Is who you know really more important than what you know? Sometimes.
While it’s essential that you actually have the skills to actually do the job, often it is the people in your professional network that can help get you that foot in the door to prove what you can do.
The team at LinkedIn analyzed their hiring and professional network data from around the world and to determine which industries were most likely to hire people from within their existing staff’s networks.
So, who does the site work best for? It turns out that more professionals from some industries are hooking up with jobs on LinkedIn than others.
If you have a range of connections on LinkedIn who like you and respect your abilities, then the platform can be quite useful for putting you in touch with your next opportunity.
Of course, having that strong network of supporters, you’re likely going to be more successful with or without LinkedIn. It’s the connections that matter, not the platform.
Which industries do the most hiring through LinkedIn connections?
If you are in the high tech, higher education, or high finance fields, LinkedIn can be your best friend. The data shows that in those fields anywhere from 35-45 per cent of new hires are being made through employee connections.
Sectors where your network matters most for getting hired
On the other hand, if you’re in the restaurant sector or in the warehousing, medical, or veterinary field, LinkedIn is much less likely to be of use to you and your career.
Sectors where your network matters least
Interestingly, I am in the field which LinkedIn says does the absolute least hiring through networking. According to their data only seven per cent of jobs in writing and editing are filled through employee connections.
But that is LinkedIn data. I have been lucky enough to work at numerous editorial jobs – most of which came to me through my professional network. In those roles, I have had the opportunity to hire many other writers and editors, and I always reach out to the people who I have worked with in the past whose skills and work ethic impressed me.
I just don’t necessarily connect with them through LinkedIn. It’s the connections that matter – not the platform.
Source: Industries where your network matters the most | LinkedIn
