Section1

INTRODUCTION:PROFESSIONALSOCIALMEDIA

ThisstudywasdesignedtoanalyzestepbysteptheevolvingroleofLinkedinandthegrowingimportance
ofasocialmediapresence.Thisstudyseekstoanalyzethesequestions:

HowdoesoneestablishalegitimateLinkedinpresence?

HowdorecruitersutilizeLinkedin,andwhatdotheylookfor?

Whyshouldoneupdatetheirprofiletoday?

BACKGROUND:LINKEDINANDITSMISSION
ReidHoffmanstartedLinkedinin2002;itwasdevelopedandlaunchedby2003.Itisoneofthelargest
onlineprofessionalnetworkingtools;withover300millionmembersinover200countriesaroundthe
globe.Theirmissionistoconnectprofessionalsallaroundtheglobeaimingtoincreaseoverallproductivity
andsuccess.Linkedinallowsuserstogainimmediateaccesstopeople,opportunities,andupdates.
Society is rapidly evolving at the hand of technology. In the professional world, an online presence
becomesincreasinglyimportant.RecruitersnowuseLinkedinasanecessarytooltolookup/reference
potentialhires.
TheoriginalgoalforLinkedinwasdevelopedforprofessionalstoengagethecommunitytransnationally,
andusetheirpassionsandskillstomakeanimpact.LinkedIncreatesequal economicopportunityby
providinganetworktoolavailabletoallcornersoftheglobe(Fottrell,2014).
DatafromthisreportcamefromvarioussourcesincludingLinkedIn,JobHunt,Statistica,MarketGrowth,
andTimeMagazine.Thesesourceswereabletoprovidestatisticsonrecruiteruse,candidateuse,andthe
marketgrowthandprevalenceofLinkedInincomparisontoothersocialnetworks.

STATEMENTOFPROBLEM:INEFFECTIVEPROFILES
ManypeopledonotknowhowtomakethemosteffectiveLinkedinprofile.LinkedInisprobablyoneof
the most underestimated social media tools inthe virtual realm. LinkedIn has over 101 millionusers
including executives from every Fortune 500 Company (*****). However, regardless of these facts
Linkedinremainsunderestimatedandunderused,particularlybythosewhoneeditthemost,students.This
reportwillshowthemethodsandimportanceofmakingadetailedsite.

SIGNFICANCE:GROWINGMARKETS

Socialmediaisbecomingmoreandmoreeminentintodaystechnologydrivensociety.Havingastrong
socialmediapresenceiscrucialintodaysworld.Linkedinisoneofthemostprominentnetworktoolsfor
business professionals in the virtual fieldknowing how to build an effective profile and utilize the
networkingpotentialLinkedinprovidescanmakeahugedifferenceinyourprofessionalcareer.

SCOPE:STATISTICSEVALUATION
The purpose of this report is to evaluate the statistics revolving Linkedin in order to illustrate the
significanceofthesoftwareitself,toestablishwhatrecruitersarelookingfor,tohighlightwhatshouldnt
beincluded,andshowthepotentialandopportunitiesaLinkedincanprovide.

ORGANIZATION:OXFORDSANDWHICH
Thisreportisorganizedinaconciseinformativemannerwithheaderformatintroducingeachsection.Each
sectioninthisreporthasanopeningheaderfollowedbyasubheader.Itwillshowwhatemployersare
lookingforintheircandidates.Itwillalsocoverhowtobestrepresentyourbrandthisissignificantto
understandinaprogressivelytechnologicalworld.

Section2

FINDINGS

A.MAKEASTATEMENTONLINKEDIN
AdultsonSocialMedia
The virtual realm has become an advantageous tool in both finding a job and finding an employee.
AccordingtoJobhunt.org78%ofrecruitershavehiredthroughasocialnetworkLinkedinremainingthe
toptoolforhiringbyalargemargin.WaystoattractrecruitersonLinkedinandwhatyouneedtodoto
establishasolidLinkedinpresence:
Figure1
PROPORTIONOFADULTSONSOCIALMEDIA

Source:JobHunt,2014

AccordingtoJobhunt.org94%ofrecruitersuseLinkedInastheirsocialnetworktoeitherrecruit,reference,
orcheckonpotentialtalent.Comparethatwiththefactsonhowmanadultsareusingsocialmediaandone
canseetheimportanceofhavingaprescreensinthevirtualworld.Thoughnotasmanyadultsareon
LinkedIn,itiseasilythemostpopularsiteforrecruitersbyfarmostforthefollowinguses:

96%ofsocialrecruiteruseLinkedIntosearchforcandidates

94%useLinkedIntocontactcandidates

93%useLinkedInto"keeptabson"potentialcandidates

92%useLinkedInto"vetcandidatespreinterview"

91%postedjobsonLinkedIn

Source:Jobhunt/socialnetworking

AgeRelevance
InallthesefactsshowthewiderangeofusesLinkedInhasintheworldofbusiness.Investingtimein
improvingyoursocialmediapresencecanhelpyoubetteryourjobsearchandcareerpotential.Thenumber
ofsocialmediausershasgreatlyincreasedoverthelast10years.Thisisimportanttounderstandinorder
tofullygraspthenatureofvirtualsocialnetworking:
Figure2
AGESONLINKEDIN

Source:PewResearchCenter,2014
Inparticulartheagegroupofeighteentoaboutthirtyhasthehighestincreaseinusersfrom20062008.In
thistwoyearspanthereisaparticularspikeofusers.Theworkforcebecomesyoungerandyounger
throughouttheyears,andthoughnowthemajorityofworkersare30+yearsoldeventuallythatispredicted
toshift.

B.REASONSTOUPDATEYOURLINKEDINTODAY
JobrecruitersincontemporarybusinesssocietyscreenpotentialcandidatesonLinkedin.Professionalsuse
LinkedInasaspeedywaytoexplorenetworksandpotentialtalent.Withsuchafastpassedscreeningitis
importanttohaveacompleteanduptodateLinkedinprofile.

ContemporarySociety
Keywords,notbuzzwordsarewhatgetahiringmanagersattention.Thereare277millionuserson
LinkedInandmanyarecompetingforthesamejobsanditisimportanttounderstandhowrecruitersfilter
throughprofiles:

Figure3
VIRTUALJOBSCREENINGPROCESS

Source:Marketwatch
AccordingtoCarolineLevineauthorofaTimemagazinearticle73%ofemployersplantoincreasethere
spendingonsocialmediarecruitingandreferrals.Soessentiallyifemployersarespendingbigfundson

social networksthen jobseekers need tonetworkonand offline.Equal amountsofftimeneedtobe

distributedbetweenphysicallysearchesforjobsandupdatingyourprofile,andnetworkingwithanactive
presenceonline.
Recruiters
Recruiterslookforaprofilethatiscompleted:aprofessionalphoto,aheadline,detailedsummary,unique
andusefulskills,detailedandconnectedjobhistory,ect.Inadditiontoavoidbeingignoredbyrecruiters
joininggroupscanhelptostayuptodatewithtrendsandclassifications.
OneofthebesttipsforaLinkedInprofileistohaveitconnectedtoanemailcheckedregularly.Arecruiter
maylooseinterestifshe/hehearsbackseveralweeksaftertheinitialmessage.Thenumberofcandidates
andrecruitersmovespositivelyforewordat anunhullingpace,belowarethenumbersillustratingthe
growthinrecruiteruse:

Figure4
NUMBEROFRECRUITERS

Source:JobHunt
AccordingtoCarolineLevine93%ofrecruiterswillreviewacandidatessocialprofilebeforemakinga
finaldecisionand55%ofrecruitershavereconsideredacandidatebasedonwhattheysawonsocialmedia.
Stayingactiveandpresentonsocialmediapostingrelativeinformationforyourfieldorindustrycanhelp
boththeuserandrecruiter.
VirtualTools
Linkedinisnottheonlysocialmediatoolusedtoscreencandidates;Facebookandtwitterarealsoused.
HoweverwhenitcomestoprofessionalismthereisalargemargininusersofLinkedIncomparedtoother
networks:

Figure5
SPREADOFVIRTUALOUTLETS

Source:TimeMagazine,ArticleonMoneyandSocialMedia2014
WhenitcomestoSocialNetworksusedbyrecruitersforhiring,92%ofrecruitersuseLinkedIn,24%used
Facebook,and14%usetwitter.Thoughothersocialnetworksareused,LinkedInleadswithalargemargin.
Facebookandtwitteraremostlyuseasascreeningtoolinordertovalidatetheintegrityofacandidate.

C.REDEFINEVIRTUALNETWORKING
FundamentalTool
LinkedInhasgrownsignificantlythroughout theyears,expandingininfluenceandprominenceinthe
professionalworld.ThistimelinedisplaysthegrowthofLinkedInusersinincrementsofmillionsfromthe
firstquarterof2009tothe4 th quarterof2014.LinkedInsgrowthacceleratedatanenormousrate,its
membershipaloneincreasedfrom 296millionto313million,that isadifferenceof7million.Chief
ExecutiveJeffWeinersaidthathehopesthenewprogramwillusherinaneraofsocialselling,whichhe
describesastheuseofsocialmediabysalespeopletofindpotentialbuyers.Thecompanywillcontinueto
perusenewmarketsandfieldsandtapintoevenlargernumbers:
Figure6
LINKEDINGROWTHINQUARTERS

Source:StatisticsonLinkedInfromStatistica,2014
LinkedInfillsaneededvoid,untilLinkedInslaunch,themajorityofsocialnetworksweregearedtowards
connectingfriendsandlovers.CofounderMr.Guerickeexplains:
Therewasanimbalanceamongthoselookingforjobsandthoselookingtohire,andbetweenthosewith
moneytoinvestandthoseseekingfunding.Asaresult,thesekindsofpeoplebuiltscreensaroundthemand
usedtrustedcontactsasfiltersbeforecommunicatingwithothers.
LinkedInwasdevelopedonMay5th2003,aftereventhefirstweekthesitealreadyhadcloseto12.kusers.
LinkedInthengrewfromasfewas20signupsadaytowheretheyaretoday,withapublicallytraded
companyandamarketcapofabout18billion,anetworkofmorethan225millionfrom200countries
(Brown,Morgan.)

D.RECRUITERSWANTTECHSAVEYEMPLOYEES
Linkedinhasbecomeanessentialbrandingtool.Ithasneverbeenmoreimportanttobuildandmaintaina
greataLinkedinpresence.RecruiterstreatLinkedInasaquasispeeddatingdatabaseinwhichtheyquickly
scanoverhundredsofpotentials,thuswiththenumbersagainstasinglecandidateitisimportanttomake
onesprofileshine.
LinkedInProfile
Formostcandidates,LinkedInisnotcompletedanddoesnotreachitsfullpotential.Usingspecifickey
words,goodphotos,storytellingresume,andstayingactiveonthesitecanreallyimproveacandidates

chancesinlandingagoodjoborexpandingbeneficialprofessionalnetworks.Hereare5waysthatyoucan
improveyouLinkedInprofile:
Figure7
BUILDINGAPROFESSIONALVIRTUALPROFILEIN5STEPS

Source:SocialOgilvyonSocialLiving
Keywords
Keywordscanmakeorbreakaprofile.Itisimportanttoavoidusingoverusedwordsasthecoreofyour
talentsectionsuchascreativeorresponsible.Searchenginesplayabigroleonthescopingoftalent,
havingkeywordsentwinedinaprofilecanhelpacandidategetnoticed.
Image
Aprofileshouldsoundorganic,infactaLinkedinheadlineshouldcarryavalueproposition,orinother
wordsasowhat.Specificwordsandphrasessetacandidateapartfromthecompetition.
TellsaStory
Professionalbackgroundsshouldavoidafragmentedtimeline,insteadacandidatemuststrivetotellastory
inordertobetterconnectandcauseunderstandingtotherecruiter.Astoryrevealsskilldevelopment,
abilitytolearnandimprove,andcareeraim.
Photo
AcandidatesLinkedInphotoshouldbeprofessionalandportraythecareersultimateaim:

Figure8
PROFESSIONALLINKEDINPROFILEPICTURE

Source:LinkedInProfile
JeffWeiner,CoFounderofLinkedInsprofilepictureisprofessionalquality,goodlighting.Theimage
containsnodistractingobjectsandhasproperlightingandgoodfacialexpressions.Comparethiswitha
badLinkedInprofilepicture:
Figure9
UNPROFESSIONALLINKEDINPROFILEPICTURE

Source:LinkedInProfile
Thisimagedemonstratesunprofessionalism;ithaspoorqualityanddisplaysapersoninpoorjudgment.
Profilepicturesareoftenthefirstencounterarecruiterhaswithacandidate,afirstimpressionpersay
thusLinkedInprofilepicturesshoulddemonstrateasmileoffriendliness,confidence,andmaturity.
LinkPower
ApolishedLinkedInisthevirtualequivalentofabusinesscardwithacareersummaryontheback.

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Section3

SUMMARY,CONCLUSIONS,ANDRECONMENDATIONS

A.SUMMARYOFPROBLEMSANDPROCEDURES
Themainproblemofthisreportistheabilitytoaccessandutilizeinformationthatwillaidinthecreation
and preservation of a solid LinkedIn profile. Many sources contained data that was outdatedas
technologychangesatrapidpaces.Inadditionsourcesoftengavevaguestatisticswithoutindepthanalysis
or follow up information. Paraphrased information is difficult for analyzing LinkedIn strategies and
significances.

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B.SUMMARYOFFINDINGS
The discoveries of this report are focused on the development of LinkedIn as a relevant tool in the
professional world and the accompanying importance of virtual presence. There are many statistics
illustratingtheimportanceofLinkedIn,theamountofrecruitersandcandidatesthatbenefityearlyandthat
canbenefit.INadditiontherearedetailedstepsinhowtoavoidgettingscreenedbyrecruiters,orsimply
blendinginwiththemassesbyhypinguponesprofile.

C.CONCLUSIONS
LinkedInistheleadingprofessionalsocialnetworkingtoolinthemarket,everyonefromMcDonaldsto
executivesfromFortune500companiesareonandactiveonthesite.Bothrecruitersandcandidatescan
benefitfromastrongvirtualpresence.Toolssuchaspayingattentiontohowimageisrepresentedand
stayingactiveonLinkedIncaninfluencethetrajectoryofanindividualsprofessionalability.
D.RECOMMENDATIONS
LinkedInismorethannotleftincompletebyusersacrosstheboard.Inordertoreceiveitfullpotential
usersshouldaimtostayactivetopost,connect,joingroups,network,andevolve.Bymakingsimple
adjustments,suchaseditingaheadlineorconnectingLinkedIntothemostusedemailcanbeanimmense
difference. According to LinkedIn profiles that are 100% complete receive 40x more job and
businessopportunities.SotoavoidbeingpassedoverbyrecruitersandopportunitiesLinkedInshould
beusedasastorytelling,evolving,dynamic,resumethatcanillustratealltheamazingqualitiesacandidate
mayhavetooffer.

Section4
REFERENCES

WORKSCITED

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Brown,MorganS."LinkedInGrowthEngine:TheNeverEndingViralLoop." GrowthHackers.N.p.,7Feb.
2014.Web.6Apr.2015.<https://growthhackers.com/companies/linkedin/>.

CenizaLevine,Caroline."HowRecruitersAreUsingSocialMediaandWhatItMeansforYou."TimeInc10
Dec.2014:n.pag.Print.

Fottrell,Quentin."HowjobrecruitersscreenyouonLinkedIn."MarketWatch.N.p.,4May2014.Web.6Apr.
2015.<http://www.marketwatch.com/story/howrecruitersscreenyouonlinkedin20140502>.

Joyce,SusanP."GuidetoUsingLinkedInforJobSearch." JobHunt.N.p.,15June2014.Web.6Apr.2015.
<http://www.jobhunt.org/socialnetworking/LinkedInjobsearch/LinkedInjobsearch.shtml>.

Rodriguez,Nando."5WaystoMakeYourLinkedInProfileIrresistible."SocialThinking.SocialValuesOglivy,
27 Mar. 2013.Web. 6Apr. 2015. <https://social.ogilvy.com/5waystomakeyourlinkedinprofile
irresistible/>.

"SocialNetworkingFactSheet."PewResearchCenter.N.p.,2014.Web.7Apr.2015.
<http://www.pewinternet.org/factsheets/socialnetworkingfactsheet/>.

Statistics: Numbers of LinkedIn members." The Statistics Portal. N.p., 2 Jan. 2015. Web. 6 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.statista.com/statistics/274050/quarterlynumbersoflinkedinmembers/>.

APPENDIX

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AdditionalInformation:
SectionA
COMPANYMARKETGROWTH:
CompanyInformation:https://press.linkedin.com/aboutlinkedin
LinkedInfactsandStats:http://wersm.com/toplinkedinfactsandstatsinfographic/
LinkedInMarketShares:http://www.businessinsider.com/linkedinceojeffweinertalksabout
leadership20129
SectionB
ENDORCEMENTS:
Fortune500TopSocialMedia:
http://www.umassd.edu/cmr/socialmediaresearch/2014fortune500andsocialmedia/
ForbesMagazineLinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/forbesmagazine
BusinessSuccess:https://www.linkedin.com/company/forbesmagazine

SectionC
SOCIALMEDIADYNAMICROLE:
RoleofSocialMedia:http://www.forbes.com/sites/moneywisewomen/2012/08/08/the
developingroleofsocialmediainthemodernbusinessworld/
SocialRecruitingSurvey:
https://www.jobvite.com/wpcontent/uploads/2014/10/Jobvite_SocialRecruiting_Survey2014.pdf

14