For those of us looking to gear up for the professional world, LinkedIn holds the keys to connecting to whichever future we desire. But not all of us know the secrets that will put our profile and our brand on the map! Here are some of my top hacks to master LinkedIn and network your dreams from a college student who worked hard to revamp her own LinkedIn account.
- Add alumni and people you go to school with
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This should go without saying, but it’s important to grow and cultivate a network of your peers. I, for one, struggled with this a bit at first, but the hardest thing is to get your name out there so you can find amazing opportunities. An easy way to do this is to connect with people from your school from current students to professors and alumni.
- Add enriching media that demonstrates you and your work
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Rich media is a feature on LinkedIn that allows you to essentially share your work with your followers and people who visit your profile. It can be anything from articles you’ve written, assignments you’ve done for classes in your major, or even projects that you are working on that you are passionate about, to name a few. It’s a great way to stand apart from others because you’ll have proof of your skills.
- Get and give recommendations
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Receiving a recommendation is a great way to stand out from the crowd and give you credibility. Recommendations can come from professors, mentors, coworkers and even peers. They’re not only important to receive but to give as well. In addition, recommendations signal to potential recruiters that an individual is worthy of employment.
- Be active
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LinkedIn is like any other social media — you’ll reap the benefits the more active you are. That way, you’re better able to interact with more people and grow your network faster. You’ll also find some interesting people and work there. Just remember to keep it professional! Although LinkedIn is a social media platform, it’s nothing like Instagram, Snapchat or Tik Tok, so don’t share too much or things that aren’t relevant to your chosen profession.
- Show yourself in your best light
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Set good pictures for your profile and your background photo. Remember you’re creating your own brand on the page, so make sure it represents something you’d be proud of. For your background photo, you can design something creative, showcase school pride or anything else that shows you in your best light.
- Connect with people in your major
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By connecting with those in your major, you can find people going through the same things you are. You can ask them questions and learn more opportunities about the profession. Moreover, some fields are very close-knit, so it’s good to have a network that shows your interest and be able to interact with.
- Follow companies you’re interested in
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By following companies you’re interested in, you show potential employers and recruiters what standard you are looking for and what you aspire to be. Moreover, if you are following the company you are looking to be at, it’ll show that you have done your research and you’re interested in them.
- Open yourself up to new jobs by showing you are interested to work
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LinkedIn has a great feature that adds a frame to your profile picture, saying that you are “Open to Work.” This frame shows recruiters and potential employers what you are looking for, and it allows you to publicly share on your profile what positions you are looking for. It also makes your page more likely to be seen by recruiters looking for your criteria. You can put this on your profile by tapping your profile picture and selecting adding a frame, then clicking on the “Open to Work” frame.
- Create a fantastic Bio in the About section
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The about you section on LinkedIn is the space devoted to sharing your story. It offers you 2,000 characters to tell your highlights, stories and who you are as a professional. It can also be an elevator pitch, most commonly thought of as how you can sell someone on you. This, in sum, is your branding, your company or industry branding and a call to action to get potential recruiters to message you.
- Get certifications that you are interested in
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Certifications are a great way to demonstrate your knowledge outside of the school of what you can do. This can be a plus when recruiters are looking at you because not everyone has certifications. As a student, you’re lucky enough to get LinkedIn Learning for free through our college emails. I’d recommend you take a look and see if anything piques your interest or can help you in your chosen profession. LinkedIn Learning has courses on everything from Managing Finances, Copywriting, Python, UCF-specific courses, and more.
So there you have it! My top ten ways to improve your LinkedIn profile to maximize your success. These tips are perfect for dazzling potential internships, employers or recruiters in general! I hope you can take these tips and create a LinkedIn profile that shows the best of your skills and makes you proud! Don’t be afraid to get out there, and remember to set yourself apart.