Looking for work via LinkedIn

Local news producer writes off social media site in her job search

It's very rare that I share my work life on my personal Facebook page. So when I snapped a couple of photos and posted them with the caption "Working. Come sit in the hot seat" I was surprised how many of my Facebook Friends were interested.

One friend asked, "What does this job entail?" I explained to my Facebook friend, who also happens to be a fellow journalist and former classmate from University of South Carolina's School of Journalism and Mass Communications, that, "I'm a managing editor of a financial trade publication, which has a website and an online TV portal."

On this day I was at a conference in Orlando, Fla. conducting video interviews for Accounting Today's 4th Annual Growth & Profitability Summit. I usually jump on the opportunity to put my video skills to work when I attend functions like this. "I interview, shoot, edit and voice" I commented back, explaining that I make several packages for the Web site's video portal.

From my friend's response I believed that she was thrilled to see another fellow alumna use their broadcast skills in a different medium. "I'm looking for a new way to use my journalism degree because I HATE newsrooms," she replied. "This information will help me in my job search."

I then extended advice for us to connect on LinkedIn and told her that there are many opportunities out there through the social media site. Turns out she knows that there are jobs out there but the problem is that she's not sure of the job titles she should be looking for. My Facebook friend is a producer in local news and knows how to spot those jobs but the roadblock that she runs into is "In other industries they are called other things."

LinkedIn would be a great job search tool for my former USC classmate. And no sooner did I think it, her next sentence read, "I've disabled my LinkedIn page. I didn't find it useful." GASP! "Noooo! Get back on LinkedIn," I immediately replied. 

In September, I spent my Saturday at the NABJ Region 1 conference in New York City, where almost every speaker asked the audience if they had a LinkedIn profile. They explained how important it is to have an up to date LinkedIn page. For those who didn't raise their hands, the speakers shared their experiences of how LinkedIn worked for them in making great connections within their field and some even landed a job through the portal.

I am now posing this question to you fellow journalist and LinkedIn users. Is LinkedIn a resourceful tool for journalist, specifically news producers who are ready to expand outside of the newsroom? I think so, but what's your view?

Tweet me: @TamikaCody @TCsViews or,

Email your responses to AstuteStories@gmail.com