You've Been Linked

LinkedIn. A website that most people thought was reserved for the working man or woman. Now, it has become one of the most used tools to finding a job.

LinkedIn can be seen almost as a professional Facebook. Information about yourself, like activities you are involved in, places of employment and education are included. However, there are no "favorites" categories, places to upload photos or a wall. In fact, the only way to contact a person on LinkedIn is to request that you be added to their network.

The beauty of LinkedIn is that it is totally free. There are, however, some limitations. For example, you cannot InMail, or contact via message, a person unless you have an upgraded account. LinkedIn allows you to connect to past employers or work colleagues, reconnect with classmates and build a professional online community. A member can import their resume or build job descriptions on their profile, request recommendations from past employers and even upload a picture.

There are different levels of connections. A "first" connection means that you and another person are directly linked. After you link with people, the website will automatically recommend people you may know. A third party in this situation (for example, my friend has a friend and I want to link them), would be referenced as a "second" level connection. You can either link directly to that person or have a middle man introduce you. Lastly, a person whom you don't know or have no ties to would be categorized as a "third" level connection.

But what I find most attractive about LinkedIn is that you are able to look at a person's professional progression. For example, if you are interested in fashion merchandising and you know a person-who knows a person-who has a cousin who worked for Barney's, you can look them up on LinkedIn and (depending on their privacy settings) see their work history. I find it to be incredibly helpful to see where a person started and the different jobs they took in order to get to where they are today.

Another fantastic component of LinkedIn? Interview research! Now we all know the importance of researching both the company and the person interviewing you for a prospective job. Unfortunately, sometimes Google only gets you so far and you are left wondering about how long this person has worked for Company A, where they went to school and what their major was. LinkedIn is the perfect place to find useful information so that you may get a read on the person you are speaking or meeting with.

Like Facebook, a LinkedIn member can join groups. Now these groups are far from the "If this group reaches 1,000 people Jon Smith will shave a lightning bolt into his head!". No, they are quite the opposite. Professional associations, intern networks and companies all have groups that a person can join on LinkedIn. They can notify you about all kinds of information, from job postings, to apartment openings, to an alumni association bar night. In an age where so much is reliant on the internet, LinkedIn has found the ability to perfectly fuse professional and social outreach and networking.

And of course, LinkedIn wouldn't be this amazing without a job listing section. Employers can post job listings on LinkedIn and while it may not be as comprehensive as a site like Monster.com or Indeed.com, it is another resource to add to your list.

There was a misnomer that only people who are established in the work force needed a LinkedIn account. I can assure you, nothing could be less true. As part of our work training, each Career Assistant was required to create a LinkedIn account and become familiar with the website. At first, I "linked" my family, my past bosses and a few of my friends who had already created accounts. I steadily received notifications from people I went to school with, friends who had graduated and old acquaintences that I had lost touch with. Now, more than ever, finding a job is heavily reliant on not what you know, but who you know and what you do with it. LinkedIn is simply another way to put feelers out and make connections that could benefit you in the long run.

Now, I understand that people won't spend their time 'stalking' someone's LinkedIn account nor will they think to log into it when wasting time. But if utilized correctly, LinkedIn can serve as a positive supplement to a person's job search and professional path.

On that note, Link away.