Men are savvier online professional networkers than women

LinkedIn data reveals New Zealand men are savvier online professional networkers than women

Auckland, New Zealand – June 23, 2011 – LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network with more than 100 million members worldwide and more than 350,000 members in New Zealand, today released data on the differences between men and women when it comes to networking professionally online. LinkedIn studied the details of professionals across multiple industries and countries and has found that globally and in New Zealand, men tend to be savvier online networkers than women.

LinkedIn’s data got even more interesting when it was spliced by industry. LinkedIn discovered that what you think would be a male savvy industry (such as railroad manufacture) is actually a female savvy industry. Interestingly, the opposite was not true. Men were still savvier in traditionally male-dominated industries such as machinery.

Top New Zealand industries where women are savvier online professional networkers
• Railroad manufacture
• Wireless
• Program Development
• Marketing and advertising

Top New Zealand industries where men are savvier online professional networkers
Machinery
Law enforcement
Human resources
Newspapers

“Networking experiences can actually be quite different for men and women – even at the same event, within the same organisation, or in the same industry or community”, says Cliff Rosenberg, LinkedIn’s managing director in Australia and New Zealand. “Some professionals may find networking in person to be tedious or intimidating and any such barriers can be removed in an online environment. LinkedIn provides the best platform and tools to cultivate their networking skills and build strong professional connections”.

“Instead of thinking about networking as a cringe-worthy activity of handing out business cards and talking about themselves, professional women can think about networking as a way to build their social capital. It’s not just about keeping in touch with old colleagues, but building relationships with people who will be useful to us in the future”, says Kathryn Jackson, Executive Coach and author of ‘Essential Questions to GROW Your Team’.

In addition to reviewing the savviest networkers by industry, LinkedIn also took a look at some of the largest companies in New Zealand. Here are a few examples of how these companies ranked on LinkedIn's "Battle of the Sexes" online professional networking savviness scale.

Organisations found to have savvier female online professional networkers
The New Zealand Defence Force
Auckland City Council
Te Wananga o Aotearoa

Organisations found to have savvier male online professional networkers
Ministry of Education of New Zealand
Westpac
The Accident Compensation Corporation

To declare a winner in the battle of the sexes argument, LinkedIn developed an online professional networking “savviness” ranking that measured two variables: the ratio of connections that men have compared to the ratio of connections that women have, and the ratio of male to female LinkedIn members.

About LinkedIn
Founded in 2003, LinkedIn connects the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful. With more than 100 million members worldwide, including executives from every Fortune 500 company, LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network on the Internet. The company has a diversified business model with revenues coming from member subscriptions, marketing solutions and hiring solutions. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, LinkedIn also has offices across North America, as well as throughout Europe and Asia and in India and Australia.

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