LinkedIn Site Visit
by Regan Fiascone
If there’s one way a company can win us over, it’s with free food. LinkedIn got off on the right foot when they opened up their headquarters to us on Monday night to film a video documentary about DSV. We were able to hangout in their lounge area and eat dinner at their cafeteria while taking turns getting interviewed and filmed. The lounge was filled with snacks, game tables, and seating areas, and we easily made ourselves comfortable. It felt like we were getting a true “day in the life” type of view of the company. The environment was casual and friendly, and lots of people stuck around after work to mingle and enjoy dinner together.
On Wednesday afternoon, we made our return for an official visit and were again greeted with free food. Their cafeteria is set up similarly to a college dining hall with many options for employees. Once we’d explored and gathered our lunch of choice, we headed to a separate building in the LinkedIn complex for our presentation. We heard from two Duke alums and one past DSV participant, Courtney Sanford, who all worked for the nonprofit segment of the company, LinkedIn for Good. They told us about their career journeys so far and how they ended up where they are now.
Perhaps the most valuable part of the visit was when Courtney walked us through the so-called “LinkedIn Etiquette.” All of us are relatively new users, so we were in desperate need of some guidance as far as do’s and don’t’s. This wasn’t like deciding whether to friend someone on Facebook; LinkedIn is a professional platform and learning how to navigate it appropriately can be a challenge. Besides tips about who to connect with and how, we were shown some of the search features to find people in specific companies or narrow by other fields, such as Duke alumni.
One fact that really stuck out was that 70% of all jobs are found through networking. After spending this month in the valley, I truly believe that. Almost every company we’ve visited has emphasized the value of making and maintaining connections so that you can stand out when applying for a job. LinkedIn is an amazing tool for doing just that. Immediately following the visit, we all rushed home to update our profiles, make new connections, and for some, create accounts for the first time.
Want to know more? Connect with the DSVer’s on LinkedIn!