Written by Emma Morris. Graphic by Avery Melhado.
As college students near graduation, it’s customary to create a LinkedIn account to connect with peers and possible employers. The platform is like the Facebook of the job market; users can post about accomplishments and job changes, interact with colleagues, and even search for new jobs.
This sounds like a productive community on paper, but many SCAD students have reported LinkedIn as overwhelming and saturated with sponsored content.
However, as creatives, it’s important to build a personal brand and make connections from this, so how are SCAD students handling this dilemma?
According to SCAD Film and Television alum Teá Lynor, LinkedIn was not useful for finding opportunities in the industry, and its design is not user-friendly.
“Applying for work through LinkedIn has been unsuccessful for me. I find a big part of that is the user interface design. It’s clunky and old-looking, like Facebook,” Lynor said. “I wish it was simplified and specific about what its uses are.”
Another SCAD student, painting and architecture senior Irina Chemencedji, wrote that LinkedIn is productive for making connections in creative industries, but it can come off as inauthentic.
Chemencedji said, “People are trying to make themselves sound as good as possible,myself included, which can sometimes feel performative. At the end of the day, everyone is trying to maintain a good reputation. I appreciate people who are more genuine in the way they post.”
A graphic design junior, Valerie Dial, had similar thoughts about LinkedIn’s M.O.
“LinkedIn is a low-vibrational place. It’s great for connecting, but it’s ripe with corporate America’s superficial nature,” Dial said.
Aside from inauthenticity, a common complaint with the platform was the saturation with AI-forward content. Several students thought that the amount of AI positivity on their feeds has become excessive, especially for those in creative industries.
Overall, the concept of LinkedIn is landing with young professionals, but it often falls short in practice. The platform can indeed be useful for people in creative industries, but it’s helpful to put your eggs in multiple baskets.
