When it comes to the big job hunt, there are a plethora of considerations that come to mind. Seeking out career fairs, perfecting your resume, and getting the right professional look all seem to be high on the list. However, there’s one tool we sometimes neglect when it comes to seeking out jobs in our field, whether it be Marketing, Advertising, PR, or IMC: social networking. Sites such as LinkedIn provide a huge leg up for those looking for a job in our current market. You will be able to get your resume out to multiple different audiences with the click of your mouse, while also putting your resume out to employers who you may have initially overlooked.
Not only is LinkedIn important for initially creating new job opportunities, it is also useful in growing and cultivating new connections and relationships. Networking is extremely important in the field of IMC and every connection you get could be a potential for a new opportunity. Active use of this resource shows those you have connected with, what you are up to, how you are looking to grow professionally, and if you are currently looking for employment options. With the current economic state, we have to exploit every avenue we can to ensure that we are able to find a job upon graduating. While it is necessary that we have a strong resume and good interviewing skills, we also have to remember that our potential job opportunity could be found through LinkedIn.
– Lauren Phelps, Alaethea Hensley, Jessica Kingman
IMC Hawks Blog 
I just created a Linkedin profile and it is interesting how it can connect you to people in your addressbook and maintain those relationships with them. Unlike facebook, I like how it is strictly professional and my whole professional life is on the a page. I’d rather have businesses check a linkedin page rather than facebook. Facebook is social and what you do out of the work place. Maintaining a professional image on facebook is more difficult and you constantly have to make sure everything you say is appropriate. I personally don’t have much to hide because my freshman party days have come and gone. However, I hope employers don’t look to far back now that facebook has the new timeline feature.
I agree with this blog completely. Someone from the UNCW Career Center came into one of my business classes last week to discuss a Resume Assistance Program, and she put a lot of emphasis on social networking. She said that as of right now employers are extremely interested in looking at LinkedIn profiles. She said they will do some investigating into Facebook and Twitter, but that it is impressive to them to see your LinkedIn name on your resume. Great blog, interesting implications social media has on the job hunting world.
LinkedIn is a great network to be a part of, but I fear that it will eventually lose the “push” that it has right now. Facebook has completely opened the floodgates from what it used to be (a social connection for college students), to what it is now (the entire life story of you and everyone else). LinkedIn has some strong regulations and retains professionalism, but it’s becoming popular and well-known very quickly. My fear is that it will start to fill up with everyone and their mother and eventually become a useless sea of unfiltered clutter. Let’s hope that they maintain their professionalism and remain a trusted source for businesses.
The Blog post “Connecting to potential jobs” puts it in a nutshell. Nowadays, it is important to use marketing to build your own image and sell yourself. Therefore it is crucial to use the tools offered, such as Linkedln. LinkedIn is a platform to promote yourself when looking for a job. It is the best platform to build your network, and network is essential.A few weeks ago, I created an account on LinkedIn and I am really impressed by network and professionalism.And I feel, that companies put emphases on having an account or not. LinkedIn might be a good opportunity to build your network and sell yourself, you used should be aware of using it in a professional way.
I think LinkedIn is vital for anyone searching for a job or new connections, especially students. Employers can only get so far looking at a Facebook profile; if they can search for you on LinkedIn and find out details about work experience and see who has recommended you as a connection, this is where employers will be looking. LinkedIn provides excellent networking opportunities, where connections can be made from across the country in a matter of seconds. The site has shown huge growth every year, and I think it will only become more important for employers and job-seekers alike.
I have a facebook and am tagged in a bunch of pictures, some I don’t want any potential bosses to see. To edit my facebook and make it “professional” would take so much time. Now, I can just create a linkedin profile. I think this provides a great opportunity for people who appear non-professional on Facebook, to appear professional in a social media site. I have not actually created a LinkedIn profile yet, but after reading this blog post and these comments, I am actually very excited to do so. Social media is becoming so important nowadays, especially in the field of Communication, and potential employers want to see that your social media savvy. I think this is a great way to do that.
I have never heard of this LinkedIn website but it sounds very helpful. Being able to easily send your resume to mutliple audiences would greatly help out in many career opportunities. I also like how it could serve as a social media site. I plan to delete my facebook account soon due to graduation approaching and wanting to hide some of the inappropriate pictures on my account, but this website would allow me to still be connected to a social media website while still maintaining a professional image.
I am not on linkedin, but i have looked around on the site and it could be a very useful resource. As a student my name is not out there in the professional world and with little experience, linkedin could be a helpful tool in my job search. I have to say tho, especially after attending that panel that it wouldn’t do much good to create an awesome linkedin profile that is extremely professional if you still have a facebook or twitter account that contradicts that. If employers are considering you and look at one social media site, i bet they search them all.
Even though I have not heard of LinkedIn yet, I am very excited to check it out it seems like it would help jobless seeking people tremulously. I do agree with the fact that social networking would be very beneficial by meeting new people and find out about new companies. It also seems to me that social network could hinder you as well when searching for a job because we all know that when managers are deciding who to hire they check your sites. They can check your Facebook account and see everything if you don’t have it set to private. They could also check your twitter if it isn’t set to private. I just hope that jobless seeking people realize this as they start to use social networking more.
Linked In is great for finding people in a certain field. As an aspiring graphic designer, Linked In will be a great platform for this career. Graphic designers can often work from across the world on a project. If my job is not localized it means that my job opportunities are plastered all over the internet. In this field it is very important to at least have an internet identity, a way to brand yourself to future employers.
I agree with this blog post 100 percent. With the current state of our economy and the high levels of unemployment, it is very difficult for many people to find a job. We always hear about various job fairs throughout the community but many people miss very valuable opportunities to look for jobs that are right in front of them. Sites like Linkedin are easy to use and have proved to be very beneficial. Not only can you get your resume and name out to numerous people with little effort, you can begin your search early. Many students who are about to graduate utilize this tool in order to get a head start in their job search. With technology continuing to boom, it is very important to start using it.
I completely agree with this post. With the current state of our economy and the high levels of unemployment, it is very difficult for many people to find a job. We always hear about various job fairs throughout the community but many people miss very valuable opportunities to look for jobs that are right in front of them. Sites like Linkedin are easy to use and have proved to be very beneficial. Not only can you get your resume and name out to numerous people with little effort, you can begin your search early. Many students who are about to graduate utilize this tool in order to get a head start in their job search. With technology continuing to boom, it is very important to start using it.
Now a days I believe that we should all take advantage of the social networking tools that are available with us. However, we do need to remember that these same social networks that can lead us to opportunity can also break us. Social Networking needs to be used wisely in order to protect yourself, and your loved ones. Moving on to the difficulty of finding a job in today’s economy, it is more likely for grad students to stumble upon a job then actually going out and looking for one. I say use these social networking tools to make a name for yourself, talk about what you do, how you do it and your goals that you have in your future. You might be surprised by who actually is looking at your stuff. We are in an age of social networking, might as well take advantage of it.
After the social media panel I really have done some self reflecting on social media and ways in which I can get out there to potential employers. With that I have been getting on twitter and researching specific brands and companies I specifically want to learn more about and get more accustomed to in terms of language use and credibility of the companies. I have not gotten too in depth with linked in but I do have an account. At the time I was unconfident in my resume but now I am more confident with selling myself to potential employers and think linkedin is a great way to do so. After all if we have so much stress on learning social media I would assume employers would be looking through the media in which they want you to be skilled in.
I totally agree with this blog post. I’ve recently been introduce to Linkedin and have been amazed to see how many businesses and corporations that actually use this form of social media. It’s been said that networking is the key to landing a job. Why? The value of a bachelors degree is no longer upholding its worth in our society. So we must rely on other opportunities that will strengthen our chances on getting jobs, which Linkedin clearly represents. It’s a way to get your name out there and also learn about other companies that may interest you.
How often are companies looking at sites such as LinkedIn? I think any source that will allow us to get our names out there is extremely important in the job search but it all depends on how often these sites are monitored by potential employers. Any source of networking is key in the communication field and can be impressive to any employer.