said I do believe that LinkedIn offers great opportunity to connect with people you may have never gotten the easy opportunity to meet without this website, although is it the most effective way to connect?

With all of this online networking going on around us, I started to wonder if the career-fair/networking parties phase was on their way out. I personally believe that I thrive more in a face to face connection rather than someone looking at my LinkedIn profile, and I believe that is the case for most people. I am more likely going to make a lasting connection with someone in a face to face interaction, as most people are but I see that this 'old' way of networking seems to be expiring. Do you agree? Do you think there are aspects of LinkedIn that outweigh old ways of networking in terms of positive outcomes? Is the online social network really better than our old traditional ways of making connections with people?

Comments

  1. Unknown26 March 2018 at 08:45

    I personally created my LinkedIn account quite sometime ago because I was told it is the "New Resume" for young professionals. I continued to add to it periodically as I gained more experience from work, school and volunteering and paid more attention to it when it was a graded assignment in school to present my profile to the professor.

    In my opinion, LinkedIn should never be seen as the best, and especially not the only resource for finding a job. As discussed in class with using "Weak Ties and Direct Ties" in combination, I think this goes for using LinkedIn, and Face-to-Face networking as well. You need a combination of both in order to successfully network yourself.

    The best practice in my experience is to meet a potential connection at a career fair, or a social event, and at the end of the conversation, suggest that you connect on LinkedIn. This means that you have this personal connection, and they have a reference source to look to for further employment steps.

    I hope Career Fairs and Face-to-Face connections will never be fully replaced by online job applications, but I think a combination of both is a healthy and effective balance that will help with future employment.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Unknown27 March 2018 at 14:59

    Face to face interactions will always trump a virtual connection. LinkedIn does not and cannot replace this. What it can offer is a unique perspective into the lives of a potential employee. A good LinkedIn profile says more about an employee than a resume. On the platform you are able to establish your brand and remain relevant by creating connections with people in your industry. Also, it creates a much more accurate impression of the kind of person you are by what you are posting and how you are interacting with other people. The platform is becoming even more personal as you are able to post videos to your profile now allowing people to get to know you. I believe LinkedIn is a much more interactive method of job hunting than resumes are.

    During the hiring process at the tech company I worked at last summer, a collection of resumes piled up and my first job was to search each candidate on LinkedIn to establish if they had a good online presence. This cut down our candidate list by about 50%.

    LinkedIn can be incredibly beneficial to your career if you use it correctly. A basic LinkedIn profile with little engagement or lack of industry interest is just as useless as your name in the resume pile. Be creative and make yourself stand out.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Xavier Prosper5 April 2018 at 16:39

    I agree with Jace that face to face interactions will always trump an online connection. Where LinkedIn shines is that it gives you the opportunity to keep in touch with all your connections without too much commitment. You can simply stay engaged with their content and know what's happening in their professional lives. Without LinkedIn you'd likely have a smaller network due to the commitment needed to maintain it.

    Without LinkedIn nurturing your relationship with someone from a network event would require you to keep via email or with an occasional call. Look at your linked in network and imagine keeping up with all those connections without the platform. You'd most likely lose touch with several of them in the long run, dramatically shrinking your network.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Changes in the Interviewing Process

Hi Everyone, Since most, if not all, of us are graduating and will be looking for full-time jobs, I thought it might be helpful to give some insight into how the job interview process in general has changed, so that we can be more prepared for them in the future. Spark Hire provides a useful comparison of then vs. now, helping to show the kinds of things that we should take into consideration for interviews. There are 9 changes in particular that are mentioned: Your reach is much more expansive Drastic improvements in video interviewing technology It’s much easier to schedule interviews An increased focus on cultural fit Candidates run the show There’s a greater emphasis on employer branding Networking happens in many different places The kind of employee hiring managers want has changed There’s a greater focus on data and analytics The two that I feel connect the most to what we have discussed in this course are number 6 (there’s a greater emphasis on employer bran...
Read more

Innovation Mirror

Image
Innovation is about the creation of new ideas as well as the revolutionizing of old ones. To me, innovation stems from creativity, the ability to use the imagination and foster original ideas—this is where innovation begins.
Read more

Technological Innovation and the Workforce - Amazon Go

Image
(http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/180126023346-amazon-go-inside-780x439.jpg) Could technological innovation be a problem for the future workforce? In the past several years there has been a significant shift in workplace culture and the presence of employees in the workforce. The increased integration of technology into this workforce has been consider a large factor in these changes. As this integration becomes greater through increased technological development and changes in company operations, we are beginning to see a new workforce comprised of these new technologies. Companies are restructuring to put in place innovative technological systems, and this often means the removal of first-line workers (people who customers engage with).             Just like when we walk into a Shoppers Drug Mart or a grocery store, we can now see how technologies are increasingly being used to replace employ...
Read more