Like any millennial, I can often be found with my eyes glued to the screen of my shiny, prized iPhone 6. While nine times out of 10, I'm either tagging my mom in the comments of dog photos on Instagram, drooling over a Tasty video on Facebook, sending an awfully embarrassing Snapchat to my best friends or posting a Tweet about the beautiful Miami weather. I can also sometimes be seen trolling through LinkedIn. It's a guilty pleasure of mine not many share.
You're probably thinking to yourself, "What could this girl possibly find so entertaining and delightful about LinkedIn?" And trust me, I've questioned myself, as well. I mean, seriously. LinkedIn is more or less an online resumé, a way for future employers to find out what you're all about and a network of professional humans who are boasting about their promotions here and organization involvement there.
But it's just that. LinkedIn is a working person's more-appropriate Facebook. I know this is no coincidence. Regardless of how you view LinkedIn, it is a social network of sorts, and the creators were keen on creating such a site with mirroring qualities of already popular media. However, I never thought such a "real person's" website would even be in my peripheral vision.
Like I've said, I'm a millennial. I love my network of barely-friends on Facebook, and my hopefulness for comments each time I post a photo on any platform and I definitely love writing about my current state. I mean I couldn't make it any more obvious if I tried, for Pete's sake, I write for Odyssey.
And that is exactly why LinkedIn happens to appeal to me so. Damn. Much.
The gratifying sensation when the gray flag turns red, signifying that my somewhat-colleague has accepted my connection, further broadening my network, is as great as receiving at least 20 Instagram likes.
By creating a network in my head of people who have created success from similar beginnings as mine, it gives me the confidence that I will one day land a job at the perfect company, because this woman also from the Greater New York City Area who attended the University of Miami with a B.S. in communications did.
When people cheer me for securing a position in a club on campus, I feel equivalent to receiving a "favorite" on a witty Tweet. Just because it's not on Facebook doesn't mean the "like" button is used any more sparingly.
As if I didn't love writing and talking about my life enough, I had to find another platform for personal expression. Crafting a precise and concise job description is no easy task. It takes several counts of deleting, rewording, retyping and reimagining, but I do it with grit and purpose.
I think it's fascinating looking into the professional lives of people I may or, more likely, may not know. The appealing jobs on profiles of people I find with similar interests to mine aid me in believing that one day, some girl with as weird a passion for LinkedIn as I have will find my profile a goal in a way.
