1. Art and Diseño

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2015
WSJ 3
3
1
‘We say social network; you
say jobs site.’
LinkedIn markets itself as a
“social network and online platform for professionals” and is
often mentioned in the same
breath as Facebook and Twitter.
But analysts say that it’s more
of a traditional jobs site than a
social network. Indeed, many
people spend time rejecting invitations from total strangers.
“It’s not a social network at all,”
says Jeremy Roberts, editor of
SourceCon, a blog and conference series for recruiters.
A jobs site doesn’t earn as
much from advertisers as a social network, and instead
charges recruiters and corporations for products and services.
Others say LinkedIn—which
has more than 330 million
members world-wide, 100 million in the U.S.—is both a social
network and jobs site, as people
join industry groups and keep
tabs on professional contacts.
“You might be looking for a job,
but we want to be able to give
our members the tools to be
better at their job as well,” says
LinkedIn spokeswoman Crystal
Braswell.
2
‘People don’t really hang out
on LinkedIn.’
Members using mobile devices
spent 14 to 20 minutes a month
on LinkedIn during October, November and December 2014, according to data released to MarketWatch by research group
Nielsen. This compares to more
than one hour on Twitter and
around 10 hours on Facebook.
“People don’t really spend a
lot of time on LinkedIn,” says
Tim Sackett, president of HRU
Technical Resources, an information-technology and engineering staffing firm in Lansing,
Mich. LinkedIn’s news feed
trends more toward work anniversaries, updates about work/
life issues and stories about
networking with LinkedIn.
The quality of the time spent
is more important, especially on
a mobile device, Ms. Braswell
says. “LinkedIn helps people to
become more productive.”
‘Thanks for all the free content.’
Many LinkedIn users try to
gild their professional reputations by publishing blog posts on
the site, but few are likely to get
the viral impact they’re looking
for. “The number of connections
you have does matter,” says
John Bonini, content-marketing
manager of Impact Branding &
Design in Wallingford, Conn.
One reason: sheer volume.
LinkedIn publishes around
40,000 long-form posts a week.
Given
the
competition,
LinkedIn’s news aggregator
“Pulse”—which members can
receive via email—is the golden
egg for those hoping to go viral.
4
‘Endorsements are only
good for your ego.’
LinkedIn has made it easy to
endorse people on the site,
clicking on skills that you can
add to a contact’s profile. When
you accept an endorsement on
LinkedIn, a new panel pops up:
“Now it’s your turn. Endorse
your connection.”
But the more you endorse
people for suggested skills, the
more members pop up in their
place. Critics say this virtual
back-scratching turns into a
never-ending game of whack-amole.
“Valid third-party recommendations are useful,” says
Jenny Foss, president of the
Ladder Recruiting Group in
Portland, Ore. Recommendations—more detailed mini-references that appear on your profile—are especially useful if
they’re written by a well-respected figure in your field.
5
‘Our site is complex and
confusing.’
If the difference between endorsements and recommendations sounds confusing, it gets
worse the deeper you get into
the site. LinkedIn can be overwhelming to users partly because it tries to fulfill different
services for job seekers, companies and recruiters.
LinkedIn rated No. 84 out of
90 on the “Global Brand Simplicity Index 2014” by brandgrowth firm Siegel + Gale. Users complained about the
complex navigation and excessive emails.
Robert Babboni
BY QUENTIN FOTTRELL
... LinkedIn Won’t Tell You
6
‘We get a free pass when it
comes to privacy.’
LinkedIn’s privacy policy is
just as long as Facebook’s and is
regularly updated, but analysts
say the site’s constant data mining doesn’t get as much attention as data mining on Mark
Zuckerberg’s social network.
LinkedIn has been successful
at convincing users that public
is better than private, Mr. Bonini says: “It brings out the vanity in all of us.” Hence, all those
unwanted invitations from networkers, salesmen and recruiters.
Of course, LinkedIn and Facebook are very different animals.
LinkedIn profiles don’t typically
contain such personal information. It makes money selling access to recruiters.
7
‘Our needy members will
creep you out.’
LinkedIn members often have
something to sell when they
contact you. Members usually
connect with potential business
contacts, people in their industry and potential employers.
“People do want something
STARTING OUT
Stuck in a Loser Job? It Gets Better.
BY ANNA PRIOR
Long hours, little pay, having
to wait for benefits to kick in,
being the lowest person on the
totem pole. Your first job out of
college is likely to be anything
but glamorous.
But I’m here to tell you—it
gets better.
I started my career as a news
assistant for the Sunday Journal, writing this column and
others, ordering office supplies,
managing payroll and other administrative duties.
Eager to work for such a respected newspaper, this was my
dream job right out of college.
But it came with challenges,
from having to stay late every
Friday, to a four-hour roundtrip commute, having to spend
Christmas Eve in the office instead of with my family, and
trying to figure out how to
stretch an assistant’s salary in
one of the country’s most expensive metro areas.
Fast-forward six years. While
the hours can still be late—and
I’m still not making Mark-Zuckerberg-style money—I’m no longer the new kid in the office,
and I’ve been able to build on
those early experiences.
Here are what some career
coaches, consultants and other
experts have to say about making the most of your first job
and getting to a better place.
Have Patience
A press of a button can bring
us everything from groceries to
a new shirt within hours. But experts warn that first-time employees shouldn’t expect the
same sort of instant gratification
when it comes to their first jobs.
Many millennials often get
frustrated when they feel like
their duties and responsibilities
don’t reflect their capabilities,
says Lindsey Pollak, New Yorkbased author of “Becoming the
Boss: New Rules for the Next
Generation of Leaders.”
The trick, she says, is to have
patience, recognize the source
of this frustration, and channel
efforts into viewing everything
at the start of a career as a
learning opportunity.
“Training and development is
not always fun, but it’s how you
learn,” she says.
Seek Out a Mentor
A mentor can be invaluable,
so experts advise seeking out a
colleague or even someone out-
when they email you,” says
John Derrico, vice president of
sales operations and client
services at StatSocial, a socialaudience data and analytics
firm. Only premium members
get to see everyone who views
their profile. And the mysterious silhouettes under “Who’s
Viewed Your Profile” can spook
some users.
LinkedIn members can adjust
their own settings so people
can’t see whom they’re looking
at, says Ms. Braswell. But she
adds: “Don’t you want the potential hiring manager to know that
you’ve done your homework?
8
‘Fake profiles are getting
out of control.’
LinkedIn is no stranger to
fake profiles, and some recruiting pros say the problem is getting worse. If a very attractive
executive—physically and professionally—tries to make a connection with Mr. Sackett—the
Michigan-based recruiter—he
assumes it’s a “catfish,” a company or person masquerading as
an influential business contact.
LinkedIn is not alone here.
Facebook recently estimated that
between 5.5% and 11.2% of its
profiles are fake. At LinkedIn,
that percentage would mean 18
million to 37 million fake profiles.
LinkedIn acknowledges the existence of fake profiles and says it’s
trying to fix the problem.
9
‘We need to attract younger
users.’
Younger users are key to
membership
growth,
but
LinkedIn is the only one of the
top-five online platforms where
members are likely to be aged
30 to 64 rather than 18 to 29,
according to a Pew Research Internet Project survey. Only 23%
of LinkedIn users are aged 18 to
29, while 61% are aged 30 to 64
and 21% are 65 and over.
In August 2013, LinkedIn updated its terms of service to extend membership to those as
young as 14 years of age in the
U.S., Canada, Spain, Germany,
Australia and South Korea, 16 in
the Netherlands, 18 in China
and 13 in all other countries.
LinkedIn’s Ms. Braswell declined to give the company’s
own user-age figures, but said it
has around 40 million students
and recent college graduates.
10
‘Our share price has plateaued.’
LinkedIn’s share price has
more than doubled since its initial public offering in May 2011,
but it’s barely budged in the
past 12 months. The company
sells products to recruiters and
premium subscription services,
says Rick Summer, a senior equity manager at Morningstar,
and must continue to convince
subscribers that they’re worth
paying for if it wants to increase profits, membership and
share price.
“It’s not as easy as a Facebook or Google model, where
everything is advertising-supported,” Mr. Summer says. “The
challenge [for analysts covering
the stock] is figuring out what
it’s all worth.”
Several major brokerage firms
remain bullish on LinkedIn.
Membership grew more than 6%
in the third quarter over the previous quarter, the first time in a
year that growth had exceeded
the previous quarter.
REPORTING SO
POWERFUL, ITJUMPS
RIGHT OFF THE PAGE.
Andy Ward
side of your company and industry whom you admire and feel
comfortable speaking with.
On a more practical level, a
mentor could also be in a position to put in a good word for
you at the right place and time,
even if your mentor is outside
of your company, says Win Sheffield, a New York career coach.
Even something as informal
as modeling the behaviors of
those you look up to at the office can be beneficial, says Ms.
Pollak. How do co-workers
dress? Are their emails informal
or conversational? Do they
come early or late to meetings?
Do they take notes or not?
Says Ms. Pollak: “Pay attention to the culture of your
workplace and the habits of the
people who succeed.”
Network, Network, Network
Beyond finding role models
at work, it’s important to network to get a sense of what
other opportunities might be
out there for the future, especially if you feel bogged down in
your current role.
Mr. Sheffield—the career
coach—suggests starting small
with just a group of friends.
Chat about work and their experiences, see what they’re
learning and what sorts of challenges they face, and then expand to networking events and
other more formal professional
gatherings. Set a goal of trying
to network once a month.
“If you do it on a regular basis
and keep it very low-key, then
you’re going to have a much better sense of where you’re situation stacks up compared to others,” says Mr. Sheffield.
Get Benefits When You Can
From health care to a 401(k)
plan and vacation days, you
might have to do some time before all of your benefits become
available.
“The company is making an
investment in you as much as
you are in them, and they are
testing the relationship just like
you are,” says Susan LaMotte, a
workforce consultant in Washington, D.C.
The Affordable Care Act,
which allows for children to
stay on their parents’ insurance
until age 26, has helped ease
the burden of waiting for health
care, but be sure to read up on
all of the benefits your company
offers and understand when
you’re eligible to take advantage of them.
And don’t be afraid to ask
questions, whether it’s reaching
out to human resources, or another younger colleague who
has been there a year or so and
is likely to have an understanding of how things work.
Missing my family’s Christmas Eve celebration that first
year was tough. But this year, I
have 31 days off.
Now I just have to figure out
how to use them.
Email: [email protected]
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