Many college and university students associate the professional networking site LinkedIn with those that already have a job, but here at CIBU we encourage our students to start early to help them jump start their career and grow their network. These days employers are doing their due diligence and your social networks will likely be checked. Think of your LinkedIn profile as your online resume and make it stand out! It is a free, valuable tool to market yourself and to create your personal brand. Below are 11 tips geared towards students in developing and utilizing a great LinkedIn profile:
1. Fill out your LinkedIn profile and include a headline. Include professional goals, interests, past jobs, volunteer experience and internships. Be sure to include any interesting coursework that you have taken or certifications that you have. You can upload presentations, projects, videos, or documents that highlight your abilities in the Education section or in the Summary or Experience sections. Some sample headlines for your profile might include: MBA Student, Honors Student seeking Marketing Position, Aspiring Social Media Strategist, etc.
2. Import existing Connections to Build Your Network. To add Connections and see who you already know on LinkedIn, you can import your connections from AOL, Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo Mail, Hotmail and other email clients and simply select if you would like to add them to your LinkedIn network. Continue adding Connections by regularly checking People You May Know. During your time as a student, focus on growing your network. Your network might be instrumental in your job search or may even help land you a job.
3. Include your Education, including Summer Programs and Study Abroad Experiences. Include all of your schools and your major. This is the place to list any Activities and Organizations that you participate in. If your college or university isn’t well known, it is useful to add a brief description of the program you attended and where it is located.
4. Include a Summary. This should include a brief description of who you are, if you are searching for a job, and should include any career related keywords. This is where you can highlight any professional specialties or interests that you have.
5. Join Groups. Join professional communities and participate in online discussions, ask questions, or just monitor content. You can also send a direct email to any group member without paying for a Premium LinkedIn membership. You can also view the profiles of other members of the same group without them being a 1st degree connection. The groups you join will show up on your profile.
6. Follow companies. We encourage our students to follow companies on LinkedIn that they are interested in. This is a great way to be alerted to job openings within the company and a great way to stay up-to-date on a company. If you do interview with the company, you will already be knowledgeable about them.
7. Get endorsed by adding skills. The LinkedIn Profile Checklist for Students recommends adding at least five key skills. Your connections can then endorse you for things you are good at.
8. Include a photograph. You don’t need to be wearing a suit, but looked polished and professional. It should be a photograph of you only and can be a headshot.
9. Turn your LinkedIn profile into a Resume. Job-seekers can create a beautiful Resume in seconds by utilizing their Resume builder which allows you to pick a template, customize the content and save your new Resume. http://resume.linkedinlabs.com/
10. Add Recommendations to your profile. Try to solicit some recommendations from professors, advisers, or past managers from previous or current employment. These recommendations can help highlight your work experience and worth ethic as a student and worker.
11. And once you have a great LinkedIn profile, find a job! Search LinkedIn’s site for College Students and Recent Graduates at https://www.linkedin.com/studentjobs. Or check out their main job site at https://www.linkedin.com/job/, which has nearly a million jobs!
Kerry A. Herrmann
Librarian and Learning Resource Manager