Venture: LinkedIn Is Changing The Modern Job Market
It is no secret that the millennial generation has long been synonymous with social media and the devices that make accessing its platforms all too easy. One element of this culture that is not so widely discussed, though, is the increasing significance of one platform as more jobs are created and more careers are launched. LinkedIn is changing the way our generation networks, conducts business and finds a path within the professional world.
LinkedIn’s influence in business hasn’t happened overnight. Rather, like all effective business growth, it has been gradual. The platform built traction and gained a member base of young entrepreneurs who are determined to change the faces of their industries. It is also, as it turns out, an excellent place to share inspiring stories and learn from those whose strategies you admire.
Part of what led to the popularity of this story sharing trend on LinkedIn is how this content is presented. Most of the stories making up a typical LinkedIn feed are broken up into easy-to-read small paragraphs--some do not exceed one line in length. The content is easy to consume for busy people and quite appealing to those eager to learn about the industries they are hoping to break into. These LinkedIn influencers, whose methods have helped give rise to a new culture of business communication, are often digital marketing entrepreneurs who have built their own companies from the ground up. In addition to this, these figures have often also carved niches for themselves as keynote speakers or contributing journalists for prominent business and technology publications. Many LinkedIn influencers also post articles on LinkedIn advising their followers on how they can use the venue to advance their own careers.
Of course, not all popular LinkedIn content is written. Video uploads can often be found on any given feed, as well as links to business-related podcasts produced by users. Professor Jonathan A.J. Wilson, Ph.D., of the Hult International Business School and GSM London spoke to Modern Treatise about LinkedIn and its revolutionary aspects. Dr. Wilson was the recipient of the LinkedIn Top Voices Award in 2017.
Dr. Wilson discussed LinkedIn's new method of connecting within the business world. He said, “The latest development has been the use of video, as an intimate way for potential employers or business partners to consume what effectively is a showreel in a world where its become too easy to click, send, and broadcast CVs.”
One of the most prominent ways users can utilize multimedia is to offer lessons from their past that have helped them succeed and are meant to inspire others. Most of the time, they seem to do exactly that. The popularization of this new form of storytelling-based business communication is a prominent way LinkedIn is helping to redefine the modern job market.
Joe Lazauskas, the director of Content Strategy at brand content agency, Contently, is well versed in the art of storytelling in the business world. He is the co-author of The Storytelling Edge: How to Transform Your Business, Stop Screaming into the Void, and Make People Love You.
“LinkedIn has broken down the barriers in the business world in a lot of ways,” Lazauskas said. “We're seeing an explosion in engagement with compelling content on LinkedIn over the past six months. This creates a great opportunity for ambitious people that create articles and videos natively on the platform that spark discussion. It's an awesome platform for building your professional brand.”
This system isn’t without its problems, though. Lazauskas also noted that recently LinkedIn has seen an outbreak of inauthentic written posts that he described as “Weak, empty-shell stories designed to trick LinkedIn's algorithm.” He added that he does not see such a trend continuing, predicting that there will soon be a backlash against inauthentic content. Lazauskas made clear he recognized this trend as being problematic. “You need real ideas if you want to build a legitimate professional brand,” he said.
Dr. Wilson took this a step further. As he put it “Millennials understand that they have to build networks and communities around areas of interest and affinity,” he said. “At times these topics may seem quite eclectic – but no job is for life and it is likely that they will be making several career pivots over the years, so diversity of content and networks is key. Plus, demonstrating authenticity with candid information is vital so that contacts can support what they are doing in a meaningful and informed manner, remotely and virtually on social platforms.
He concluded by taking us inside the mind of the platform's youngest users. “That’s why they are investing more time in platforms like LinkedIn, not just when they need to find a job - but to communicate, curate, and create space for iterations over time - in order to build a reputation, stand-out and with the ultimate aim of having a Personal Brand. For it to work, this has to happen well in advance of a career move.
It is worth noting that LinkedIn has also provided employers and recruitment professionals with a virtual database of their industry’s top talent and the ability to reach out to them almost instantaneously. In recent years, LinkedIn recruitment has become so popular that some experts in the field feel it is no longer necessary for LinkedIn users to list they are looking for work on their profile.
The site’s job listings are also helpful, as they allow users to send their resumes to companies that are hiring very quickly and even show them the profile of the company employee who is heading the recruitment campaign – giving each user the chance to reach out and take their efforts a step further. The new LinkedIn has revolutionized the modern job market and it does not show any signs of slowing down.