What? You're Not On LinkedIn? Fool Of A Took!

What? You’re Not On LinkedIn? Fool Of A Took!

Alright, so before I begin this post, I’d like to make a small announcement:

I found out who, or rather what, I am today. During a break at work, I impulsively decided to look for my name on Urban Dictionary. There, for all the world to see, was the meaning:

So there you have it; you’re reading the literary output of a locomotive. Apparently 993 people can’t accept the plain and obvious fact that every Thomas they know is a coal-burning transportational construct made of iron; however, I will not be included in that ignorant minority. It’s on the Internet, and we all know that things on the Internet are true. With that established, let’s derail from this subject…

(Get it? GET IT? GET IT????? Hahahaha…. I’m so lonely)

Let’s Talk About LinkedIn.

I read in Entrepreneur Magazine 25% of all recruiting is done through LinkedIn today. While I don’t know if that statistic is completely accurate, it does paint a very clear picture: if you’re not on LinkedIn, you’re missing opportunities.

LinkedIn is more than just another social network; it’s your online professional presence. To recruiters, it’s the foundation of your personal brand. Think of it as your online resume; it’s a place where anyone can go and find out if you’d be right for a certain job or opportunity. Paper resumes are outdated, boring, static, and can only be distributed locally. Even if you have your paper resume online somewhere, it still won’t be as full featured and easy to use.

The best part about this site is that you stand to lose nothing if you use it. Not even your time. Honestly, I put less than five minutes a week into LinkedIn, and those five minutes are mostly spent promoting content in Groups; if you’re not a blogger, you don’t even have to do that.

Basically, you just need to create an account and flesh it out. LinkedIn recently introduced some very student-centric features, so you shouldn’t have a problem representing yourself well even if you don’t have a lot of real-world experience. Add your classes, honors and scholarships, clubs, goals, and objectives. Try to get recommendations from peers and superiors. And, for God’s sake, use a picture of yourself. I saw someone the other day using a picture of Ren and Stimpy as their profile picture – this is not the social network for that kind of thing.

LinkedIn is simply another opportunity. Be smart and take it! When you do, you can connect with me here.

16 comments so far - add yours!

If you're not down with Facebook, you can post a normal comment too :)

anji August 1, 2011 at 9:31 am - Reply -

I always thought that LinkedIn was not a website for college students, but for “adults.” After reading your post, I realized that I was so wrong. I will definitely be creating a profile soon.
thomasfrank09 July 28, 2011 at 8:06 pm - Reply -

@FracturedScribe If you stay logged into LiveFyre, you can log into another Twitter account and stay on the same LiveFyre profile. I think it uses Twitter for authentication, but actually uses your LiveFyre profile for everything else once you’re in.
FracturedScribe July 28, 2011 at 7:02 pm - Reply -

I mostly just hate logging out of twitter into my other one just to comment lol @thomasfrank09 @FracturedScribe
thomasfrank09 July 28, 2011 at 6:52 pm - Reply -

@jl.iiird given that I’m starting a job at my school’s career center, a place that encourages students to create resumes, I feel like I shouldn’t agree – but I still do. Traditional advice is good for getting traditional results. We know the better way to do things, and because of that we’ll connect with the other people of the same mind.
thomasfrank09 July 28, 2011 at 6:50 pm - Reply -

@FracturedScribe breakin’ out the alter ego, eh? You’re totally right though – people are more honest and mature there. I really like the groups – you get the focused discussion of Twitter with the nice conversation thread format of Facebook.
FracturedScribe July 28, 2011 at 5:55 pm - Reply -

Linkedin is really easy to use once you get used to it. Once you become involved in some groups and other things, you quickly absorb it. I personally like it better than Facebook and many other social sites. Its easier to connect, and people don’t lie on there. Also, while connecting you have a chance to get a job. I think thats….pretty cool. @thomasfrank09 @MattieTK
jl.iiird July 28, 2011 at 3:45 pm - Reply -

@thomasfrank09@cwilkins88 Ditto Thomas! Resumes seem so static now in the era of social networks where the landscape is dynamic. Things are changing rapidly and skills can be improved by studying YouTube videos for crying out loud. I say, DOWN WITH THE TRADITIONAL RESUME!
thomasfrank09 July 28, 2011 at 10:10 am - Reply -

@Linda Kay Of course not. Where did you get that from?
thomasfrank09 July 28, 2011 at 7:56 am - Reply -

@cwilkins88 Honestly I’d like for it to replace resumes. The whole “upload” thing is kinda old. Why should we need to distribute information when we can centralize – and socialize – it?
Linda Kay July 27, 2011 at 5:09 pm - Reply -

lonely?!?
cwilkins88 July 22, 2011 at 10:13 am - Reply -

There are a lot of jobs that could be had through LinkedIn. Its also nice to know that every place i’ve applied to in the last year has checked out my linkedin before getting back to me.
thomasfrank09 July 21, 2011 at 5:18 pm - Reply -

@jl.iiird I’ll look forward to it! Like @MattieTK said below, LinkedIn definitely doesn’t do things as well as Facebook or Google+, but it’s still a good thing to be on.
jl.iiird July 21, 2011 at 5:11 pm - Reply -

Nice post Thomas, as always. I just created my own LinkedIn profile a few days ago and I’m itching to explore what it can do. I’ll make sure to connect with you on LinkedIn when access it again…
thomasfrank09 July 21, 2011 at 5:10 pm - Reply -

@MattieTK Having an online resume is definitely a good thing to do (I’ve got one here: http://thomasjfrank.com/about-me/resume/), and I’ll agree that LinkedIn’s interface needs some work. In think the most annoying thing about LinkedIn is that they can’t be bothered to make sessions persist across multiple browser tabs – if you’re logged in on one tab, and you go to someone’s LinkedIn profile on another, you’ll be logged out on that one still.

However, LinkedIn is still the dominant network for professionals, and a good amount of recruiting is done there. Add that to the fact that you can pretty much “set it and forget it” without ill effect, and it becomes an opportunity you shouldn’t pass up.
MattieTK July 21, 2011 at 3:59 pm - Reply -

Fantastic introduction Tom, definitely made me smile at my own stupidity in trusting a coal-fired locomotive.

LinkedIn is probably the most confusing network I’ve ever joined, and to be honest, I can’t wait for it to be forgotten and absorbed by something like Facebook or even the new kid Google +. Until the interface receives a huge redesign I’m still going to be stumbling my way around, and though I appreciate the recommendation engine, I still think that’s the only bonus for college-level students. Just write a decent CV, put it online along with your personal site and be done

My latest conversation: http://teekay.me/2011/retweet-etiquette/

Trackbacks and Tweets

@aaronrcouch August 22, 2012 at 11:30 am - Reply -

Think LinkedIn is only for “adults”? Think again. — What? You’re Not On @LinkedIn? Fool Of A Took! — @CollegeInfoGeek http://t.co/XoLuQqmm