Erica Walbert, a career consultant at the University of Georgia, reviews the 2009-2010 Career Guide with a student.By Courtney Clark
ATHENS, Ga.- Students are adapting as the job hunt goes digital through sites like “LinkedIn”, a professional social media network.
According to its website (http://www.linkedin.com/), LinkedIn has “over 60 million members in over 200 countries” of various professions.
Dr. Tom Reichert, a professor of advertising at the University of Georgia, recently read that LinkedIn was the third largest social networking site. He thinks the site appeals to so many because “it is a way to find jobs, meet people, and share professional interests while establishing relationships.”
Reichert added that he does not feel LinkedIn is relevant to college students because they have not entered into the professional space yet.
He encourages students to get familiar with the site because he feels that it will be useful in the future for finding references or a job.
Josh Bridgers, a graduate student in bioinformatics from Beaufort, N.C., would likely agree with this statement. He said that even though he has a profile, he does not use it very much because he has “no legitimate contacts” and is not currently looking for a job.
Another student, Ryan Hill, a 26-year-old political science major from Ballground, Ga., said that he does not quite understand what the site is used for. He added that because he had a Facebook profile, he felt he did not need to join something else.
UGA Career Center consultant Laura Ledgerwood said she promotes the use of LinkedIn among students because it is “an invaluable tool to conduct employer research and to connect with friends and advisors.”
The University of Georgia company, as it is called on LinkedIn, has 10,057 members. Only 6 percent of these members are students and 22 percent are professors.
Ledgerwood added that she understands why students are becoming increasingly frustrated as employers request everything to be submitted online, instead of taking resumes in person at a career fair or by mail.
Jennie Allison, a sophomore environmental economics major from Kennesaw, Ga., feels that submitting everything online can allow students to get lost in the shuffle. The new process annoys her because she feels that students now have to “let what’s on paper speak for you, and that may not always be enough.”
Ledgerwood counters these sentiments by saying that if a student made a good impression at a career fair, for instance, the employer will be more likely to respond to their online submission.
Erica Walbert, another Career Center consultant at UGA, said that LinkedIn is simply a tool, and it will not be able to replace the “valuable face-to-face time.”
Walbert encourages students to use LinkedIn to conduct “informational interviews” where students can go through and see where alumni are currently working. From there, students can contact them about their professional experiences and network for a job.
Students can join or search various alumni groups like the UGA Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication Alumni with 491 members, or the Terry College Alumni group with 1,820 members.
Walbert provided tips for students looking to improve their profile including the use of a professional picture and importing a resume that includes lots of details about accomplishments and work experiences.
She also suggested that students join groups related to their industry, as they are “invaluable because they are focused on professional niche opportunities.”
The main point students need to remember is that LinkedIn is unlike other social media sites in that it is professionally focused.
Reichert adds to this point by saying it’s like “your button-up vs. your button-down.”
Better data in this version in terms of LinkedIn users and membership in various UGA-related groups. The story still feels like it starts in the middle, like we've been talking about it for awhile and you're just finishing a point. "Students are adapting as the job hunt..." Which students? Adapting to what? Whose job hunt?
ReplyDeleteYour lead has to function as a complete thought: "UGA students entering the job market are adapting to new communication tools favored by employers, such as the social networking site 'LinkedIn.'" This is longer, but clearer. It doesn't make assumptions. The reader doesn't have to catch up with you. Let the story flow logically, in complete points, from there.