No matter what major you’re in, a LinkedIn profile is essential for building your network. Contrary to popular belief, LinkedIn isn’t just a website for finding jobs and connecting with recruiters. It’s a platform to build your digital presence and share with the world what you’ve been working on. But it’s a pretty intimidating platform, so let’s dive deep into some of the best ways to build and utilize your LinkedIn as a college student!
- Building the Profile
The first step to building your LinkedIn profile is working on the profile itself. This means updating your headshot, background image, headline, and more. This is the first thing a new connection sees, so you want to make it count! Have a professional headshot, and make sure your background picture isn’t something too distracting. Your headline is also really important, since it’s basically your bio but in three phrases or less. Mention your field of study, school, previous internships, and a small phrase about your career goal!Â
- Posting and Adding Experiences
LinkedIn is essentially an extension of your resume, so you want to add your experiences. For this part, you can copy and paste the text from your resume and even add what you couldn’t include on your resume. Make sure to also include your certifications! When writing posts, you want to talk about three main things: announcements, insights, and experiences. Announcement posts are when you announce something big, like an internship or winning a case competition. Insight posts talk about current events in your field or post a project that you did for a company of interest. Experience posts are a chance for you to talk about something cool you did recently, like volunteering, attending a conference, or presenting at a workshop. Adding a mix of these posts will enhance your profile and allow people to see what you’ve been up to.
- Connecting and Interacting
Now this is what you’ll be using LinkedIn for regularly. Connecting with students, faculty, and professionals is the best way to get to know people who can teach you and help you get the position you want. One of the best ways to connect with potential referrals/mentors is to find alumni. Go to IU’s LinkedIn page, click on the People section, and there you can filter by major and company, along with other filters. This way, you can already establish connections with people you know you have something in common with. Make sure you also interact with these professionals after you connect with them! Like and comment on their posts, have frequent check-ins, and even schedule a coffee chat.Â
LinkedIn is a scary platform when you just start, but it’s important to take things step by step to build the best digital profile to showcase who you are. Good professional branding can make or break your career, so look at profiles that inspire you and take note of what they do. If you need inspiration or have any questions about how to build your profile, you can find my LinkedIn here. Happy connecting! :D