It goes without saying, social media is everywhere. Odds are you have Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, and Messenger installed right now. Maybe you also have Pinterest or even Tumblr. But what about LinkedIn? Remember that one? While everyone was gawking over photos that disappear in 5 seconds and live videos featuring celebrities, this professional career-focused platform multiplied its following, becoming a silent powerhouse with a rapidly growing influence in the job market. So open up your app store and read on because we’ve compiled 5 reasons why your LinkedIn profile could be the most valuable social media to use daily.
1) It’s growing – fast.
LinkedIn went from having 140 million users in 2011 to 500 million in 2017. This might have something to do with millennials beginning to dominate the workforce – being an entire generation that matured alongside the rise of the internet, it would only make sense to integrate that knowledge into their professional lives as well. which brings us to our second point
2) It’s been re-branded to be competitive with other social media.
Originally, LinkedIn was created as a means of connecting the business world. While it still serves that function, it has also begun to steer rapidly in a similar direction to Facebook (which also had more niche beginnings) and has drawn the attention of many more users. It has developed to fit the mold of a successful social media platform featuring interactions between users in the form of likes, shares, and comments, and some believe this purchase by Microsoft is to thank. Jumping on LinkedIn now is a smart move, as it’s estimated to be the platform to watch in the next few years.
3) LinkedIn owns lynda.com.
Let that sink in. The largest professional networking site owns the largest online library. The resources are literally endless. Through this integration, LinkedIn offers more than 9,000 e-learning courses (including language courses) to its users which can prove extremely beneficial to companies who utilize LinkedIn in their hiring process. Speaking of the hiring process…
4) It’s your online resumé.
Literally. Most online applications allow you to submit your LinkedIn profile now which is ideal. How many times have you struggled to put together a one-page resumé that not only expresses your personality but also highlights your job experience concisely? It usually takes several drafts and hours of editing. I, personally, have sent mine off to countless graphic design friends to construct the layout. LinkedIn allows you to connect your job experience to the page of the company you worked for. For smaller businesses that aren’t nationwide, this is very useful to the hiring manager who can get a quick idea of the type of company you worked for before diving into the actual work that you did for them. Most importantly, your LinkedIn profile allows you to show personality. Your profile picture is everything, and it’s encouraged to have an eye-catching headshot. This gives you a lot of leeway that you wouldn’t normally have with a traditional resumé. And finally,
5) LinkedIn unearths opportunity.
Not only has LinkedIn remained a crucial job search engine as well as a recruitment tool, but it also has encouraged partnerships that may not have happened otherwise. While it’s inevitable that you will reconnect with college friends on Facebook, LinkedIn puts your career commonalities at the forefront of your interactions with them. This could lead to brand partnerships or startups between former colleagues or classmates. That’s nice that Susan has two kids and a loving husband whom she skis with regularly, but let’s be honest – we’re more interested in partnering with her innate ability to wow a team of buyers, and that’s why we connected with Susan on LinkedIn and hid her posts on Facebook.
