When was the last time you logged on to LinkedIn? Chances are it’s been a while – most people only log in to update their resumes a few times a year. But there has been a 20% increase in content consumption on LinkedIn in just a few years, which means that LinkedIn users are actually sticking around the site to see what others are posting. LinkedIn is now more of a social network for people who are interested in personal branding and career growth than just a place to look for a job every couple of years.
What Changed?
The shear numbers of LinkedIn users today probably have a lot to do with this shift, but that’s not the only reason LinkedIn has become so popular. Personal branding is a shift that has come about thanks to the digital and social media age, and there’s no better place to do it than on LinkedIn. According to the numbers:
- 61% of professionals report hiring people they have had regular interactions with through online networks
- 79% of professionals believe that networking is a crucial element of building a career
- 35% of professionals have found employment through a casual conversation on LinkedIn
- 50% of LinkedIn users report finding a job through a mutual connection
LinkedIn Users Today
Currently there are 9 million companies on LinkedIn, more than 10 million job listings, and there are more than 100,000 articles posted on LinkedIn every week. LinkedIn is the best place to keep yourself up to date not only on the movers and shakers in your industry, but also the latest industry news as well as personnel movements within your industry. More than half of LinkedIn users are college grads, and most of them are high income earners. Three quarters of people who recently changed jobs used LinkedIn to help them make a decision about where to go next in their career.
If You Aren’t Using LinkedIn Daily, You Should Be
The changes LinkedIn has made to its site give regular users the biggest bang for their buck. Just like in college, the more you put into your LinkedIn usage, the more you will get out of it. It’s all about building your community and maintaining a connection with them. Learn more about the numbers behind the new LinkedIn from this infographic. You might be surprised if you haven’t visited the site in a while. Are you using LinkedIn to your full potential?
