Recent graduates’ usage and thoughts about LinkedIn

Examensarbete

15 högskolepoäng, grundnivå

Recent graduates’ usage and

thoughts about LinkedIn

The relation between how LinkedIn is used and perceived as a tool in job search

and networking amongst recent graduates with a Bachelor of Science in Media

Technology, and the possibilities the social network can offer.

Leonora Ruth Larsen

Huvudområde.: Medieteknik

Examen: Kandidatexamen 180 hp

Datum för inlämning: 2020-09-08

LinkedIn as a tool for job search and networking. It examines their thoughts around their behaviour in relation with how their behaviour can affect their future career opportunities. The purpose is to gain a deeper understanding of how LinkedIn is used which is based on the uses and gratifications theory. To examine this an abductive approach has been used, and four semi-structured interviews have been done to gather data from the recent graduates. The study shows that recent graduates with a Bachelor of Science in Media Technology use LinkedIn as a tool for job search, but do not use the opportunity to network to its fullest potential. The recent graduates in this study are also passive users who use LinkedIn as a place to gather information that can be used later. This strengthens the earlier studies done in the field that students and recent graduates use LinkedIn passively and do not use the functions “liking”, “commenting”, “sharing” and “posting” to be more visible to the fullest. The recent graduates are aware of the opportunities LinkedIn provide and that it is beneficial for them to be more active there than they are today but find it difficult to know what they would contribute with by being more active.

Keywords

Social networking sites, professional networking sites, LinkedIn, user behaviour, uses and gratifications theory, job search, networking

program “Project Management within Publishing”. The study is about the relation between how LinkedIn is used amongst recent graduates with a Bachelor of Science in Media Technology, how they perceive the social network as a tool in job search and networking as well as their thoughts around their behaviour and how this relates to the possibilities the social network offers. This leads to a discussion about whether recent graduates use LinkedIn in beneficial ways and if not, why they behave on LinkedIn as they do.

The author started writing this study in February 2019 where the project plan and the main ideas behind the study were explored. After a break the study started again in 2020, where data gathering as well as completing the study happened spring 2020.

The author of the study would like to thank the phenomenal supervisor she has had in 2020, Henriette Lucander, for believing in the author, supporting through tough times, giving great feedback and being patience as the author has worked full time when writing. The author would also like to thank her previous supervisor in 2019, Rebecca Floor, who helped finding the idea behind the study. Further thanks are to be given to all respondents participating in the data gathering for this study, for taking their time in weekends and evenings to be interviewed. Finally, the author is greatly thankful for all the support from co-workers, previous classmates, friends, family and her boyfriend, for cheering on her and discussing the study with her, without you this study would not have been possible.

1

Introduction ... 1

2

Context of the study ... 6

2.1 Social network sites ... 6

2.2 Professional network sites ... 6

2.3 LinkedIn ... 7

2.3.1 LinkedIn profile ... 8

2.4 LinkedIn algorithms ... 9

3

Theoretical background ... 10

3.1 Uses and gratifications ... 10

3.2 Uses and gratifications and LinkedIn ... 10

3.2.1 Interpersonal communication ... 10

3.2.2 Online Identity ... 11

3.2.3 Information ... 12

3.2.4 Career advancement ... 13

3.3 Sharing behaviours on LinkedIn ... 14

4

Method ... 16

5

Results ... 23

5.1 The usage of LinkedIn ... 23

5.1.1 Liking ... 23

5.1.2 Commenting ... 24

5.1.3 Sharing ... 25

5.1.4 Posting ... 26

5.2 Job search on LinkedIn ... 26

5.3 Networking on LinkedIn ... 29

5.4 Benefits and barriers with LinkedIn ... 31

6

Discussion ... 32

6.1 Uses and gratifications ... 32

6.1.1 Interpersonal communication ... 32

6.1.2 Online identity ... 33

6.2.3 Sharing ... 36

6.2.4 Posting ... 37

6.3 LinkedIn benefits and barriers ... 38

7

Conclusion ... 40

7.1 Further research ... 40

Reference list ... 42

Appendix 1 - Interview guide ... 46

1

Introduction

Social network sites, also called SNS, have changed the possibilities to network and search for jobs. Before SNS the most common way to for search for a job was trough job search sites, or even before that walking to a chosen office and applying directly. (Weiner, 2016) Amongst the different social networking platforms that now exist, such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, LinkedIn is one of the platforms which is giving the most opportunities to the users to network in a professional sense and can be beneficial to users wanting to achieve a broader professional network and job opportunities. On most social networking sites the users does not look for new people or to network, but to maintain the social contact with already existing friends and family. (Kim and Malek, 2018) However, social networks provide the opportunity for the users to maintain as well as extend their networks. Social networks make it easier to build a stronger and richer social capital and increases the possibility to connect with people the users usually would not have met. If the users are active on the platforms this enhances their possibilities to be visible and share their knowledge. (Utz, 2016)

SNS have made it easier to create professional relationships, to maintain the relationships and also benefit from these relationships. This because networking can be done from home, without the face-to-face interaction, and makes it possible to find contacts which could be difficult to connect with without going to an event. (Davis, Wolff, Forret and Sullivan, 2020; Papacharissi, 2009) Job seekers are now openly posting on social networks that they are looking for a job and what they wish for, and LinkedIn is being used as a channel in which the users try to reach potential employers. What is published in the network becomes liked and shared, and thus also spread to potentially thousands of people. Through the network, there is no longer a limitation on who can be reached, and applicants are increasingly connecting with CEOs and recruiters through just a click on their computer or phone. (Weiner, 2016)

Today, there are around 645 million users on LinkedIn, where students in colleges and universities is the fastest growing group (LinkedIn, 2020). Recruiters use the platform to post jobs and to directly finding suitable candidates for positions. LinkedIn is opening up for a new possible way for recruiters to be in charge of the recruitment process since they can now directly contact and find persons in one place. (Kluemper and Rosen, 2009; Johnson and Leo, 2020)

How the social network is structured and how the content is visible to the users is important because the platform can help the users grow their network and receive valuable information for future jobs. (Utz, 2016) LinkedIn describes itself as a business-oriented social network aimed at being the modern solution for recruiters to find talent and new employees, where they have a

desire to connect professionals in the world. LinkedIn is designed to work for both individuals and businesses, with the opportunity to connect these. The network works in the way that a profile is created, and the user can post work-related info, and then establishes contacts with relevant people and companies in the same area or profession. There is the ability to write skills, work experiences and studies, and the network has features such as posting information in a feed, sharing, liking and commenting other people’s posts. The website also aims to connect users to relevant jobs based on information they have entered in their profile. For businesses LinkedIn can be used to create a site about the company which people can follow, and the business can update their followers with news and information in the feed. This is also a way for the users of LinkedIn to get to know the businesses better, and to see who works where. LinkedIn also provides the opportunity for the users to connect with people who have studied the same, or work in the same field, by having groups which are smaller and closed environments. (LinkedIn, 2020b)

1.1

Problematization

LinkedIn describes themselves as one of the world's largest professional networks. The vision with the network is to create economic possibilities to the global labour market for all users. (LinkedIn, 2020) LinkedIn is the platform mostly used to show career progression, career experience and professional competence (Constantinov, Popescu and Mocanu, 2019).According to Gerard (2012) networking can lead to a possible first job and professional advancement, and technology such as LinkedIn can enhance these possibilities and improve the success of future career progression. According to Weiner (2016) it is thought that online networking platforms and resumes such as LinkedIn may replace the traditional methods, as a regular CV and personal letter. Weiner (2016) further states that job seekers should be prepared for these changes. LinkedIn themselves encourages everyone to start using the platform as early as possible, and according to statistics from LinkedIn, 24% of those between the ages of 18 and 24 are using the network today. (LinkedIn, 2020b)

LinkedIn`s task is simple - give all of the worlds work professionals the possibility to establish contact with each other so that they can be more productive and successful.

LinkedIn, 2020

The benefits of using LinkedIn actively is established by different studies. A study done by Utz (2016) showed that the users on LinkedIn who participate actively is perceived as more

because their contributions are seen as valuable. The users being more active were more likely to be linked to possible career opportunities, as well as being linked to other users to expand their social network. (Utz, 2016) This is also shown in a study done by Davis et al (2020), where the study showed that being active on LinkedIn gives opportunities for the users to receive information about their potential employers and future colleagues. Users being active by showing their interest and activities on their profile were more visible for others, as the other users would see if the information posted were of interest or useful to them. Without posting, and being active, this is difficult for others to know. (Davis et al, 2020)

However, there are more and more studies showing that students and recent graduates do not participate on platforms, such as LinkedIn, in a way that enhance their future job opportunities and work life. A study done by Constantinov et al (2019) on IT students and fresh graduates from the University of Craiova, shows that posting and being active on LinkedIn is not that common as being active on SNS such as Facebook and Twitter. Constantinov et.al (2019) gives a possible explanation to this that the students and graduates are more aware of their postings and how this can impact their professional career, as it can be seen by potential recruiters and future employers. Their study showed that only 7,6% of the target group actively used LinkedIn with posting “likes” and “comments”, and only 6,5% of the target group had ever written a post on the medium. (Constantinov et al, 2019). This is also shown in a study done by Gerard (2012), on 154 undergraduate students, which showed that the students did not use the network and the possibilities it gives to the fullest, and the reasons to this can according to Gerard (2012) be that the platform feels unfamiliar, the students are not comfortable with the technology or that a low self-esteem creates a barrier between the opportunities and the active use.

Carmack and Heiss (2018) did a similar study wanting to see how students perceive LinkedIn as a social network. Here they discovered that the students perceived LinkedIn as working well to create profiles and finding job contacts, as well as staying updated on news from companies they like. However, the students in this study were, as previous studies also shown as, passive users. They created a profile and kept track of who was viewing the profile but did not use the opportunities LinkedIn provided to search for people and therefore also create a network (Carmack and Heiss, 2018). A study done by Florenthal (2015), explored with the uses and gratifications theory what motivates and what inhibits college students to use LinkedIn. The study collected data from 30 business students at Northeastern University in USA, where the findings showed there where four uses and gratifications categories that applied to why the students would use LinkedIn. Interpersonal communication, online identity, information and career advancement. What stopped the students in the study from using LinkedIn was not knowing how to use the

network, and the thought that presence on LinkedIn was something to have after graduation, not before. (Florenthal, 2015)

1.2

Purpose

The primary purpose of this study is to gain a deeper understanding of how LinkedIn is used as a networking and job search tool by recent graduates with a Bachelor of Science in Media Technology. The study is based on the uses and gratifications theory, where the aim is to understand the target group thoughts around their “liking”, “commenting”, “sharing” and “posting” behavior on the platform, why the target group use the social network the way they do and how they reflect about their behaviour on LinkedIn in relation with the possibilities to network and search for jobs offered.

1.2.1

Research question(s)

• How do recent graduates with a Bachelor of Science in Media Technology use LinkedIn as a tool for networking and job search?

• What are recent graduates with a Bachelor of Science in Media Technology thoughts about their behavior on LinkedIn and how their behaviour can affect their future career opportunities?

1.3

Limitations

This study focuses only on recent graduates with a Bachelor of Science in Media Technology view of LinkedIn and their thoughts on how they use the platform. The study therefore does not focus on how recent graduates with a bachelor in a different subject perceive the social network and how they resonate about the use of LinkedIn. This delimitation was made to minimize the area in which the study was conducted, taking into account the time the author had and the experience that can be applied. Furthermore, the study is limited to recent graduates who have studied and graduated from Malmö University to make it easier to find interviewees who could participate with the right bachelor’s degree. Since the aim of the study is to find out how recent graduates experience the platform, employers or recruiters are not interviewed or taken into account. Furthermore, this study focuses only on how LinkedIn is perceived, and not how LinkedIn perceives themselves.

1.4

Target group

The study is aimed at researchers in the area of using social network channels from a user perspective. Furthermore, the study is aimed at recruiters in the media industry who want to have an understanding of how potential future employees use the social network and how they can reach this target group in job search. It can also be of interest to those who are a recent graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Media Technology, or with a different bachelor’s degree, to gain an understanding of LinkedIn as a social network.

1.5

Disposition

The study’s disposition is marked in chapters. The first chapter is the context of the study, a chapter to lay the foundation of the basic principles behind this study. Here social network sites, professional network sites and LinkedIn will be explained. The next chapter is the theory that have been used in this study. This to give the reader a greater understanding of the field. After this is the method chapter, where the method choices and relevant theory of method will be presented. The next chapter is the results from the data gathering, were data obtained from interviews is explained. The final chapter are the discussion and conclusion. In the discussion the theory will be examined to the results found in the data gathering, and in the conclusion the answer on the research questions is presented. At last, the reader will see the reference list with all references used and the appendix with questions asked in interviews.

2

Context of the study

In this chapter the context of the study is presented. The context of the study is social network sites, professional network sites and LinkedIn.

2.1

Social network sites

A social network is the relationship between individuals that bring them together. (Stadtfeld, Takács, and Voros, 2020) Social networks started as only face-to-face interactions, to exchanging letters, to telephones, and then internet, e-mails and messages. Communication in social networks are today over cell phones, texts, and applications linked to websites. The possibility to network has expanded, and there are no limitations to how a person can be reached, from face-to-face interaction and through social networks sites. (Kim and Malek, 2018) Boyd and Ellison (2007) define a social network site as a service that is web-based which creates the opportunity for individuals to create a profile, have a list with who they are connected with, and the possibility to view the connections made by other users in the networking site.

The goal for social networking sites, also called SNS, is to create, preserve and offer social relationships to the users and match the user with other users. (Davis et al, 2020; Musial and Kazienko, 2013) Networking across social platforms offer the possibility to connect people outside of traditional forms, and it is possible to network outside the boundaries of time and space. (Deuze, 2007; Musial and Kazienko, 2013) Social networks sites makes it easier to gather data and information, but also makes the information gathered less reliable as it is possible to provide false and incorrect information. This because the profile is created by the individual themself, with the possibility to apply information not verified by others. (Musial and Kazienko, 2013)

2.2

Professional network sites

A professional networking site, also called PNS, is a networking site established so the individuals can connect professionally with others. PNS often have the opportunity for the user to search for jobs, connect with other professionals, and network with individuals in the same field. The most commonly used PNS is LinkedIn. (Florenthal, 2015; Van Dijck, 2013) PNS is for companies a place where headhunters and the human resources department can find new employees, by posting jobs but also by looking for and connecting with relevant people (Kim and Malek, 2018)

2.3

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is an internet-based social network for job search and job posting, and networking and the ability to find unique candidates are the main reasons for being on the platform (Johnson and Leo, 2020). LinkedIn can be used web-based on a computer, or by application on a smartphone. On LinkedIn, users have the opportunity to create a profile where they can list their most important characteristics, relevant education, experiences and past jobs and current jobs. The network opens up for the opportunity to follow organizations, people the person know and people the person want to get in touch with or find interesting.

Figure 1. The frontpage from a user’s perspective on a computer. Screenshot from linkedin.com, the

authors profile.

The front of the network is a page where posts are published, both from individuals and companies, as seen above in figure 1. The front page provides the opportunity for the user to themselves write a post or article to appear in the news feed. In the post the user can choose to write a text, or add a document, video, picture, poll or hashtags. The user can “like”, “comment” and “share” post that are already in the feed. On some post LinkedIn provides comment suggestions to the users, which they can click on to publish a “comment” instead of writing a comment themselves. The “like” button also includes different ways the user can react to a post. These reactions are “like”, “celebrate”, “love”, “insightful” and “curios”, and are visualised with different pictures and colours. Further figure 1 shows that the frontpage includes a quick resume

of the users own profile, which is also visible when posting a “post” in the news feed, suggestion of people and companies to follow as well as advertisement. On the top the user has a toolbar which leads to “my network”, “jobs”, “messaging” and “notifications”. LinkedIn opens up for contact with other people via a chat feature (seen in the bottom right corner in figure1) and the possibility to be in smaller groups with other users (seen in the bottom left corner in figure 1). LinkedIn has the feature that a user can see who have visited their profile, which is presented in a list once a week, by mail and by notification on the site. (LinkedIn, 2020b; Johnson and Leo, 2020) LinkedIn offers a premium version, where the user can pay an amount per month to be presented with more features than the free version. In the free version of LinkedIn, they inform in what industry the person who have looked at the users’ profile works in, and with the premium version they inform exactly who the person is. (LinkedIn, 2020b)

2.3.1

LinkedIn profile

LinkedIn profiles, seen in figure 2, are fact-based with a clean look. The user present themself with a profile picture, and if wanted a header picture. Further the profile is formatted as a CV with text mostly arranged in lists presenting relevant factual information about the person, seen in figure 2, as education, current and earlier jobs, volunteer experience, and skills and endorsements.

Figure 2. LinkedIn profile from a user’s perspective on a computer. Screenshot from linkedin.com, the

authors profile.

The profile works as a portrait of the professional self and presents the idealized work self of the user by giving the opportunity to only present the skills and experience that they want to be seen. (van Dijck, 2013) It is recommended to delete inappropriate photos, using a sophisticated and professional language in what's being “posted” and “commented”, and avoiding negative writing about former employers, businesses, political commentary or private information about family and friends. (Weiner, 2016)

2.4

LinkedIn algorithms

How a social network is used and perceived are affected by the algorithms the social network has. The algorithms affect how the user see the content in the social network and what content is visualized to them. (Castillo-de Mesa and Gómez-Jacinto, 2020) The reason behind algorithms is to higher the amount of information shared by the user with others, and higher the use of the functions “liking”, “commenting”, “sharing” and “posting”. What the users is presented with is determined by the algorithms, and thus the idea is that the user is presented with different kind of content instead of having to seek for content themselves. (Berg, 2014)

The posts the users see on the frontpage on LinkedIn are from those they choose to follow, as well as what people in their network have liked or commented, as well as content that LinkedIn thinks is relevant to the user based on the information that has been posted. (LinkedIn, 2020b; Johnson and Leo, 2020) This is because the LinkedIn algorithm is based on the human interaction on LinkedIn and therefore it is the users on LinkedIn which mostly decides the content flow. (Foote, 2019) The LinkedIn algorithm works in the way that it gives a quality score to the content the user published in the news feed. This quality score is given before the post can be seen by others and examines what kind of response the content will get from other users. The content is then visible to the users already existing connections before, if considered a high-quality content, it will be visible to the users’ connections other connections. The algorithm also considers how fast the content receives any response. A high-quality post is a post that creates engagement by others, by them using the functions such as “liking”, “commenting” and “sharing”. The algorithm values a “comment” higher than a “like”, and therefore a post with more “comments” will receive a higher score by the algorithm, as it is then considered as contributing to the new feed. The LinkedIn algorithm does not remember if the user has posted a high-quality post earlier, which means all post created by a user is uniquely scored. (Foote, 2019; Gomez, 2020)

3

Theoretical background

In this chapter theory is presented, about uses and gratifications, job search and networking on SNS, as well as sharing behaviour on LinkedIn and other SNS.

3.1

Uses and gratifications

The uses and gratifications theory want to explore the reason and the need behind online media use, as well as traditional media use. The uses and gratification theory believe the users of online media are active and with a clear target, which makes the users choose the media channel that can satisfy their needs. The principle behind the uses and gratifications theory is that it is the benefits that come with a social network that shows how the individual will use it and what their behaviour on the platform will be. The uses and gratifications theory has become the most applied theory when doing research on SNS where the goal is to explain why social networks have become popular and why they are being used. (Florenthal, 2015; Kim and Malek, 2018)

3.2

Uses and gratifications and LinkedIn

In a study done by Florenthal (2015) on what students viewed as the uses and gratifications of using LinkedIn, she stated 4 categories emerged. The categories where “interpersonal communication”, “online identity”, “information” and “career advancement”.

3.2.1

Interpersonal communication

In Florenthal (2015) study the first uses and gratifications that emerged was interpersonal communication. In her study the participants found LinkedIn as a good place to network and connect with professionals and businesses. LinkedIn was seen as a place to develop and maintain professional relations, and to build on existing contacts. This was seen as one of the gratifying features on LinkedIn. (Florenthal, 2015)

According to Kim and Malek (2018) networking is seen as the main factor in success in a career in workplaces today. Networking has an important role to establish how successful a person is and the success of one's career. (Kim and Malek, 2018) Davis et al (2020) found out that networking is positively related to many different career outcomes, such as job search success, promotions, job performance, salary level and the growth of salary over time. Further Davis et al

(2020) says that SNS has provided the opportunity for people to network digitally, without the need of face-to-face interaction.

The importance of the networking aspect can vary from different industries, as to get a job in some industries rely more on networking to get new jobs when needing it (Mowbray, Hall, Raeside and Robertson, 2018). One of the industries that rely more on networking is the media industry, where jobs can be in marketing, events, graphic design, web design, programming and so on. To get a job in these professions the job searcher often builds up a portfolio which displays their previous work visually, to easier express their knowledge and skills. (Eigler and Azarpour, 2020) According to Gill (2002) to have a reliable network is the source to get information about new jobs and positions for the people wanting to work in the media industry. In the media industry the worker needs to take a larger responsibility for finding potential future workplaces, and to succeed in the profession they want. This because recruitment is often not openly published, but based on who knows whom, and which contacts the job searcher has. (Gill, 2002)

3.2.2

Online Identity

Florenthals (2015) second uses and gratifications in her study was online identity. The participants wished to be seen as professional on LinkedIn and thought their presence on the platform was important for future employees. To be visible was seen as important for the participants. (Florenthal, 2015)

The online identity is the digital representation of the social identity of a person or a group of people. The online identity transfers the physical identity to a person from the real world to the virtual world. (Kim et al, 2020; Musial and Kazienko, 2013) An online identity can help a person share their knowledge with others, as well as helping people improve their reputation and self-esteem and increasing the possibility for future interchanges (Kim et al, 2020). The users of social networking sites are often aware of their online presence and self-presentation. Users are aware of the importance of using the social network correctly and as self-promotion tools to communicate their person and what they want to others, often concerned with what others think and how they are perceived. (Tobback, 2019; van Dijck, 2013) Weiner (2016) describes that the toughest aspect of having a social network profile is that the user themself needs to find out what is appropriate content and the effect of seeing others content and how that affect the user’s usage patterns.

Showing the internet identity can be done by the features presented in the social network used, with activities such as “friending”, “liking”, “sharing”, “posting” and “commenting”. How the

features are used defines the identity online as this is the way others can follow the steps the user

is doing. (van Dijck, 2013) The features show the immediate, emotional and intuitive response of

the user, and becomes an extension of the self-presentation. However, the responses can be both truthful and untruthful as the user may use them even though they do not understand the content

or the meaning behind. (Papacharissi, 2009; van Dijck, 2013) It is also a possibility for the users

to manipulate and fake their profiles as they become more aware that potential employers may evaluate them. The information they provide on their profile may be posted only so others can see it and to be liked better. (Kluemper and Rosen, 2009)

The usage of SNS often presents an identity performance and “the more friends the more reliable the person is”. It is common that users use SNS to compete for who has the most friends, followers and connections, and who gains the most likes or comments on post. The more “popular” on the SNS the more status and political, social or cultural capital is achieved by others. (Papacharissi, 2009) As well as this, users may add a friend on a social network they do not know but feel they should know or maybe know. This because the algorithms on social networks presents other people to the user which can provoke actions. This makes users taking actions on the platform they may not be aware of or do to be a part of a trend or a community they would like to belong to. (van Dijck, 2013)

Actively using social networks such as LinkedIn has become more normalized, and more accepted as regular users of social networking sites follow the example of how celebrities and famous people use the platforms. In this way users shape their online identity in a way where they can become popular and liked by others, presenting content to please others. (van Dijck, 2013) According to Tobback (2019) mentioning names or high-level institutions can also boost the user’s possibilities to get in touch with others. This by having a high self-praise and not being afraid of what others will think of their postings and name-droppings. However, Tobback (2019) states that self-praise is more accepted at social network sites than in face-to-face interaction. This was also shown in a study done by Kim, Lee and Oh (2020) where they found out that having an online identity built on good social skills, friends and creativity could lead to sharing more knowledge on the social network sites.

3.2.3

Information

The third uses and gratifications Florenthal (2015) explored in her study was information. By this the participants found LinkedIn as a good place to find industry- and company- related

as others would understand them better. Another gratification found was the possibility to view others profiles as this could lead to learn more about the person, learn from the person and establish valuable contact. (Florenthal, 2015)

By posting information about oneself on LinkedIn the individual will be seen as an active user of the platform, which is connected to a number of positive benefits, such as receiving career sponsorship, learning to know important contacts and valuable information gathering. Being an active user on social networks such as LinkedIn provides the opportunity to learn information about contacts that in the future can be of valuable interest. Therefore, being an active user by sharing, liking and commenting is of importance so other users can look through the information presented. When a user is active on the platform other users has the opportunity to learn more about them, and by this decide whether they can be a valuable contact or provide opportunities for the user posting. (Davis et al, 2020) A study by Brown and Vaughn (2011) also shows that users who actively publish information that can prove the knowledge and experience they have listed on a social network, like LinkedIn, increase the chances of recruiters contacting them to offer jobs. This increases the credibility of the profile and thus the profile seems more interesting to recruiters according to Brown and Vaughn (2011).

Being a passive user can also benefit the user of LinkedIn as spending time reading updates and information posted by others enhances the knowledge of the user. Using LinkedIn as a source for information creates the knowledge of “who knows what” and “who knows whom” which can be valuable later in time for the user as they know who to contact and what resources is possible to reach out to. (Davis et al, 2020)

3.2.4

Career advancement

The last uses and gratification Florenthal (2015) found in her study was career advancement. This she split into two themes, employment and internship opportunities and realization that recruiters use LinkedIn actively. The participants found LinkedIn as a good place to find employment opportunities and the realization that recruiters use LinkedIn was motivation for the participants to actively be on the platform themselves. (Florenthal, 2015)

According to Johnson and Leo (2020) LinkedIn is being used more than traditional job search tools than before for job search among job applicants. Job search on SNS will for the users of the platform be the new way of communicating their value through a strategic platform for their skills, career progression and accomplishments. This way of searching for jobs makes it harder as the users must find a way to stand out among the hundreds of similar career professionals profiles.

(Weiner, 2016) According to Johnson and Leo (2020) LinkedIn has become a primary source where the users can look for and get jobs, where 75% of job searchers use LinkedIn to find jobs and 85% of employers use the social network when finding candidates.

The case with that more and more job search take place on social networks increases the risk of recruiting people differently based on information in profiles. Through social networks, recruiters can find more information about an applicant than what they would normally see in a resume or at an interview. Information that is personal and related to the identity of the person can be found on the platform and can influence decisions taken in an application process. This may include information such as religion, gender identity, relationship status and sexual orientation. (Kluemper and Rosen, 2009)

Johnson and Leo (2020) explains that how people view themselves have an impact on how successful their job search is and the ability to search for jobs on LinkedIn. A low self-esteem can affect the action the person does and therefore also affect the possibilities and how they search for jobs. A person with high self-esteem will not reflect as much about the actions done on the platform and who they contact or what jobs they search for. This can again lead to more possibilities for them as they will be more visible on the social network. (Johnson and Leo, 2020)

3.3

Sharing behaviours on LinkedIn

When sharing something at social network sites in public feeds or on profiles, either it is a comment, like or a post, there is no limit of the numbers of users who will see that action. Shared content on SNS is re-shared and distributed to other users which is out of control of the original person who posted it. However this differ from sharing in smaller groups, where the content is controlled by barriers. In such forums content can not be seen by others than the people inside the group. (Ham, Lee, Hayes and Bae, 2019)

LinkedIn offers the user to “like” post and comments, “comment” posts, “share” posts that other users or companies have posted and “post” status and updates from the user. (LinkedIn, 2020) As shown in the study done by Constantinov et al (2019) 7,6% of the target group “liked” or “commented” on LinkedIn, and only 6,5% had ever written a post. Constantinov et al (2020) beliefs that posting on LinkedIn does not feel as easy and casual as on other social networks. This because LinkedIn is a professional social network. The users are well-informed about that the content that they write can affect their professional self directly, and their career can be harmed

if anything wrong is posted. However, the people who dare to post and share, will be more visible and then again achieve more possibilities. (Constantinov et al, 2020)

According to Dhir, Kaur, Khalil and Rajala (2019) the most common sharing behaviour on Facebook is pressing the “like” button. They explain this as the easiest way to interact with others, where what's being liked will be shared with the person that likes it connections as well. How many “likes” the content get shows how interesting the content is for the users, and visually represent the level of engagement the users have to the content. If a post does not achieve any likes from other users, it is seen as the content does not contribute to anything for the network the user has. (Dhir et al, 2019)

4

Method

In this chapter the study’s method choice and approach is presented and discussed in relation with relevant method theory. The method chosen is an abductive approach done with data gathering by semi-structured interviews.

4.1

Approach

Research describes two different approaches: induction and deduction. Induction means that the work is based on empiricism and deduction implies a starting point in already existing concepts and theories. (Eriksson and Wiedersheim-Paul, 2014) The deductive approach starts with examining ideas tested by empirical experiments, before developing a hypothesis and then comparing the observed data with theory. The deductive approach wants to find truth or falseness in a theory. The inductive approach is collecting data before analysing to see if there is pattern and matches in the material. (Gray, 2014) Another approach often used is the abductive approach. The abductive approach can be perceived as a mixture of the methods already mentioned, but it is an own logic. (Alvehus, 2019) The abductive approach involves observing something that triggers a question, leading to a hypothesis, which then leads to examining theory and then confronting it with empiricism. A starting point in the abductive approach is that it is practical approach, and it is impossible to include the whole reality. The study can only include one of several descriptions of the topic with the abductive approach. (Hansson, 2011; Alvehus, 2019) The abductive approach is the closest to what has been used in this study. Earlier studies have been used to gain an understanding of what is considered a problem which has led to gathering of empirics to investigate it. Theory has been applied for a deeper understanding of the problem and what the underlying factors of the problem can be.

4.2

Method Selection

A method of research work should be chosen according to the research problem to be investigated, and the formulation of the research questions should be able to indicate which method will best fit (Bell and Waters, 2014; Nyberg and Tidström, 2012). As written in the introductory chapter, this study aims to gain a deeper understanding of how LinkedIn is used as a networking and job search tool by recent graduates with a Bachelor of Science in Media Technology. Therefore, a qualitative method has been used to gather data in this study. This because a method focusing on

want to obtain data that answers who, what and why, and thus try to understand a phenomenon or problem. The method's data collection is most often conducted by interviews, observation or focus groups. (Nyberg and Tidström, 2012) The material collected in this study has been gathered by qualitative interviews. Nyberg and Tidström (2012) explain interviews work well when the study requires a more in-depth response. According to Bell and Waters (2014), the choice of method is governed by a number of factors in the study, including time and resources. The time can be limited and therefore affect the study to be more easily conducted, or help the study choose several methodological starting points. Resources, such as the number of people writing the study as well as the study supervisor can influence, for example on how involved the supervisor may be in the study. (Ahrne and Svensson, 2011, Chapter 2) These are factors it is important to have thought through in advance so that the method does not slow down the work to be done. (Bell and Waters, 2014) Since this study is done by one person, with limited amount of time, qualitative interviews were the most reasonable option for gathering information.

4.3

Qualitative interviews

Qualitative research interviews provide an opportunity for in-depth and a greater understanding of how people think about specific areas. It can help provide an understanding of how participants perceive and feel about a particular topic. (Kvale and Brinkmann, 2015; Holter and Kalleberg, 2007) A qualitative method is more close, exploratory and explanatory. On the other hand, qualitative surveys provide only a smaller perspective on a topic, where a quantitative survey would give a greater breadth. (Larsen, Kärnekull and Kärnekull, 2012) Individual interviewing is the most common form in qualitative research, and it is an effective way for the researcher to gain an understanding of how persons look at a phenomenon or problem in a personal way. (Alvehus, 2019; Gray, 2014)

To be able to conduct successful qualitative research interviews, a high level of skills is required of the interviewer. It is important that the interviewer has knowledge in the area to investigate, the potential pitfalls of the method and the theoretical problems that may arise. How the material is analyzed also depends a lot on who does it and what interpretations they make. The interviewer must find a balance between their own interest in getting answers and a respect for the participants in the study. (Kvale and Brinkmann, 2015)

An interview can be structured, semi structured and unstructured. In this study all interviews have been semi structured, which is the most common way of having interviews in a study. (Holter and Kalleberg, 2007; Trost, 2010) The questions asked have been a combination of predetermined

and open which makes it easier for the respondent to have a personal impact on the answers and the study's outcome. In this type of interview, it is important that the researcher has an active listening and works constantly with follow-up questions. (Trost, 2010) The authors and respondents LinkedIn profiles have also been looked at during the interviews to create a better understanding and making it easier for the respondents to explain their thoughts and user behaviour. All questions asked in the interviews have been asked by the author in Norwegian, as this is the authors mother tongue, and all interviewees have answered in Swedish. Trost (2010) explain the questions asked in an interview should be used as a guide in the interview, and the person who is interviewed is the one that should determine the order of when answering the different question. This way the interview will be more like a conversation as well as structured (Trost, 2010). All interviews in this study have been conducted in cafes or in the author of the study’s kitchen, at evenings and weekends in spring 2020.

4.4

Participant selection

When conducting a research, the selection of who is to be researched is important for the outcome of the study. Since this study is investigating the thoughts and behaviour about LinkedIn of recent graduates with a Bachelor of Science in Media Technology a selection where all participants have LinkedIn and is a recent graduate with this bachelor’s degree have been important. The selection of participants has therefore been a strategic selection as all participants have been selected based on specific criteria’s such as having a profile on LinkedIn. Pitfalls with the strategic selection are that it can quickly become too strategic and the study can get a tunnel view of who is relevant to the study and not. (Alvehus, 2019) As the author herself is studying to get a Bachelor of Science in Media Technology the selection can be defined as a convenience selection. A convenience selection is a selection based on participants who are most readily available, and there are risks of the result not being generalizable. (Alvehus, 2019) In this study all participants have had prior knowledge to the author of the study. This by either being former classmates, or by having studied the same courses as the author. This selection has occurred as the author have worked full time during the period of writing the study and therefore all participants was selected after who was available to meet for an interview during weekends and evenings. To find participants the author already knew was therefore easier.

In this study the author planned to interview 6 to 8 recent graduates as this is according to Gray (2014) recommended to increase the validity of the study. Therefore 10 possible participants

and currently lives in Malmö. Of these 10 asked, one of them did not have LinkedIn and could therefore not participate, and only 4 of them answered they had time to be interviewed. Two of the persons asked who did not answer have not replied back, while three of them answered after all data was collected and assembled. Therefore, this study’s result is based on only 4 participants. This can affect the validity of the result negatively as the findings only is based on a small sample of persons in the target group (Alvehus, 2019). The 4 respondents in this study have all studied at Malmö University. Three of them have studied the program “Production Management within Publishing”, while one of them have studied the program “Media Production and Process Design”. All of them started their studies in 2016, and graduated spring 2019.

The job situation to the respondents varies. Respondent 1 works fulltime, but because of COVID-19 she now only works 40% and she is unsure how long she can stay at her job. The job she has currently is at a larger publishing company. Respondent 2 works fulltime, but the contract she has is project based, which means she is unsure how long they will have projects and how long she can stay there. The job she has in public sector, working with events. Respondent 3 work fulltime, with ISO-standards, but is open for new possibilities. Respondent 4 works as a freelancer with graphic design and webpage development, and how many projects she has varies.

4.5

Analysis method

The analysis stage is important so that the data collected can be used in the correct way. (Gray, 2014) In this study all interviews were recorded and after transcribed. Notes was also taken during the interview to help the researcher remember how the interviewee reacted to specific questions or for noting keywords. All material was transcribed in Swedish as this is the language the interviewees spoke, and the authors questions was transcribed in Norwegian. After this all material was translated to English to make it easier for the author to analyse it. The material in this study is analysed accordingly to how Holter and Kalleberg (2007) describes a categorised analysis. This means the material is categorized in processes, events and behavior patterns which is valuable by that there is a pattern and connection with each other. The material was categorized in what is important to the researcher and what is important to the study, which was uses and gratifications and sharing behaviour.

4.6

Ethic

The four concepts of ethics in research from Swedish Research Council (2017) have been important for the author when conducting the data gathering in this study. The four concepts are

secrecy, professional secrecy, anonymity and confidentiality. (Swedish Research Council, 2017) All participants have been informed about the purpose of the study, as well as who will read it, see it and when it will be published. All interviews have started with the author presenting the study and the purpose and explaining to participants why they are being interviewed. Material gathered is only read by the author, transcribed by the author and then anonymised in the study when others will read it. Further all participants have been informed how the material is going to be used, analysed and stored. The material gathered in this study was recorded before transcribed, will only be used in this study, analysed by the author and when the study is finished all material from interviews will be deleted, both the recorded material and the transcription of the interviews. All participants have also been informed that their participation is voluntary and that they can chose to dissociate from the study at any time.

4.7

Method discussion

One aspect it is important to take into account is that the author of the study has prior knowledge of everyone who participated in the study. This affects the credibility of the study as there is a risk that those interviewed will respond to what they have a belief that the author wants to hear. Validity in semi structured interviews can be strengthened by a number of factors, and it is important to give the interviewees the possibility to express themself, that the length of the interview is enough of ensuring the subject to be explored in depth and creating questions that can help gaining an understanding in the research (Gray, 2014). Furthermore, this can also affect that those interviewed do not dare to be completely honest in their opinions as they may be afraid that this will affect the social relationship that already exists. Here it was therefore important to explain the anonymity they have in the study and where the material is to be used and analysed. To have a convenience selection like this can also be a pitfall for the study as the results is not representative enough and therefore not generalizable (Alvehus, 2019).

Another aspect that is important to address in this study is that the author of the study has a different mother tongue and speaks a different language from the ones interviewed. The author spoke Norwegian throughout the interviews and everyone who was interviewed have Swedish as their mother tongue. One of the actions that was taken to lessen the misunderstandings here was that all questions were written down in Swedish to make it as clear as possible. This made it easier for the author to address possible problems when a new question was asked. Gray (2014) points out that just linguistic differences can be a problem when conducting interviews. This is because

interviewer adapts in the best possible way to the language with which the interviewee is accustomed. (Gray, 2014) The author therefore took care to avoid words that could be misunderstood or that could cause confusion. Where possible, the author used Swedish words to create a better understanding and easier dialogue. Here it was nevertheless an advantage that the author and the person interviewed had some knowledge of each other from earlier as those interviewed have been in conversation with the author before and thus are somewhat more accustomed to the authors language than others could have been. In the event of any misunderstandings in the language, this was quickly clarified so that the interview could continue. This is nevertheless something that affected the conversations as the interviews sometimes had to be stopped to clarify misunderstandings so that the conversation could continue back on track. Since this study is only based on qualitative method, a quantitative study could have supplemented the findings. This could have made the study wider and the result more general. Since this study is based on only 4 interviews, a quantitative survey on the same target group could have strengthen the results and findings. However, interview is seen as the best used method for a small-scale study, as multiple research methods can be time-consuming and requires a lot from the researcher. (Gray, 2014). Therefore, only a qualitative method was chosen, but the number of interviews has been smaller than recommended. This study has been based on 4 interviews, which affects the outcome of the study as more interviews are preferred to give a more general and reliable result. With more interviews, the study would have received a better saturation, and it would be easier to analyse the results and findings as they would have been more reliable. This as a bigger representative group of people would justify the findings. (Ahrne and Svensson, 2011, Chapter 3) This could have been solved by contacting more possible participants, as the author only contacted 10 possible participants for this study, but here the author did not have the possibility to contact more as other possible participants either had moved or where not contactable on Facebook messenger. However, the quality of the interviews conducted is more important than the quantity, as there is a risk that the interviewer does not have the capacity to take in more information (Trost, 2010). This has been the case in this study as the author have had a smaller capacity to gather data as the author has worked full time while writing. This is not an optimal solution, as the data gathering in this study had to be done in a short period of time, with a limited time to analyse them, before needing to be applied to the study. Hence, the author chose to put more time in to the interviews conducted and feel the quality of them justifies the small amount, and the research questions she has.

Furthermore, this study has been influenced by the worldview which is now as the study was written. As the job market has changed with the Covid-19 virus, this may have had an impact on

interviewers' views on what opportunities they have in the job market and how LinkedIn can help them. Furthermore, this may have influenced how they use the medium as they see it as more useful or less useful to use than what a normal world situation had done.

5

Results

In this chapter the material from the 4 interviews conducted is presented. All respondents are recent graduates with a Bachelor of Science in Media Technology. The material has been categorized by the recurring themes from all interviews; the usage of LinkedIn, job search, networking and the benefits and barriers with LinkedIn. The interviewees have been anonymized, and will appear as respondent 1, respondent 2, respondent 3 and respondent 4. All quotes used in this chapter have been translated from Swedish to English.

5.1

The usage of LinkedIn

The length of how long the respondents have had LinkedIn differ. Respondent 1 has had LinkedIn for 5 years, respondent 2 and 3 for 6 years, while respondent 4 has had LinkedIn for one year. All respondents find it important to be on LinkedIn. They have all downloaded the LinkedIn app to their mobile and uses the app more regularly than the website. They visit the app multiple times a day, and even more times if they get any notifications from the app on their phone. The reason they use the app instead of the website is explained by respondent 4 because it is easier to just check her phone when scrolling through different other social networks. Respondent 3 explains he find it especially important to be on LinkedIn as he is interested in a job in marketing or related to production management, and he believes it is more important to be on LinkedIn when looking for a job in these kind of profession rather if he was looking for a job in another industry. All respondents actively use other SNS in their daily life as well, such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. Respondent 4 explains the difference between the SNS is that on Facebook and Instagram she knows what to share. She feels Instagram is for the pretty pictures, Snapchat she shows her true self, and Facebook is something in between. However, on LinkedIn she finds it difficult to understand what to share and how she should be professional. All respondents classify themselves as passive users at LinkedIn, as they do not feel they contribute on the platform as much as they see others do. Their sharing behaviour varies, but they are all familiar with the sharing opportunities that LinkedIn provides.

5.1.1

Liking

All respondents feel the easiest way to be active on LinkedIn is to like posts. Respondent 1 and 3 like posts on a daily basis, while respondent 2 and 4 like post 1-3 times a week. All respondents like post from companies they follow, their friends’ posts, and if they know their friend work at

a company that have published a post. This because they want to support their friends in the new jobs they have and show their support with the like function. Respondent 3 and 4 like post to be visible in the feed, so that their name can pop up more to other users.

“To like something is such an easy thing to do, no effort is needed.”

Respondent 1

While the other respondents would like almost every post they see, respondent 2 would not like a post if the person that had posted it was someone she did not know. All respondents answered they do not have a strategic thought behind their liking.

5.1.2

Commenting

None of the respondent comment actively on LinkedIn. All of the respondents have commented on their friends post if the friend has posted that they have a new job. A post, looking like figure 3, the person can choose to publish when adding a new job to their profile. Respondent 2 does not like the automatic posts when people in her network get a new job, even though she comments on them, she does not like that LinkedIn provides suggestions as shown in figure 3.

Respondent 4 explains she has commented on a company's post once when she had applied for the job they posted about in their feed. She then commented “I have applied for this job” to be more visible. She explains this as a way to create a better integration between the company and the person applying for the job, and since the jobs she is applying for is for social media related professions she feels this is necessary. The reason why none of the respondents comment on LinkedIn actively is explained that none of them feel they have anything to contribute with in the comment section. Respondent 2 feel the posts on LinkedIn is not that comment friendly. This is something respondent 3 and 4 also agrees with, as they feel that if they commented something they would not contribute with anything. Respondent 2 feel the post on LinkedIn is mostly sales related, or for companies to show what they have accomplished. She thinks LinkedIn is not a place where people ask question she could answer, and that this kind of interaction is more seen at Facebook, or over e-mail and SMS.

“I would never write "oh so interesting" as a comment.”

Respondent 3

Respondent 3 would not comment on a post on Facebook or Instagram either. He explains this is the reason why he does not comment on LinkedIn either. Respondent 4 actively comment on other social network sites such as Facebook but explain this is because she feels that Facebook is a platform where all her friends are. On LinkedIn she does not know the people in her network, and therefore she does not know who would see the comments if she posted any.

5.1.3

Sharing

All respondents have shared posts the company they worked for at the moment have published. Respondent 1 tries to always add a personal text to the post she shares. This because she wants her network to have a personal connection to her and not only the company that published the post. She says she only shares the post she find relevant for others to see. Respondent 2 never writes a personal text to the post she shares. She only shares the post so that the post can reach out to more people. This is also what respondent 3 and 4 does. None of the respondents feel comfortable with sharing an exciting article or a post they find interesting that is published by someone they do not know on their profile. Respondent 1 would maybe like a post like that, but would never share it. She feels that even though she has not written the post she shares herself, the post will express her values and beliefs is she shares it. Respondent 4 would like to share exciting articles, but feel this is out of her comfort zone to do. She believes it is important to share articles, and that she should do it, but find it difficult as she would not know who would read it

or find it interesting. She explains this with that she does not know her contacts on LinkedIn well enough.

5.1.4

Posting

None of the respondent actively post statuses on LinkedIn. Respondent 1 has done it one time, while respondent 4 has done it five times. Respondent 2 and 3 have never done it. Respondent 1 published a picture and text from a networking event she attended, where she thanked the people she attended the event with. Respondent 4 has published her CV, other projects she has been a part of and other work-related accomplishments.

“I see my LinkedIn profile as my interactive resume, and if I post a project I have done that would be like adding it to my resume to show my contacts on LinkedIn what I am capable of”

Respondent 4

Respondent 1 explains the reason why she has not posted a lot on LinkedIn is because she doesn't like to share her thoughts on social network sites. She would not do it on Facebook or Instagram either, as she does not like to be too personal. She therefore feels that the only post she could post on LinkedIn would be accomplishments and other work-related projects she has done. Respondent 2 and 3 would also only publish a post if they accomplish something. This could be if they had done a study at work, created a successful event or done something they are proud of. Respondent 3 would like to post work related tips as well but feels this is not something he could do now as he does not know what that would be and who would benefit from reading it.

“If I was to post something then it would need to be something important.” Respondent 3

Respondent 2 feels that the posts on LinkedIn is mostly for others to brag and to get confirmation that they have done something good. Respondent 4 also feels she needs to have accomplished something to post it on LinkedIn, otherwise she would not post it and she does not know who would read it and what she would contribute with.

5.2

Job search on LinkedIn

profile when applying for a job either as she feels her profile on LinkedIn is not good enough. Respondent 2 has never applied directly to a job with LinkedIn either, but have linked to her LinkedIn profile to other applications multiple times. This because she feels that the information she has posted on her profile is easy for the recruiter to understand. This is also how respondent 4 has used LinkedIn in job search and when applying for jobs. Respondent 3 has used LinkedIn function “apply now” multiple times, and therefore applied directly on LinkedIn. None of the respondent have used only their LinkedIn profile when applying for their job, as they always add their written resume and personal letter to the application.

“A resume can look so different from person to person, but a LinkedIn profile looks the same for everyone. It is like your resume in a concentrated form.”

Respondent 2

Respondent 2 is unsure who will see the application if she applies directly on LinkedIn, and therefore she feels the best way to apply is by mail. Respondent 3, however, tells that it is his LinkedIn applications that has led to the most job interviews, and therefore feels this is the best way to apply.

Figure 4. Mail sent out from LinkedIn with recommended jobs based on the users’ profile. Screenshot

from the authors mail, based on the authors profile settings and preferences.

They all find LinkedIn as a good platform to find interesting jobs. What they consider as interesting jobs is jobs closely related to their bachelor’s degree, and mainly in areas such as marketing, event and graphic design. Respondent 1 feel that if she has searched for something on LinkedIn, jobs that is related to her searches appear. By this she often gets recommended jobs that is not of her interest. Respondent 2 feel LinkedIn is very good at recommending jobs at her. The best job tips she gets from LinkedIn is by the mails LinkedIn send out once a week. These mails are connected to what they have put for interest on their profile and looks like figure 4, where jobs where they are actively recruiting is shown in a list. She feels this is a good way of staying up to date with what jobs that are available. However, she feels that the mails often come with a list of relevant jobs, but that these jobs can be difficult to find when on the website or at the app. The mail provides a link, but if she follows the link it leads her to the homepage of all jobs posted, as seen in figure 5. Figure 5 shows the job page at LinkedIn, where the user can search for jobs, and choose place and profession they would like to see. Respondent 3 feels he get a lot of relevant and exciting jobs up on his LinkedIn. Respondent 4 feels the best jobs is shared in post by companies, and not on the job page at LinkedIn, and therefore she feels she must actively follow companies to find jobs that is interesting.

Figure 5. LinkedIn job search page shown from a user perspective on a computer. Screenshot taken