I’m sure we all have heard at least once during college about the importance of marketing ourselves. Yes, having a presentable resume is important but there are definitely a handful of accessible tools and resources available to market ourselves nowadays. Sometimes employers and job recruiters want to look at something more than just a resume, cover letter, or personal statement. This is when LinkedIn comes in handy. LinkedIn, a social networking business platform is known as a benchmark for marketing yourself. As a college student, creating a LinkedIn is vital and extremely beneficial in numerous ways. Here are a number of reasons why LinkedIn is a great tool to market yourself and for your professional growth.
1. You gain industry knowledge and can research companies
LinkedIn makes it easy to stay up-to-date on company and industry news. On LinkedIn, you have the option to follow companies, topics, and trends you have an interest in. This is a great way to help you research more about a company you would like to potentially work for. You simply gain valuable knowledge on your field and stay in the know on headlines in your field of work. By following companies, you are able to know when job openings are posted for those specific companies you would love to work for one day. You can even find insightful articles on topics that interest you which can help you prepare for an interview, gain some tips, or just simply learn about something that you had never considered before.
Source: LinkedIn Learning
2. You are able to showcase your skills and experience
Think of LinkedIn as your professional digital portfolio as that’s exactly what it is. This is the one social media networking site where you’re able to showcase and market who you are to prospective employers. This is the perfect place where you can add any information that didn’t fit onto your one-page resume. You can add as much as more in-depth information on your work experience, highlight your skills, and showcase any accomplishments or certifications you may have. It allows you to list up to 50 skills and you can even add any volunteer experience you may have that you probably don’t have listed on your resume. This is a great way to demonstrate to employers that you have further experience in your field.
Source: LinkedIn Learning
3. It helps you build your professional network
It’s never too early or too late to begin building your network and LinkedIn is a great place to start. LinkedIn is a great platform for networking. Creating an account allows you to connect with others in your field, in different fields, or even with industry leaders. Networking on LinkedIn is far from difficult. Once you add your university and major to your profile, LinkedIn will display many students and alumni from your university. Once you add your work experience, you are also shown recommendations of people who you can connect with that have worked or currently work in the same company you are. As stated before, you can even connect with an industry leader or someone who has the position you are interested in. By connecting with them, you can ask any questions you may have about their position through direct message. People love sharing their experiences and by reaching out to someone in your field with the position you want, you can form a meaningful professional relationship with them. Another great thing about networking on LinkedIn is that you can endorse others and have your connections endorse/recommend you for the skills you have added on your profile. This is a great way to showcase to employers and recruiters what past coworkers and employers have to say about your work ethic and professionalism.
Source: LinkedIn Learning
All in all, having a LinkedIn is an essential tool to use for your professional endeavors, career, and academic pursuits. It allows you to market yourself in a way that a resume or interview can’t. Whether you have never heard of Linkedin, are already familiar with it, or this is your first time hearing about it, LinkedIn is a key social networking business platform that offers you many professional opportunities that are at easy access to you. It is an asset to use as a college student and to grow professionally. You can create your own LinkedIn account here and learn more about how to use it here.