What's the deal with LinkedIn?

An interview with a CEO and hiring manager about the truth of linked in and how it serves you.

If you are anything like me, at the start of your career LinkedIn was a true mystery of the corporate world. It was something everyone talked about, used, and seemed to understand completely, yet I had no idea about it. 

Did I miss the memo? Was there a class at university that nobody told me I needed to take? How did everyone understand the mystery of this strange mix of social media and recruiting nightmare? 

 Eventually, I got a job where I had to utilize social media, and I finally spent some time with LinkedIn. It was not as confusing or scary as I initially thought. LinkedIn is simply a tool for professionals to find jobs. It's wrapped in a shiny facebook style package to boost engagement, but it's merely a recruiting tool. But does it help you to find jobs? 

Many applications these days ask for your profile, and there are applications available on the site as well. How much does your profile affect your job prospects? To get to the bottom of the LinkedIn conundrum, I sat down with KC Misulis of Misulis Group to hear what he had to say about the social media recruiting mashup. 

Q: As CEO and manager, how do you see the role of LinkedIn in the hiring process and beyond?

A: LinkedIn has many similarities to other social media, but an important part here is the culture and expectations within LinkedIn. On many social media sites, talking directly about work is not what people usually look for. It's like getting a mid-video ad on YouTube. LinkedIn is all about work; you are encouraged and celebrated for talking about work. In the hiring process, LinkedIn gives people a holistic view of a person beyond what they directly submit to a hiring manager. Over time, I hope we will see more companies use services like LinkedIn over older methods. Those old fragmented hiring systems where people have to input their work experience repeatedly make the process more difficult for applicants. Integrating services like LinkedIn would genuinely make life better for applicants.

Q: What are you looking for when viewing someone's LinkedIn? What are the red flags?

A: The first thing is I'm looking for completeness of the profile. It might sound small, but not having your profile filled out is my first big red flag. Some people don't want to be as active on Social Media, and that's fine, but especially for work, people have to know who you are, what you want, and what you can do. So it's worth it to create a high-quality, utterly filled-in profile. If I can't ascertain that from your profile, then you should redo it. The second thing I look for is what you want to do and where you want to go. You don't need a 5-year plan, but give readers a clear view of how they can understand what you do for a living and your goals. Give an explicit goal, like "Looking for a career in graphic design." That way, I'm much more likely to contact you if I'm looking for a graphic designer. 

Q: Were any of your current employees found on linked in? Is it a regular part of your hiring process at Misulis Group?

A: As we grow, we want to make it an increasing part of our recruitment process. While we don't require 3-5 years of experience for an entry-level job like most companies, we want to know where the person is right now and where they want to go. As we look for more people in advertising, consulting, and especially in different locales, such as expanding our investment branch to Ukraine, we'll need people with the connections. We can get that through LinkedIn.

Q: Do you see linked in as a tool, a necessity, or something extra?

A: If you're working locally for homegrown companies, you don't need LinkedIn, but if you're hoping for a future in corporations or as an administrator, it is necessary. You'd be at a severe disadvantage without LinkedIn. I've worked with a few people who aren't fans of social media and aren't on LinkedIn or Facebook. Even though they're good at their job, I've hesitated to refer people to them because of their lack of accessibility.

Q: How does a revamped LinkedIn profile benefit a candidate during the job search?

A: Employers will look at your Social Media. It's their job to know whom you are from looking at your public profiles. Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook are all important, but your LinkedIn shows who you are at work. Having a revamped LinkedIn profile signals to the hiring manager that you know what you are doing, who you are, and your specific background, which led to this moment.

Q: Linked in began with the intention of social media for recruiting purposes. Do you think it's still the leading online platform for recruiting, or is it just one of the many options for candidates?

A: While there are others like Indeed, LinkedIn remains the top. However, what we see increasingly is the fusion of work and life. Separating work from your personal life is a myth we can't enforce. So other social media platforms are becoming more important for work purposes, even if they don't have all the functionality. LinkedIn remains the top choice because of its orientation toward work. It's easy to look for jobs and candidates through this platform. There are still improvements to be made, especially from the Applicant side. Still, it will remain central for the foreseeable future.

Q: What is the best and worst part of Linked in?

A: The best part of LinkedIn is how easy it is to make and use. It's as easy as Facebook to create a profile or a company page and maintain it. It's easy to engage with and see what your network is up to. You can look for jobs in any part of the world with specificity.

The biggest issue is that LinkedIn isn't being used as a formal source of employment information. One of the program's intentions was that hiring managers could look up specific people's experiences without going through third-party sources. Still, these companies continue to go through them anyway. Thus we have the constant issue of "Please Input Your Work Experience. "The idea of Easy Apply is excellent, but you still need a resume to do it, whereas your profile should already act as your resume.

If you are interested in how LinkedIn and other professional documents can improve your job search and land more interviews, reach out to Misulis Group. We are experts in the hiring process from both sides of the desk and would love to help you.

Do you agree with KC or have a different view of the LinkedIn platform? Let us know in the comment section below and click the link to access all our available services.