Lumia Screenshot by @topgold
IF COLLEGE STUDENTS expect to get meaningful endorsements from blind referees, then they should set up a LinkedIn profile and keep it updated.
Because I've more than 10 years inside the LinkedIn ecosystem, I get direct requests from recruiters, company directors and senior staff members of various organisations when they consider employing one of our graduates. In many cases, I haven't worked directly with or taught the job candidate but LinkedIn shows me on the faculty of a relevant educational institution. Sometimes I'm asked to to verify the syllabus that the candidate completed. Other times, I'm asked about the kind of group project work the student finished. I am asked to serve as a reference by prospective companies more than students ask me to list my details on their CVs.
We count on LinkedIn to help improve the opportunities our students have to complete three month periods as interns with creative companies. It's relatively straightforward for the companies involved to see the kind of academic programme I represent and to make a quick determination about the level of proficiency our students might have at various stages of their education. Thanks to LinkedIn, I can generate placement opportunities for students faster than a full-time student services staff member.
I like the noise level on LinkedIn. I wish I could throttle some of its social signaling but I understand how little bits of information about who has new connections and whose content is being upvoted might be LinkedIn's version of Facebook's newsfeed (possibly the most successful mechanism for cross-pollinating ideas). I hope the year ahead results in me seeing more student activity in those LinkedIn social signals.
[Bernie Goldbach is the senior creative multimedia lecturer in the Limerick Institute of Technology.]
