6 Must-dos for College Students and New Grads on LinkedIn

When you think about social media, LinkedIn may not immediately come to mind. It doesn’t seem “social” — it’s not where your friends hang out. Think of LinkedIn as your resume that never sleeps. But a lot more. It's your professional brand in the world.

A LinkedIn account can help a college student establish a professional reputation by allowing them to display your credentials, post academic updates, and interact with industry experts and potential employers. All it takes to sign up with Linkedin is your first and last name, email address, and a password. At this point, you can decide to continue with the free version or opt into a premium membership. College students may be most interested in the Premium Career package for $29.99 per month. LinkedIn Premium Career allows you to directly message recruiters, see how you compare to other applicants, see salary details on job postings, and see who has viewed your profile.

To get started, here are 6 must-dos for students and new-ish grads on LinkedIn:

Choose a Professional Photo: Make a good first impression with a professional-looking photo. If you don't have a headshot, get someone to take a picture for you. All it takes is a high-resolution camera — even the kind on a smartphone — and natural lighting.

Write A Great Summary: Your LinkedIn summary appears directly below your photo and is a good opportunity to "hook" whoever comes across your profile. You have 2,000 characters to give a cogent overview of your professional life, but shorter summaries can also be effective introductions.

Describe Your Experience and Education: Like a traditional resume, a LinkedIn profile allows a student to display qualifications. Use the experience section to list any full-time jobs, freelance work, volunteer experience, and one-off projects that demonstrate your track record. Write a description for each position that uses keywords relevant to your target profession, and remember to include specific project outcomes. It's also important to be detailed about your educational history, including your major, relevant coursework, extracurricular activities, and awards or scholarships you've received. Recruiters often set filters around education when using LinkedIn. Providing degree details ensures you show up in their search results.

List Your Skills: The skills and endorsements section lets you list up to 50 competencies that show potential employers that you are an ideal candidate. This information affects search results, so provide a complete and accurate account of your skills to increase the number of relevant visitors to your LinkedIn profile. To help you identify your best skills, start by exploring job descriptions for your dream position. Identify the skills exhibited by top professionals or valued by recruiters and hiring managers in your field. Then look at your resume. Connect the competencies you've already shown with those that are in demand.

Build Your Network: Once you’ve built a great profile, request to be part of another LinkedIn user's network by clicking the connect button on their profile or next to their information on the results page. Expand your network by using the People You May Know tool, or use the Grow Your Network page to invite people in your email address book to LinkedIn. First-degree connections gain access to your profile information, so pick people you know (or at least know of).

Join Professional Groups: LinkedIn groups act as forums where you can demonstrate knowledge and connect with like-minded people. Find groups by using the site's recommendation and search functions. Check who in your network belongs to a given group, and use current connections to build future ones.

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