The Influence of a Profile in a Professional Social Network on the Development of a Specialist's Career

Abstract

A successful career requires improving professional skills and developing business relationships. A personal profile in professional social networks and its proficient management can have a significant impact on career development. The article is devoted to investigating the impact of a specialists profile in professional social networks on the career development. The study analyses the statistical data on the use of social networks for recruiting. The relationship between a profile in professional social networks and the development of a specialist's career was investigated by conducting a sociological survey of networks users from various fields of activities. Most of the surveyed respondents (61 %) answered positively to the question about the benefits of professional social networks for career advancement, another part of the respondents (19 %) is not sure, but tends to answer positively. Only 11 % of the respondents are inclined to give a negative answer to this question and 1 % answered negatively, pointing out the uselessness of professional networks in their careers. Thus, the study confirmed the need to apply the profile for the development of a specialist's career. The advantages of a profile in professional networks are highlighted, allowing the development of effective professional communications: users of social professional networks, actively participating in forum discussions, publishing papers on the site, can attract attention of potential employers and develop their reputation. The authors propose to use a profile in a professional social network more widely in order to develop a specialist's career.