Since LinkedIn began in 2003, it has grown into the largest professional networking site, with over 277 million users worldwide. The site’s members range from college students to executives from every Fortune 500 Company. So how do you stand out in a crowd of a quarter billion people? It is all about planning, updating and catering to your profile to make it the best representation of your professional self. It’s true that LinkedIn can help you land the job, but only if you to use it the right way. There are many dos and don’ts to using LinkedIn, and any mistake can mean the difference between landing the job and having to work at camp for another summer.
First impressions are just as important when networking online as they are in person. Your picture is meant to showcase your professionalism and attentiveness to detail even before an employer reads your résumé. Think about it: you wouldn’t show up to an interview in a party dress or basketball shorts and a snapback. Professional attire (and a smile) are a must in your LinkedIn profile picture. As for the setup, the picture should be centered on your face and display just your shoulders and above. There should not be any distracting elements (for instance, people, pets or bold scenery) in the background of your picture.
To avoid these issues, have a friend take a picture of you standing in front of a plain wall. If you must have a backdrop, stand in front of an attractive building on campus, like Isenberg or even the famous Du Bois Library. Such a backdrop could show a viewer where you go to school or showcase your department in the university. It is important to take a new profile picture rather than simply cropping yourself from a photo off of Facebook to show your network of connections that you take LinkedIn – and your future – seriously.
The headline is another key first impression that explains who you are in a few short words. First and foremost, it should include your current job, role or status. Are you an intern, a student or maybe a volunteer? You can even include descriptive words like “experienced” or “professional” to add some flair. If you don’t have a current position worth sharing, a second option is to have your headline read “aspiring” toward a certain career or “pursuing” a job in a certain field.
Just like a hard copy résumé, the applicants’ experience is the heart of the LinkedIn profile. Having clearly established titles for each job or internship is a must. Include the dates you began and finished working in each position, along with the name of each company. Beneath each position, add bullets or small paragraphs explaining the responsibilities your role included. Keep these simple; use a variety of vocabulary but don’t go overboard in an effort to impress.
LinkedIn also offers a “Skills & Endorsements” section which members should take advantage of. List a couple of skills that pertain to the field of work you are pursuing, but most importantly, choose skills that you truthfully excel at. Your friends, classmates and colleagues on LinkedIn who have witnessed these skills will often “endorse” these attributes to give your profile even more authenticity.
When connecting with other members on the site it is important to understand the three degrees of connection. A first-degree connection indicates a member you have already connected with, a second-degree connection is a member who is connected to one of your first-degree connections and a third-degree connection is anyone connected to a second-degree connection. Adding people you do not know or have never met before is almost never a good idea. Think of it like Facebook etiquette: you don’t go “friend-ing” people that you have never met before. You should only connect with individuals you have met in classes, worked with, met at networking events or have been introduced to by someone else.
In addition to connecting to professional individuals, LinkedIn can also be a great place to stay up-to-date with your favorite companies. Often, these companies will display job postings for followers. Other professionals you are connected with may post job opportunities from their own companies or similar companies in their fields. Remember that LinkedIn is not just for soon-to-be college graduates searching for their first job – the professional networking site is an excellent tool for any undergraduate searching for an internship as well.
Kayla Marchetti can be reached at [email protected].
