The other day I wrote about an event I attended that was hosted by MORE Magazine. One of the sessions was about LinkedIn and was led by their Connection Director, Nicole Williams. It was fascinating to learn how you can use it for much more than networking – research, finding stories. We learned that 2nd and 3rd tier contacts are really important to use, and my most important discovery: 90% of companies are now hiring people based on volunteer work. This stat is relevant to me in so many ways as I do a lot of volunteer work and haven’t incorporated it into my profile yet at all. She also said that men use the tool a lot more women, but I am sure those figures will change with time (says the feminist in me).
Today LinkedIn released the findings of a study it conducted to learn more about women and their attitudes toward mentoring. The survey results were unveiled during the Pennsylvania Conference for Women, the largest women’s conference in the state with more than 5,000 attendees.
LinkedIn surveyed nearly 1,000 female professionals in the U.S. and found that 19 percent of respondents had never had a mentor. LinkedIn asked the women who hadn’t had a mentor why that was the case. Fifty-two percent of the women noted they hadn’t had a mentor because they had, “never encountered someone appropriate.” As part of the survey, LinkedIn also asked the women who had never been a mentor why they weren’t mentoring another professional, and sixty-seven percent of those respondents said they have never been mentors because, “no one ever asked.”
An interesting sign of encouragement from the research is that more women taking the time to mentor other women:
- More than half, 51 percent, of the Gen Y women (females between 18-29 years old) LinkedIn surveyed noted that they are being or have been mentored by women.
- Forty-three percent of Gen X females (women between 30-44 years old) noted that they are being or have been mentored by women.
- Only 34 percent of Boomers (females between 45-66 years old) noted that they are being or have been mentored by women.
LinkedIn’s survey results also revealed the most important reasons why women depend on their professional network:
- Professional guidance
- Recommendations
- Career advancement
- Collaboration
- Keeping me current on industry news and trends
Job-hunting actually came in last place on the list at number six.
Download an infographic on LinkedIn’s women and mentoring research and get tips on finding a mentor on the LinkedIn Blog: http://lnkd.in/mentoring-women.
Disclosure: I was not compensated to feature these results.
So funny. I have not joined LinkedIn but I know that I really need too. I just feel social media overwhelmed but as a professional, this is probably the best resource available to me.