LinkedIn.  Compared to MySpace, which is about meeting students were
they are at, LinkedIn is about getting students where you want them to
go.  LinkedIn, despite appearance, is set up dramatically similarly to
MySpace.  The difference being instead of listing your favorite bands
you list your responsibilities at your last job.  

 

Here's some facts on LinkedIn:

 

*	The average number of LinkedIn connections for people who work
at Google is forty-seven; the average number for Harvard Business School
Grads in 58.
*	People with more than twenty connections are 34 times more
likely to be approached with a job opportunity than people with less
than five.
*	All 500 of the Fortune 500 are represented on LinkedIn. In fact
499 of them are represented by Director level or above employees.

 

Many of our young adults have an innate understanding of MySpace, but
think that professional networking seems "fake" or "not their style."  I
recently did a lesson on networking for a group of thirty young adults,
ages 17 - 24.  To be frank, the lesson bombed.  The students thought
that networking was totally beyond their scope.  When, they wondered,
were they ever going to just "bump into" people with job opportunities?
Sure, they agreed, their classmates might be able to help them out five
years from now, but what about now?

 

When I took the students into the computer lab to introduce LinkedIn and
to give them an opportunity to set up their personal pages, suddenly
everything clicked.  The student's experience with MySpace and other
social networking technologies made LinkedIn, and professional
networking more generally, make sense to them.

 

To check out how our students set up their LinkedIn pages, check out
Jeffrey's page:

http://www.linkedin.com/profile?viewProfile=&key=18757824&authToken=7AQ5
&authType=name&trk=ape_f000001a

In addition to setting up a great page, Jeffrey also recognized the
"recommendation" feature on the site and requested a recommendation from
me that you can click on and read.  Jeffrey is in our Opportunity
Knocks, Young Adult Internship Program, so I had them designate
themselves as "Interns" at OBT.  All the interns linked to all the other
interns, so at the end of the class they walked out "being "34 times
more likely to be approached with a job opportunity" than they were when
they walked through the door.  Last week, he got a great job at a bank.
He started Monday.

 

This lesson accomplished several goals.  First, it made students feel
that networking was within their reach.  Second, it gave students a
formal outlet that they can use to develop their network, and third,
they walked out the door with an already established network that, with
little work, could led them to career opportunities.  One hour in the
computer lab gave students tangible results that they could feel.

 

For those of you who aren't able to access MySpace at your school, I'm
curious to know if you are able to access LinkedIn.  Part V will look at
other social networking sites that may be useful to you that the school
officials haven't banned (yet).

 

 

 

 

______________________________

Emily May

Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow

783 4th Avenue

Brooklyn, NY 11232

718-369-0303

emay at obtjobs.org

www.obtjobs.org

 

<mailto:emay at obtjobs.org> 

  

 

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