LinkedIn passed its 20-year mark in May and as I reflect on the company’s journey, I’m struck by the remarkable transformation that has occurred in the way we search for jobs. I vividly recall my own experiences, from landing my first job at Dun & Bradstreet through a newspaper ad to finding my way to LinkedIn years later — through my LinkedIn network!

When my contact asked if I’d consider working for LinkedIn then, I initially declined. I wasn’t looking to move and taking the leap to join a “young” tech company seemed too risky. However, that initial invitation piqued my interest and I decided to do my research, including reading LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman’s book The Start-up of You. What Hoffman said about being in “permanent beta” – which is the idea that we are all works in progress, and we should treat every failure as immediate feedback on what’s working and what’s not – sparked something in me. It helped me change my perspective from one of fear of the potential risk to excitement for the opportunity to be challenged and grow.

Looking back, it was one of my best career decisions. I also realise how lucky I was to be connected to the right person on LinkedIn. Landing a job through a connection is a far cry from relying on scanning classifieds, circling promising opportunities with a pen, and mailing out printed curriculum vitaes (CVs) – a slow and often frustrating process. In this regard, even though I do say so myself, I am of the view that LinkedIn has completely disrupted the traditional approach and changed the way professionals connect and find jobs. With platforms like LinkedIn, you don’t even have to be actively looking for a job to get a great offer.