Why Should Every College Student Be Active on LinkedIn?

Check out our LinkedIn Summary for Students and Build Your GreatLinkedIn Profile!

You Should Be as Detailed as Possible

It concerns your extracurricular and coursework, it must be a well-presented story of your professional development, try to include as many details as possible. Add courses to LinkedIn, organizations, and clubs in which you took part at school. Any work experience or internships that you’ve gained do matter, be sure to mention how many hours you worked and what skills you developed.

Your Profile Photo

When it comes to posting a profile photo, almost every student worries about their face which might look too young and inexperienced. But there is no need for fear, really. Williams says that a profile picture could work in your favor. It’s not a hyperlink for recruiters, it’s your digital personality that makes possible to see you as a human.

You Should Illustrate Your Schoolwork

Your skills with rich media should definitely be presented, pictures, videos anything is great. Show every design project or presentation you are proud of, you need to help recruiters see how talented you are.

You Should Ask Advisers and Professors for Recommendations

The biggest misconception of LinkedIn recommendations is that every student mistakenly believes that recommendations can be given only from previous employers. The recommendations from an academic advisor or university professor clearly demonstrate your abilities and skills, especially when they are the ones with expertise in your desired field. It’s better to get recommendations from professors who have a good sense of your work ethic and know you well.

You Should Reach out to Industry Leaders

Social media gives a great opportunity to connect with people whose careers you admire. It’s like an access to influential people in the industry you are interested in. You should personalize your request to connect.

Williams recommends following two aspects in your request. The first one is to include details that have a connection between you and the person. Looking at her or his LinkedIn profile get the information that will promote you personalize your request. It might be anything that connects you to the person, like a favorite publication or a hometown. If there is nothing to mention, don’t worry, you always can offer a respectful comment or compliment about hers or his professional work instead.

The second aspect you should add is a reason, a reason that explains your desire to connect with this person. It’s no way should be a request for a job. What should you do then? A request for career advice or a personal question will be fine. It is essential to show your passion and desire, without saying the words “I’m looking for a job.” It must be so obvious without words. Strive to become the first person on recruiters’ mind each time a new position comes on the table. Do everything possible to make your application in that “maybe” pile.

Industry-specific Articles

Every time you post and comment onindustry-specific articles, you demonstrate your passion for this field, your interest, and engagement. You the same way say “I do pay attention to my career of choice!” 

The things that it’s better to avoid concerns personal or controversial opinions on LinkedIn if of course, you don’t want your professional persona to be associated with that opinion. By this, you are proving that you are engaged in industry-specific news, it’s not only about reading, you are engaging with it analytically.

Put Questions in LinkedIn Groups

With LinkedIn groups, you are able to engage directly with people related to your industry and, moreover, you present yourself not as a passive reader, but as a contributor. Williams recommends asking smart questions and eliciting conversations as they are the best way to be noticed. Before asking a question, you should do a bit of research. At least use a Google search, thus you’ll make your questions stronger and not so easy ones to answer.

You Should Look at Various Career Paths

You may see how someone has got there, not the only where someone is now, but the whole career path. You might be very surprised how non-linear careers are today. Besides, looking into other careers paths you might get inspired to try something you otherwise wouldn’t.

You Should Check for Grammar and Spelling Errors

Should it be mentioned that your LinkedIn profile needs to be error-free? The same as with any professional work, grammar and spelling errors are unacceptable. You should ask someone to look at it after you’ve checked, as there might be grammatical faux pas or unclear phases which are definitely better to avoid.