College is the time when you really start thinking about where you’ll end up after you graduate. Whether it’s because of your own anxious thoughts or people constantly badgering you about what you plan on doing with your life, you should start thinking about your career, sophomore year at the latest. Start with LinkedIn.
Well, maybe start with your email address. Make sure that you have a work appropriate email address that will make you look professional. That user name you’ve had since middle or high school will not attract potential employers.
Next, clean up your social media accounts. Potential employers do sometimes stalk applicants social media accounts to get an idea of who they are hiring. If there are just too many pictures to go through, make your social media pages private. This way, the only thing the employer will be able to see is just your picture and your name.
On to the best part, LinkedIn!
It may seem boring, but when you become serious about your future, LinkedIn is every applicant’s best friend. This is, more or less, like an online resume. You can add your achievements, volunteer experience, job experience, and more.
The best part of LinkedIn is that you can easily search for jobs on their website. You can type in the industry you’re looking into entering, the field/department you want, location, and what level you’re looking at – i.e. entry level, senior level, etc.
The best thing you can do is connect with others. Friends, family, peers, professors, and previous and current managers you’ve had. Some people on LinkedIn will recommend you for a job if they know your work ethic and know that you’re looking for a job.
Remember to keep your LinkedIn up to date as best you can. Add all of your work experience and detail your responsibilities at that particular job.
LinkedIn walks you through everything and even recommends jobs every week for you to look at based on your major and the industry you’re interested in.
Hope this helps and good luck on your job search and career!