LINKEDIN, AN ESSENTIAL FOR MILLENIALS

Prepared for
Shari Weiss
Business Communications 300
San Francisco, CA

Prepared by
Jessica Mondragon
San Francisco State University
Group 1

June 30, 2015

TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of
Illustrations
....ii
Executive
Summary
.iii
Introduction
...1-2
Findings
Benefits of
LinkedIn
3-4
Growth of
LinkedIn
..4-5
The Power of LinkedIn to
Millenials5-6
Conclusion and
Recommndations.
7-8
2

Appendix
..9
Checklist
....10

List of Illustrations
Figure 1 A Look at the Worlds Largest Professional
Network3
Figure 2 LinkedIn User Growth over the
Years.5
Figure 3 Post-Grad Use on
LinkedIn5
Figure 4 Infograhic on the Portrait of a LinkedIn
user.7

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
LinkedIn is one of the worlds largest professional network sites with over 300
million users on 200 countries. Out of over 300 million users, millenials only take up
13% of the LinkedIn community. In a world that is known as the digital era it is
essential for millenials to become active members on LinkedIn. This report will talk
about 3 major points as to why millenials should sign up and start using LinkedIn:

The benefits of LinkedIn: From gaining connections to researching

companies to providing resournces for its members Linkedin can help a
professional set up the platform for their professional page as well as allow

users to stay informed with companies they are interested in.

LinkedIn growth over the years: LinkedIn continues to expand over the
yearsand as it continues to grow the company has made several plans on

how to reach the world more globally and reach its users more effectively
The power of LinkedIn to millenials: With its increased growth and
benefits, millenials should take part of this professional network. 60% of
recruiters make up for LinkedIns revenue.

LinkedIn is making its way into the world more and more each day. With
improvements throughout the economy to users in itself it is a way for millenials to
stay connected and enhance their growth an opportunity just as LinkedIn is doing
for the company itself. In a digital era ist is essential for millenials to be active on
social sites, especially the professional networking site LinkedIn

INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND
With over 350 million users in 200 countries LinkedIn is known as the worlds largest
professional network. It is a platform where professionals not only seek business
opportunities but also connect with colleagues, build and maintain a professional
network, learn about companies, and get insight from different industries. 1 out of
every 3 professionals are active members on LinkedIn. Their mission is to connect
the worlds professionals to make them more productive and successful .For every
second 2 new members join the professional network. It allows its users access to
several operations from slideshare to Lynda. With such quick expansion LinkedIn
now has plans to digitally map out the global economy by viewing real time trends
towards economic growth.

PURPOSE
Although LinkedIn has grown over the years only 13% of LinkedIn users are
millennials. The purpose of this report is to discuss why more millenials should
become active users on LinkedIn.

SIGNIFICANCE
In a world that has become technology driven it is essential that millenials have a
professional social site that prospective employers can look at if they begin to
research a person. LinkedIn allows users to keep connections and let professionals
view their experience. In a time where connections are everything LinkedIn offers

not only the connections but also the opportunities for employers to see any
achievements and experience a person has.

SCOPE
Throughout the report facts will be stated to set the foundation as to why millenials
should become active members on LinkedIn.

ORGANIZATION
This report will discuss the benefits and growth of LinkedIn over the years before
moving on to how and why LinkedIn is an essential site for millenials to take part in

FINDINGS
A. The Benefits of LinkedIn
LinkedIn is the worlds largest professional network reaching over 300 million users
in 200 countries. Upon signing up for an account users are given the ability to
enhance their profile by inputting experience and other important information such
as schooling or volunteer work right away. After setting up the basics for a profile,
LinkedIn quickly tries to find connections or posts that members could be interested
in. in which there is a community of people that take part in discussions over a
specific subject. LinkedIn also gives members access to join groups. Users on
LinkedIn find it beneficial for several reasons as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1 A Look at the Worlds Largest Professional Network

Source: LinkedIn US Audience 360 Study

As it continues to grow the company makes improvements within itself to ensure full
quality to its users. From acquiring SlideShare to Lynda it is allowing users to have

access to several features. Professional companies all over the world have business
pages on LinkedIn that allow visitors to their site to get better insight about who
their company is and what their mission and goals are. LinkedIn gives users an
advantage by making it simple to access information about a prospective employer.
Users of this professional site are also able to show potential employers their
achievements and skills they have acquired over the past. This is especially
beneficial to the users who are pursuing a specific career and want to stand out in
the crowd. LinkedIn is known for allowing users to be able to connect with
professionals and colleague. This allows them to network over the web and the
more connections you have the higher chances you have at a new position in your
career. It is a platform where professionals not only seek business opportunities but
also connect with colleagues, build and maintain a professional network, learn about
companies, and get insight from different industries

B. The Growth of LinkedIn

LinkedIn has already set its foundation as being one of the worldss largest and
most used professional sites and as it continues to grow it has plans to expand over
the years. LinkedIn reaches over 300 million users in 200 countries. 1 out of 3
professionals are active users on the site and for every second in a day there are 2
new members on the professional site. The CEO of LinkedIn has stated that he
wants to go beyond just connecting on LinkedInthey have plans of viewing trends
towards economic growth in the global economy. A plan like that will benefit users
all over the world in their search to network and connect or gather data about what
a smart professional move would be for them. As the years progress so does
LinkedIn. With growth coming from professionals, companies, and all over the world

it is surprising to see how few millenials are taking advantage of this network "You
can't walk into a room without everyone having looked everyone else up on , was
the main response received by Business Insider while asking professional
accountants how they felt about LinkedIn. From professionals to companies all over
the world it is surprising to see how small the amount of milenials on this site there
are LinkedIn has not stopped growing since 2006 as seen in Figure 2.
Figure 2: LinkedIn User Growth over the Years

C. The Power of LinkedIn to Millenials

Connections are vital to grow as a professional, once a student becomes a graduate
it is difficult to keep in touch with colleagues and that is where LinkedIn comes in as
an essential to millenials.
Figure 3 explains five advantages there is to being an active post-grad member on
LinkedIn.
Figure 3 Post-Grad Use on LinkedIn

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Not only does it allow users to stay connected but it also allows them to seek
opportunities within each other. . Figure 3 explains five advantages there is to being
an active LinkedIn member following post-grad life. In a world that is relying on
technology all the time it is important that when a prospective employer searches
you on the web they are able to find a list of your achievements and experiences as
opposed to pictures you posted on Facebook. Who a person is and what they
represent are factors that go into hiring a person and if a prospective employer sees
that they are hard-working then there is already an extra advantage. Another fact
based on Business Insider states that Recruiters are LinkedIns main source of
revenue. Recruiters are constantly looking for people to hire and improve their
company. A recruiter for a business has stated that LinkedIn allows him to hire
people he wouldnt regularly meet. (LinkedIn)

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CONCLUSIONS AND RECCOMENDATIONS

Out of over 300 million users on LinkedIn, only 13% of millenials are active on this
site. In a world that is so technology driven it is essential for millenials to take part
in this opportunity to grow as professionals, to connect with others, and to discover
ways that benefit their futureall of this can be done by creating a LinkedIn page.
In a work force that now requires connections to even get a start it is important that
people are able to stay connected with everyone they can. LinkedIns largest profit
comes from recruiters, that alone should influence millenials, to become active
users on the site. As LinkedIn continues to grow all over the world, its network of
professionals will as well. I have discussed the benefits, growth, and reasoning as to
why LinkedIn is essential to millenials. In Figure 4 overviews several aspects of how
users on LinkedIn benefit from the site to their favorite feature.
Figure 4 Infograhic on the Portrait of a LinkedIn user

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Within doing research it can be seen that Linked In will only continue to expand and
seek opportunity not only for the company itself but for the users as well.
Considering it is the largest professional network and that recruiters make up 60%
of their revenue, millenials should find it essential to create a profile and begin
improving and expanding their professional network.

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Works Cited
https://help.linkedin.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/45/~/how-linkedincan-help-you
http://www.businessinsider.com/linkedins-plan-for-the-future-2014-8
https://press.linkedin.com/about-linkedin
http://recode.net/2015/06/16/linkedin-offers-users-free-lynda-comcourses-for-first-time/
http://expandedramblings.com/index.php/by-the-numbers-a-few-importantlinkedin-stats/2/

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