You might ask, what does LinkedIn have to offer that Facebook or Instagram doesn’t? LinkedIn is a stepping stone to success that ensures professionality, and a site that all college students, particularly women, should be on and utilizing if they are not yet.
LinkedIn establishes who you are and who you aspire to be professionally after graduating from college. If you don’t have one, I strongly suggest that you make that a priority. A lot of employers include a spot for your LinkedIn link on their applications and same with graduate school applications. It is almost expected that college students [especially upperclassmen] are taking their professional image seriously.
As I am in my last semester at the University of Maine, one major takeaway I have, in addition to my degree in Journalism and Spanish, is a solid LinkedIn profile. I learned about the importance of LinkedIn a couple years ago from a family friend who encouraged me to make an account. His advice as a successful business professional to an aspiring woman in journalism and business is to network, network, network.
He explained to me that it is imperative to remember the people we meet during our time in college. Those we meet through various clubs, internships and university affiliated events are people we should be making connections with on LinkedIn, especially in our specific programs. When potential future employers take a glance at a LinkedIn page and see a wide range of connections, they value candidates with interdisciplinary networks.
Another feature LinkedIn offers is the ability to discover new people in your direct field. Journalists, authors, business professionals and teachers are all on LinkedIn. Narrowing down a search on people in your specific field and learning about how far you can take your industry of interest is a valuable feature LinkedIn offers. People that are your connections are all valuable resources for you. For example, as a journalist, I would need to conduct an interview with someone who works at the Maine CDC. Through LinkedIn, I could easily find someone who knows someone that I know that could be perfect for this interview.
Even people you don’t know, you could meet through LinkedIn. Most of the time, business professionals enjoy talking about the work they are doing. I mean who doesn’t love talking about their success? If an established professional sees a younger curious student expressing interest in their work, the probability of sitting down and grabbing a coffee or hopping on a Zoom is most likely something they’d be interested in.
Needless to say, receiving an undergraduate degree is extremely helpful and important. However, meeting people, getting your name out and building connections is just as critical. Her Campus articles are a perfect example of personal publications that can boost your LinkedIn profile. There’s also a full Her Campus community accessible on LinkedIn as well.
Future employers, graduate school admissions people and coworkers use this profile to judge who you are as a potential candidate, and what you professionally represent. Sharing and liking posts that align to your interests as well as professional values is what LinkedIn should be used for.
Lastly, my final piece of advice surrounding a LinkedIn is to make sure you have a professional profile picture. It doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be wearing a blazer in your headshot, but formality matters. Selfies are not encouraged, nor are photos with excessive filters or other distracting objects. Again, emphasis on making yourself look professional and taken seriously.
This is your sign: make your LinkedIn profile and use it. It is never too early or too late to establish who you aspire to be professionally.