Justin Delaney, ’12, Staff Writer
As graduation nears for the senior class, many students are discovering just how difficult a task finding a job in today’s ultra-competitive market can be.
No longer is a high grade-point average, a college degree, or previous work experience enough to enter the job hunt with confidence. Now, it is imperative that students begin to make connections with employers well before applying with a company.
LinkedIn.com has developed into a widely used resource by employers and applicants for networking and forming connections that could lead to jobs.
LinkedIn is helpful in allowing students to show off their resumes in a new way to any employers who are also members of LinkedIn. Considering that there are now more than 135 million users and more than 2 million companies with LinkedIn company pages, having an account could be extremely beneficial for those who are struggling to make important connections.
Members of LinkedIn are encouraged to post their educational background, previous and current work experience, links to any other networking accounts they may have, personal contact information, and recommendations they have acquired.
Laura Callan, a senior management student at Merrimack, explained the usefulness of displaying information on LinkedIn, saying, “LinkedIn is especially useful for anyone applying for a new job. Since resumes are typically only one page in length, you can really only put a limited amount of information on them. However, if you include a link to your LinkedIn account on your resume, it provides potential employers with an extra source of information regarding your skills and qualifications.”
