What are the advantages and disadvantages of LinkedIn for students? This post will answer this question. But first, let’s look at the meaning of LinkedIn.
LinkedIn Meaning
LinkedIn is a social networking service that operates via the website and mobile apps. It is the world’s largest professional network on the internet. It has evolved so much over the years since it was launched on May 5, 2003. LinkedIn helps you find the right job or internship you’re seeking. Also, it connects you with prospective suitors in your field and also strengthens professional relationships. LinkedIn primarily focuses on professional networking and career development. It can help you grow a home business.
As a student, you can make use of LinkedIn to search for your dream job. Also, stay connected to a particular industry, enhance your professional reputation and get a platform to showcase what you can do for others to see. LinkedIn is a professional network community, unlike other social network websites. LinkedIn is designed to help students and employees make business connections, share their experiences, and showcase their resumes to find and apply for jobs.
Advantages and Disadvantages of LinkedIn for students.
Advantages of Using LinkedIn for Students
With this vast and large audience on Linkedin come great benefits, which I will be sharing with you here.
1. Stay Connected and Get Employed
LinkedIn started with the primary aim of linking employers with potential employees. That is, to provide or create a platform for individuals either as a student, a graduate, or even as an undergraduate, to post their resume. Also for employers to post current job openings.
LinkedIn has a decent search tool or feature that can help you find people in your industry, and keep you up to date with things happening around you. With LinkedIn, you can’t miss a thing. Moreso, you get to connect with like minds and build relationships with influences in your environment.
2. Give prominence to your brands
LinkedIn as a social networking platform has tons of relevant groups. You can join any of these groups and discuss relevant topics. Also, you even get to share your interest. By doing this people tend to notice you, pick interest in your skill or your brand then get to know what you can offer, know your strength, and in no time services will come on their own. With all these said, LinkedIn is a great and useful networking tool.
3. Promote your skill set
Another advantage of LinkedIn is that it promotes your skillset. This feature helps greatly in building a good online presence for students and under-graduates if harnessed correctly. If you are creating great content about your industry make sure to put it on LinkedIn. Because there are millions of people who are interested in that your particular skill set as this could become a means for you to become a trusted source of insight into your industry.
4. Gain exposure to prospective employers /recruiters
It’s no longer new that LinkedIn is the largest professional networking website in the world. According to statistics provided by linked on; 93% of recruiters use LinkedIn to research and recruit candidates. This means that job seekers stand a great chance of landing their dream job.
Also, get exposed to the world of employers and people that might be interested in recruiting. LinkedIn makes you visible to key decision-makers. This means that when your name is put into a search, your profile pops up in the results so you must treat your LinkedIn profile in a similar way to your CV.
5. Demonstrate your knowledge
This is similar to promoting your skillset. As a student, undergraduate, or graduate, with LinkedIn, you can demonstrate or show off what you know or what you can offer, your basic strength and ideas. Recruiters see your recommendations, connections, and evidence of where you have added value before.
So it’s important to ask for reviews, do a good job for people you have worked with, and ensure to get nice recommendations as all these will go a long way in showing your prospective employers what you’re bringing to the table.
6. Follow companies or industries and as a search tool
Having a LinkedIn account gives you the outright privilege to follow up with companies and industries that are of interest to you LinkedIn can be used as a search tool to research company’s interviewer’s recruiters, and hiring managers as this can give you important hint about things you should know before.
Keep up with a certain industry; having a LinkedIn account gives you the premium benefit of staying up to date with the industry of your specialization you set to receive first-hand news about the industry of interest
7. Vast and large job listings
With the current situation of the country and the ever-growing margin of unemployment rent in Nigeria. LinkedIn gives you that extra opportunity as an undergraduate or as a graduate to explore the millions of job listings that are available for vacancies. Because 93% of recruiters and hiring managers use LinkedIn.
As of February 2021, LinkedIn had 740 million registered members from 150 countries according to Wikipedia.org. This means that there are countless amounts of job listings that are flooding LinkedIn daily. This can be of great benefit to every prospective employee and student.
8. Publicity
LinkedIn can be used to great benefit when harnessed efficiently. Imagine yourself having an audience with over 740 million users. And a considerable high amount of people who would be interested in your skill. LinkedIn can announce you to the world in terms of publicity and advertisement.
9. Ease of resume update
With LinkedIn, you don’t have to worry about hiring a professional CV writer. All you have to do is to click the edit button and put in your desired information. Then, the formatting is done for you.
Disadvantages of using LinkedIn
The disadvantages of LinkedIn are provided below;
1. Risk of identity theft
There are loads of personal information that you have to display on your profile for prospective employers to see. Hence, in a case whereby LinkedIn servers develop an issue, you stand a risk of losing important information to the public, resulting in identity theft.
2. Incomplete profile challenge
LinkedIn like other social network websites required you to put up an attractive profile. That is a profile that is appealing to employers and prospective recruiters. People however find it hard to fill out profile details completely due to one reason or the other.
3. Tons of spam messages
There’s a saying that among 12 disciples there will always be a Judas. Think of how many Judas will be available on a website with over 1200 million people. LinkedIn is filled with spam messages from recruiters, employers, and even job seekers. All just to seek attention, mislead, and extort money, etc.
4. Time Consuming
One of the biggest downfalls and turnoff of LinkedIn is time consumption. The required amount of time you have to invest before you can learn to use it efficiently. Unlike other sites, for you to get the most out of LinkedIn you have to be willing to set aside some of your precious time every day.
5. Premium package can be expensive
Good thing they say doesn’t come cheap. Although, LinkedIn allows you to join the platform without paying. But the LinkedIn premium packages are charged for. For example, the “medium-sized career” price is just about $29.99/month. There are so many added benefits that this offer brings but can still be very costly for a starter or medium-sized business.
Conclusion
The earlier the better. You can get an account for yourself today. Even though LinkedIn can be time-consuming. Time heals everything. Having a LinkedIn account even as a student will do you more good than harm. And by the time you start reaping the rewards, you will be amazed about what you have gotten.
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Thanks for reading. Do you have questions on the advantages and disadvantages of Linkedin to students? Let us know in our comment section below. Also, do well to share this with someone. Cheers!
