Recently I have been on a bit of a job hunt. This has not been pleasant. I left my job in hospitality when I graduated from university in June 2023. I decided that I had been working in the industry for too long and I needed a change. To put it simply, I was exhausted. I wanted a normal job or one I deemed more normal. Not a 6pm-4am shift. I wanted regular hours, a decent and reliable wage, progression, and a new experience. I was ready to jump into the postgraduate world and become a career woman, totally obsessed with their job. I turned up one day for an interview for an admin job. I was excited and enthusiastic about even getting an interview. Then, somebody asked me what my LinkedIn was. I was thrown. This was when I learned that LinkedIn is the new CV.
If you do not have LinkedIn and do not know what it is let me explain this whole world to you the best I can. LinkedIn: Log In or Sign Up is a social media website that you can download as an app. This form of social media is quite different to Instagram and Snapchat, as LinkedIn is designed to help you get ahead in your career. The app shows you new job opportunities every day. You can connect with others and watch each other’s occupational achievements over the years. You can promote yourself and others by posting information about your current job and interests in a professional tone. It guides you to connect with people you may know from different points in your life. Overall, I think the app is very useful and actually helped me get this journalism internship that I am currently writing for!
The point where I realised LinkedIn took over was at that interview I previously mentioned. I went home and immediately downloaded the app and have looked at it nearly every day since. I did not know it was a thing! That is why I am writing this article.
LinkedIn is a tool employers seem to rely on now. It is used to build connections every day. It is refreshing knowing my employers can look at my LinkedIn and can see what I actually look like and can get some sense of my character and personality. A sneaky little bit of information I will add is that if you own the premium version of the app, you can see who views your profile. Even if you have the free version, it allows you to see a couple of viewers. When I found this out, I felt a little awkward as I had checked out too many of the teachers who were rude to me in high school on the app.
I have heard firsthand from an employer that if they are handed in a CV from a potential employee, they immediately run to their LinkedIn profile. If they do not have one or their profile is underdeveloped, this is a red flag. They see this as the employee not being serious about their professional career. This might seem unfair but that is the world we live in now. Social media and technology have taken over. A CV is not as impressive anymore on its own. You need to show employers that you are willing to move and work with the modern times. You are expected to download LinkedIn to show off your metaphorical, occupational gold trophies. I think LinkedIn is very effective as your profile is essentially an electronic CV you can add to over time. You can celebrate the achievements you add to your electronic CV. This is important as it is vital to encourage others and yourself in life.
If you do not have an account, I suggest you get one. I did this too late and wish I had done it earlier. This is not even an advert; this is just somebody trying to take the big sister role and encourage you to do something that potentially could help you better yourself. On the flipside I encourage employers to take a chance on the people who do not have LinkedIn or who may have a bad profile on the small account they do have. These people may be just as professional, they may just struggle with the social media aspects of life. This is fair, as when I initially opened the app, I felt quite overwhelmed. However, there is nothing better than when I post one of my articles on my profile, and my friends hype me up in the comments. Anyway, get LinkedIn.
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