iPhone. Not Just Phor Phun.

As a college senior about to graduate,  I’m doing my best to network with my colleagues and classmates. I go onto linkedin.com and type in their names in the search engine and the infamous words are displayed on my screen:

Suggestions:

•            Double check the spelling of your search.

•            Try modifying your search in advanced search or on the right side of this page.

•            Did you mean to search in Jobs, Answers, Inbox or Groups? If so, choose the appropriate category from the search dropdown above in the header.

Something in my head rings: WHY DON’T THEY USE LINKEDIN YET?

I decide to give them the benefit of the doubt.  Perhaps, theyre using some sort of alias (bad idea!), they’ve blocked me, or they simply just don’t know how LinkedIn can benefit them.

I’ll go with my third option and hope to convince them to get one.  It’s 2010, this is the year where social media is going to evolve and reinvent how business relationships are created and maintained. Business cards no longer add the same effect, you can now say, “Just find me on linkedin.com.” Businesses are now blogging, Tweeting, and using Facebook.  And they are without a doubt updating their profiles on LinkedIn.  These small, medium, and large businesses are using this site to let you know what they are up to and how you can get involved!

To survive in the workforce, here’s something you need to know; network, network, and NETWORK.  The old school definition of networking has been retired and has now combined forces with the almighty social media, making it a lot easier and beneficial to you.  LinkedIn turns everyone in the business world into a huge network of colleagues.  It gives you the opportunity to link to your colleagues and their colleagues and then their colleagues.

For those in college, this is mandatory to help get a job.  Here is a personal example.  After working at iRise, I used LinkedIn to look for a job.  I browsed my co-workers’ connections and inevitably they were connected to other people I wanted to work for.  I then asked them to introduce me, and lo and behold, now I have options.  During this economic state, knowing someone is especially more important than ever.  LinkedIn maintains a professional outlet that neither Facebook nor Twitter can offer. Sometimes your private life has to stay apart from your professional one.

Now, if you don’t have one, get one! I promise, good things await!

Carissa “The BizWiz” Estreller

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