College students find LinkedIn helpful in the job search process, and recruiters can take advantage of how often students log on.
A new college survey of 2,000 undergraduates finds that about 6 in 10 (62%) have used LinkedIn at some point, while 4 in 10 (38%) have not. Seniors are far more likely than underclassmen to have used LinkedIn, however. While three-quarters (75%) of seniors report using the site, about half (51%) of sophomores do.
Students who are not on LinkedIn prefer other sites. Nearly 4 in 10 (37%) students who have never used LinkedIn report using Handshake, Indeed, or other sites instead. About one-quarter (24%) have never looked for a job, and 11% say they don’t like how LinkedIn works.
Among students who do use LinkedIn, about 4 in 10 (39%) check their account at least once a week or once a day. Almost 1 in 5 (17%) only check it when they’re looking for a job or internship. But seniors are more likely than sophomores to check their account regularly (43% vs. 33%). And sophomores are twice as likely to never log on (16% vs. 8%).
4 in 10 Students Check LinkedIn Regularly
How often do you check LinkedIn?
Students primarily use LinkedIn to search for jobs and build their professional networks. Almost three-quarters of students on LinkedIn use it to search for internships or jobs (73%) and build their professional network (73%). Far fewer students use it to stay in contact with former classmates and coworkers (25%) or read articles related to their field (15%).
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Methodology: This survey was designed and conducted by College Pulse. Interviews were conducted among a sample of 2,000 full-time and part-time students attending four-year colleges or universities in the U.S. who are part of College Pulse’s American College Student Panel.
