By Justin Brisson > Freshman > Journalism > University of Missouri
In today’s world of social networking, the Internet has become a diverse tool that allows people from all over to establish connections and interact with others. Facebook, Twitter and blogging websites have allowed users to maintain contact with friends, family and contacts alike. LinkedIn and VisualCV have taken business interaction with employers and employees to a new level. Media has been diversified and improved to accommodate a growing population of Internet users. Students on college campuses are doing their best to keep up with the speed of change.
Twitter is mostly seen as a site that allows individuals to stay up-to-date with news and what is occurring in the lives of celebrities. However, some businesses use Twitter as a means to let followers know about recent job openings. Brooke Morris, a sophomore at the University of Missouri, is one of a number of people who believe that Twitter, along with Facebook, is not the best tool for businesses.
“If a business were to post a job opening on Twitter,” Morris said, “it would seem unprofessional because it’s too informal.”
On the other hand, Steve Hesky, a freshman at the University of Missouri, believes that it makes a lot of sense from a business perspective to post job openings on a Twitter account.
“It’s a way of spreading the word and letting followers know immediately that a position is open,” Hesky said.
While some college student have a problem with Twitter being used as an employment tool, LinkedIn is widely known as one of the main sources for establishing business connections online.
LinkedIn is a website that allows users to maintain business contacts across the globe. Contacts are categorized into three separate categories: first-level, second-level and third-level. First-level contacts are people with whom you have an immediate relationship, while second-level contacts are friends of friends and third-level contacts have a relationship with your second-level contacts.
LinkedIn is a valuable resource for businessmen to maintain their contacts and coordinate on projects between companies. It also allows for businesses to search for potential employees through their contacts list.
Most college students are not aware of LinkedIn and how it can be a significant asset for their future careers. Hesky believes that as of right now in a student’s life, jobs are usually just a way to make money for personal expenditure. However, once students graduate, he believes a site like LinkedIn will be invaluable.
“It would be beneficial to get a profile on LinkedIn once I look for a serious job,” Hesky said, “as opposed to a temporary job like what I’m looking for now.”
Morris also believes that LinkedIn is not that important to her right now because of the type of job in which she is searching for this summer. However, she feels that extraneous circumstances could have an impact on the site’s use.
“If I were to move for some reason,” Morris said, “it would be great to use LinkedIn in order to establish some business contacts in my next place of residence.”
Hesky and Morris are just two examples of Mizzou students doing their best to keep up with today’s expanding social network community. New websites and innovative ideas arise every day. All one has to do is look, however, because Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are only a few of the numerous ways that one can connect with the world.
photo from http://www.marketinginmalta.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/social_networking.jpg
