LinkedIn is an essential networking tool and though most of us know what it is, many collegiates just don’t have a profile. As more and more businesses and companies are going digital, now is the time to create an account. Remember, the site acts as a more in-depth version of your resume, so it’s important that your profile is complete and professional. Here’s your quick-start guide to LinkedIn:
1. Include as much information as you can.
No, you don’t need to put your Social Security number or your address or even your phone number, but you should include your educational background (including your high school), previous and current employers, a list of volunteer work and extracurricular involvements and any leadership roles you have. You should also add details. It’s not enough to just say “University of Wisconsin – Madison.” What’s your major? Are you on the Dean’s List? Are you the president of a student organization? Include these things! It’s also important to provide descriptions of your job duties so that potential employers can know more about your past work experience.
2. Add a picture.
Just like most other social networking sites, your profile picture is how people can quickly identify you and see who you are. In a way, it reassures others that there is, in fact, a real person behind an online account (so hopefully you aren’t a catfish…). Just think about this: whether it’s a Facebook account or an online dating profile that doesn’t have a profile picture or a Twitter account with the default egg icon, it’s unlikely that you’ll click on their account because they’re literally faceless. That said, you need to add a photo to your LinkedIn profile.
3. Just as importantly, that picture needs to be professional.
As a site for connecting with coworkers and potential bosses, you need to keep it clean and look ready for a job interview. A quality LinkedIn profile photo will be a square-cropped up-to-date headshot featuring you in business casual attire. Look at the camera, smile properly, and avoid super bright backgrounds and dark shadows. Try not to use a selfie, though if you must, LinkedIn has some tips on how to perfect your #WorkSelfie.
4. And on that note, keep your entire profile professional.
Yes, LinkedIn is a social networking site, but it’s not about sharing how much fun you’re having in Malta, how annoying your boss is, or how good you looked last night. It’s about connecting with past employers and coworkers, and finding others in your career field and learning about companies you’re interested in, all of which can potentially lead you to a job. Double, triple, and quadruple check your spelling and grammar, don’t use abbreviations, avoid using special symbols or characters, and keep status updates relevant. You don’t need to update your status every day, but if you come across an interesting article about your dream job or a cool new research study in your field, share the link and add a brief comment [think more than “OMG cool” or “WTF” but not anything like those lengthy political rants on Facebook]. 5. Customize your profile URL.
The default link to your public profile doesn’t look very professional with a series of random numbers at the end. By customizing your profile URL, not only will it look more professional, but it’ll also be easier to share! If you can, make it http://www.linkedin.com/in/yourfullname. If that’s taken, try using your first and middle initials with your last name or /lastnamethenfirstname. To customize your profile URL just go to the “Edit Profile” tab and underneath your profile photo click “edit.”
6. Strategically connect with others.
Once you have your profile set up and it looks as professional and complete as it can be, start connecting. Add your friends, past and current coworkers and supervisors, classmates, and teachers or professors who actually know your name and could speak about your work ethic. The key is to add people whom you know offline first. Just like Facebook, it’s going to get weird if you start adding random people all willy nilly. Don’t do that. Instead, if you find someone you want to connect with – maybe they work at a company you’d love to work for or they have a really cool job title and you want to learn more about what they do – adding them to your network just takes a little careful thinking. First, see if they have any connections in common with you. If they do, you’re in luck and you can ask your mutual connection to introduce you. If they aren’t connected to anyone in your network, you can send them a personalized connection invite explaining why you’d like to connect. Remember that when you click “Connect,” the generic message will read: “Hi ___, I’d like to connect with you on LinkedIn.” Instead of doing that, to personalize a message click the down arrow next to the “connect” button on someone’s profile and select “personalize invitation.” 7. Join groups and follow companies you’re interested in.
You can follow businesses and brands to see what they’re up to. Not only will you stay up-to-date on important company happenings, but a potential hiring manager can see your dedication to the company if you’re following them and sometimes they post job openings! By joining groups, you can expand your network and meet others with similar interests. Whether the group is for your university (connect to UW’s here!) or about a specific topic like social media marketing, healthcare or youth education, a lot of groups share links with relevant articles or professional tips about the business/university/topic!
So what are you waiting for!? It’s time to showcase yourself and build your network! Click here to get started.