Linkedin: What’s the Big Deal?

By: Nadine Jetrude Ragas

It’s likely that you’ve heard of Linkedin profiles if you’ve been on campus at all this semester. With the pandemic pushing life, work, and school towards virtual platforms, Linkedin is no exception. If you’re not quite familiar with it, Linkedin is an online social media platform geared towards professionals and their careers. Many would liken it to Facebook in essence, but with an Instagram-like presence since most young, upcoming, ambitious professionals utilize it as well. Needless to say, most students and faculty at King’s maintain active profiles—making connections, posting career updates, celebrating other peer’s success. 

Frankly, I hesitated at first to jump on the Linkedin bandwagon. It wasn’t until this past summer that I sat down with my roommate, a big Linkedin advocate, to make a profile of my own. I want to share some personal benefits that Linkedin has offered me. These will hopefully encourage the spark in you to consider making one now, as opposed to later (like me).

This summer, I interned for Prison Fellowship Ministries. Like most internships, mine was remote as well. Throughout the program, I worked closely with several other departments in my own respective role. I learned a lot about my own interests, my strengths and weaknesses, etc. Although most importantly, I learned a lot about professionalism. In the age where we are (at times) limited to virtual interactions, adaptability is crucial to develop as a professional. A lot of what I learned comes back to this one revelation: the workplace is becoming much more personal, holistic, and well-rounded in its approach and attitude towards its employees. From recruitment, to the first day on the job, to the end of my program, everything was personalized. 

This modern phenomenon was shocking to me. Although the workplace is much more inviting nowadays, there’s really only a few ways before you start that your employer, the recruiter, or your supervisor gets to know you. Evidently, there’s the interview and the resume that captures your experiences, your personality, etc. These are instrumental. Yet, the extra step really is having a Linkedin profile at our level. It shows not only great professionalism, but also your achievements, interests, and arguably the most important aspect: your picture! 

During the introductory weeks, my Linkedin profile served as my networking platform. I got to connect with professionals from the ministry and also build my connections through people at King’s, my old jobs, my friends from back home, etc. 

Linkedin may just seem like another social networking platform, but there is no other mainstream platform that combines your professional experience with your personality and interests. 

Create an account, and take a look for yourselves … 

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