20 Compelling Reasons To Spend Less Time On Facebook And More Time On LinkedIn

If you’re like most college students (or most other people, for that matter), chances are good that you spend more time on Facebook than you do on LinkedIn. But if you’re concerned with furthering your career (and you should be), it’s time to switch over to a more professional network. We share 20 great reasons why you need to be spending your time on LinkedIn much more than Facebook, and we hope they motivate you to make a change for the better.

1. LinkedIn is professional at its core.

   LinkedIn was created to connect professionals in online networking; Facebook was not. Although both services have evolved to include elements of each other, they do still remain true to their original purpose, and LinkedIn excels at presenting a professional front.

2. LinkedIn is a great place to gain expert status.

   Although experts are increasingly flocking to Facebook, it’s still hard for some people to take the site seriously. On LinkedIn, the setting is much more open to gaining expert status and credibility. Forums, question and answer sections, and groups make it simpler to connect and share your knowledge in a credible way.

3. Your college professors might actually connect on LinkedIn.

   Although some colleges take a lax approach to social media, many still frown on Facebook connections between students and professors. But on LinkedIn, connections are typically seen as a positive thing, opening you up to the resources that your professors can share with you, including positive recommendations.

4. LinkedIn represents a more targeted audience.

   Facebook is on track to hit the 1 billion-user mark this year, a figure that basically obliterates LinkedIn’s comparatively small 135 million plus users. One might think that more users means more exposure, and that would be correct, but on Facebook, you can’t be sure that the millions of users are actually online to hear about your professional life. On LinkedIn, you can expect to reach a more targeted audience that is connected to you, interested in your work, and willing to listen to what you have to say.

5. You’re more likely to get a recommendation on LinkedIn.

   A recommendation on either LinkedIn or Facebook is a great way to put your best foot forward, but you’re simply more likely to land one on LinkedIn. Recent stats show that 36% of LinkedIn users make a recommendation, compared to 27% of Facebook users. LinkedIn also has a 57% interested recommendation response, compared with 42% on Facebook.

6. LinkedIn users log in with a sense of purpose.

   While on Facebook, you may be surfing to find out about the latest cat video or your friend’s wedding photos, but LinkedIn tends to lead to a more task-driven visit. Users log in to check out job and collaboration opportunities, people to hire, and relevant industry news.

7. LinkedIn is a great place to showcase your unpaid work.

   Even if you haven’t been hired for a job in your life, chances are you’ve volunteered or done an internship before graduation. LinkedIn is specifically designed to help you showcase this experience.

8. LinkedIn is an online resume.

   LinkedIn is a great place to collect references, share your work experience, professional samples, and more. Your Facebook Timeline is much more like a digital scrapbook of personal experiences.

9. LinkedIn searching is more robust.

   While you can search for people and terms on Facebook, LinkedIn really shines in this category. You can search for companies, find people to connect with, get news, and more on LinkedIn. Your profile is also highly searchable, and represents a great tool for allowing recruiters to find you.