Social Media, Can It Be Used Professionally?

People Science Reimagining Talent Acquisition

For a few years now, LinkedIn has been the go to site for networking with other professionals. However, less and less professionals now use it regularly, and the ones who do have a lot of complaints about it. The concept is great, but so far the execution hasn’t been entirely successful. Can there be a social media site that remains professional?

Lately everyone seems to be comparing LinkedIn to Facebook. The reason for this is because so much of the content on the site is casual. If I scroll through my feed, I will find pictures of people’s sons and daughters graduating college, memes about recruiting, and annoying math problems. Sure, there will be some job postings and blogs that are industry specific (like this one), but not enough that I would use it to find myself a job. If I needed a job right now, I would be more likely to call, email or message on other social media sites than to announce that I am actively looking on LinkedIn.

As LinkedIn grew and developed, more and more industries had joined the network. As a recruiter, I am looking for top talent, not to buy a house or receive a discount at a local restaurant.  However, to someone in real-estate or someone in the food industry, these posts are of a professional nature; to me, they are more like spam. And let’s not forget about the multi-level marketing posts….

The more I try to come up with a solution, the more I realize I don’t think there is one. I want there to be one, believe me, it makes my job a lot easier. My professional connections will always be my professional connections, no matter how I am contacting them. LinkedIn might play a small role in that, but it will never be my only method.

By Caitlin Mandeville | People Science Talent Advisor

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