Networking is a key component of a successful professional career. Studies have shown that between 60-75% of jobs are obtained through an individual’s network. Today many professionals use the social media site such as LinkedIn to make and maintain professional connections. However college students only make up approximately 10% of LinkedIn’s 300+ million users. There has been much research done regarding the use of social networking and academic and corporate use, little has been done to investigate how college students interact with LinkedIn. Therefore the purpose of this study was to gather students’ perceptions of LinkedIn as a professional social networking tool.Three research questions were used to find the use and perception of LinkedIn among college students and if there was a difference in the way that select students used it. A survey administered via Survey Monkey based on demographic, utilization, and perception of LinkedIn was sent to undergraduate students majoring in Kinesiology, Business Administration, and Mechanical Engineering during the spring 2015 semester. A total of 359 students responded to the survey, out of which only 105 owned LinkedIn accounts. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, frequencies, and percentages, and the one-way analysis of variance test. The results showed that the use of LinkedIn was low, and 38% of account owners reported never using their account. Most of the participants who owned LinkedIn accounts were white males. Students shared a neutral perception about LinkedIn features and LinkedIn as a tool for professional networking. Mechanical Engineers had the largest population of users out of the 3 majors surveyed.The results showed that Business Administration students used LinkedIn more than the other two majors surveyed, and juniors and seniors used the site comparatively the same. In addition, the findings showed that there was no significant difference in the way Mechanical Engineers and Kinesiology majors used LinkedIn. The findings of this study will provide valuable information for students and career counselors on the features of LinkedIn and what guidance students need when using the site.

Past research reveals that fewer women than men possess top management positions and statistics imply that in Sweden only 24 percent of all board members are women (European Commission, 2008). Gender differences are even more obvious in the private sector and this is the reality facing today’s graduates, regardless of the fact that the number of female and males taking a business degree in Sweden is approximately the same (SCB, 2006). The purpose of this study is to examine if networking can influence women’s career development. Networking and social capital is argued to be a vital tool for career development (Yukl, 2006), and former studies present information that men and women take advantage of their networks rather differently (Burke, Rothstein and Bristor, 1995). However, as the researchers approached the subject, supplementary factors for advancing up the corporate ladder were identified. Theories regarding female leadership, female career progression and the glass ceiling are therefore taken into consideration as vital factors for career development. In order to carry out this study a qualitative approach was chosen, and five business women were interviewed, all considered proficient of the subject. The main conclusion derived from the interviews demonstrates that formal networks were less important than informal networks in order to overcome career obstacles and advance professionally. The networks that were considered most beneficial for the interviewees were the ones that evolved naturally and were reciprocal. Moreover, pure female networks were not considered as valuable as mixed networks since men more often possess access to important information than women. Having a mentor was considered vital at top positions since it provides support and further enhances information sharing. However, the results led to conclude that an additional key success factor for female career development was connected to leadership style; and having a transformational leadership style with transactional characteristics was concluded as most beneficial. Furthermore, the interviewees highlighted the importance of possessing the right personal traits and also to share the responsibilities for home and family life with one’s partner. This study is assumed to be interesting for women in their career with ambitions to reach the top of the corporate ladder. It is also assumed to be interesting for network organisations to use as a benchmark tool.

Nätverksarbete har växts sig allt starkare under de senaste trettio åren i Sverige. Arbetet syftar till att se individen i sin helhet. Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur socialsekreterare och klienter vid barn- och ungdomsenheten i en specifik kommun upplever deltagande i nätverksmöten. Syftet är även att undersöka vilka positiva och negativa aspekter gällande nätverksmöten som socialsekreterare samt klienter lyfter fram. Metoden som använts för att besvara syftet är kvalitativ. Tre socialsekretare och tre klienter har intervjuats på socialtjänsten i den specifika kommunen. Ett frivillighets- samt ett bekvämlighetsurval har använts. Resultatet visar att ingen av respondenterna i nuläget är helt nöjda med nätverksmöten som arbetsform. De har olika förslag på vad som saknas och vad som kan förbättras. Exempelvis önskar en klient mer tjänstemannamöten och en socialsekreterare eftersöker större möjlighet till analys av alternativa möjligheter till hjälp och förbättring av klientens nuvarande situation. Slutsatsen som dras i studien är att tjänstemannamöten är att föredra för att försöka få så goda resultat som möjligt. / Networking has grown steadily stronger during the last thirty years in Sweden. The work aims to see the individual as a whole. The purpose of this study is to examine how social workers and clients in child and adolescent unit in a specific municipality experiencing participation in network meetings. It also aims to explore the positive and negative aspects concerning the network meetings as social workers and clients highlight. The method used to answer the purpose is qualitative. Three social secretary and three clients were interviewed on social services in the specific municipality. An optional equality and a convenience sample were used. The results show that currently none of the respondents are fully satisfied with network meetings as the method. They have different suggestions on what's missing and what could be improved. For example, a client wishes more official meetings and a social worker looking for more opportunity for analysis of alternative sources of help and improvement of the client's current situation. The conclusion reached in this study is that official meetings are preferable to try to get as good results as possible.

<p> </p><p>Past research reveals that fewer women than men possess top management positions and statistics imply that in Sweden only 24 percent of all board members are women (European Commission, 2008). Gender differences are even more obvious in the private sector and this is the reality facing today’s graduates, regardless of the fact that the number of female and males taking a business degree in Sweden is approximately the same (SCB, 2006).</p><p>The purpose of this study is to examine if networking can influence women’s career development. Networking and social capital is argued to be a vital tool for career development (Yukl, 2006), and former studies present information that men and women take advantage of their networks rather differently (Burke, Rothstein and Bristor, 1995). However, as the researchers approached the subject, supplementary factors for advancing up the corporate ladder were identified. Theories regarding female leadership, female career progression and the glass ceiling are therefore taken into consideration as vital factors for career development. In order to carry out this study a qualitative approach was chosen, and five business women were interviewed, all considered proficient of the subject.</p><p>The main conclusion derived from the interviews demonstrates that formal networks were less important than informal networks in order to overcome career obstacles and advance professionally. The networks that were considered most beneficial for the interviewees were the ones that evolved naturally and were reciprocal. Moreover, pure female networks were not considered as valuable as mixed networks since men more often possess access to important information than women. Having a mentor was considered vital at top positions since it provides support and further enhances information sharing. However, the results led to conclude that an additional key success factor for female career development was connected to leadership style; and having a transformational leadership style with transactional characteristics was concluded as most beneficial. Furthermore, the interviewees highlighted the importance of possessing the right personal traits and also to share the responsibilities for home and family life with one’s partner.</p><p>This study is assumed to be interesting for women in their career with ambitions to reach the top of the corporate ladder. It is also assumed to be interesting for network organisations to use as a benchmark tool.</p><p> </p>

This study examines how recent graduates with a Bachelor of Science in Media Technology use LinkedIn as a tool for job search and networking. It examines their thoughts around theirbehaviour in relation with how their behaviour can affect their future career opportunities. Thepurpose 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 semistructured 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.