The College Student's Guide to LinkedIn

The world is evolving. Before you know it, paper resumes will no longer be necessary; employers will simply pull up your LinkedIn page to get all the information they need. LinkedIn is the top source for HR managers and recruiters to find talented individuals. Therefore, having a LinkedIn profile that stands out is imperative.

As a college student myself, I can admit firsthand that building a great LinkedIn page that stands out can be troublesome. Colleges and universities have not yet fully stressed the importance of creating your own page on this network. It may be difficult to figure out how to properly create a page that will make you stand out above the rest.

Your Profile Picture

Posting a professional profile picture is important. Unlike Facebook and Twitter, LinkedIn is a network for professionals to network and meet new connections. While it does not have to be fancy, you will definitely not want to post a picture of you at a party or at a football game.

Make sure your profile picture is not blurry and shows you wearing nice clothing. Employers would prefer a headshot, and it would be beneficial to smile for your picture. The happier you look, the more presentable and approachable you will seem! After all, this is what LinkedIn's all about - meeting professional connections in your career field.

An Informative, Yet Catchy Headline

Under your name will be your headline. Most students will put something monotonous and boring such as "College Student at XYZ University," but it's better to show your aspiration.

For example, a finance and economics student would put "Economics Major and Aspiring Financial Analyst," rather than "Finance and Economics Student at XYZ University." The "Aspiring..." shows employers your end goal, which is much better than simply stating the obvious fact that you are a college student.

While you will want to put your aspirations, be careful not to show an aspiration for an occupation that requires a certain license, certification or promotion. An example of this would be "Aspiring FBI Agent" or "Aspiring Army General." While these aspirations are great, putting these down for a headline may steal credibility from those who have truly earned these positions.

The Summary

The summary is one of the toughest parts of LinkedIn for many. Too short or too long? Not enough? Missing something? I've gone through about a dozen revisions and I still find myself editing my summary to make it the best it can be.

The purpose of a summary on LinkedIn is to describe what motivates you (what gets you out of bed in the morning), what you're skilled at, and what your long term goals are.

For example, you could start your summary off with something that will grab the reader's interest, making them want to continue reading. Then you can introduce yourself and what/where you are studying, continuing with what fascinates or motivates you to pursue your chosen field. You could briefly describe your top skills and end with your long-term goals.

It's recommended to keep your summary brief (certainly no more than three short paragraphs but no less than three sentences) and concise. Examples of well-constructed LinkedIn summaries can be found here.

Your Job Experiences

This part is relatively easy: use an existing resume as a template or fill in your job experience starting with your most recent experience.

When explaining your job description, try not to be so focused on what your position itself. Focus on your accomplishments in that position that made you stand out. For example, if John was an Intern, rather than saying "Learned XYZ alongside industry professionals" it would be better to say "Conducted research on 15 companies and presented findings to CEO." Doing this shows that you accomplished things, exceeded expectations, and stood out in your job.

Something to remember when filling out your job description: Numbers tend to stand out more, and results are more impressive than progress.

Also, for a job description on LinkedIn and a resume use action words rather than ordinary words. Instead of "Duties included," say "Managed" or "Controlled." Here's an additional 240 Resume Action Words & Power Words to Make Your Resume Shine.

If you no longer work a job that you are listing, make sure to keep your responsibilities in past tense. If you currently work in that position, keep all responsibilities and duties of your job in present tense.

For more tips on filling out this part of your LinkedIn page or your resume, check out 12 Tips to Improve Your Work Experience Section on LinkedIn.

Education

As with your work experience, your education should start with your most recent experience. As a student I've been advised to refrain from listing high school education on my resume, however I don't think it's much of a big deal if one wants to list it on LinkedIn.

Make sure to list your GPA if it is over a 3.0.

Additional help on how to list your education on LinkedIn can be found here.

Volunteer Experience

The Volunteer Experience section is something that you will need to try to add at least one or two boxes in. Employers often look at volunteer experience to determine community involvement and individual versatility.

Many employers even value it almost as much as actual work experience, so if you don't have anything to put under "Volunteer Experience" make sure to get some community service hours in! Besides, giving back to the community is important, especially when you're working with an organization whose mission aligns with your interests.

VolunteerMatch is a great source to find community service opportunities in your town. The article 50 Community Service Ideas for Teen Volunteers is another great place to find ideas and organizations to get involved in.

Involvement in Organizations

As a college student, you may have time to get involved in collegiate organizations. It's highly recommended to get involved, not only to have something for this section but to meet new people on campus.

“That's the whole point of life, you know? To meet new people.”  ― Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

When listing organizations, describe your involvement with that organization. Many people join organizations such as the Finance Club and never attend another meeting after the initial one. You'll want to show that you actually participated in organizational events.

Skills and Endorsements

In this section, you can add at least five skills that you possess. Your connections on LinkedIn can endorse you for these skills, and you can endorse peers and coworkers for their skills as well.

Skills for a writer are different than those for a pre-med major, so make sure you list skills and capabilities that you possess that make you stand out in your field.

This website is an excellent place to find skills that are relevant to your field.

Recommendations

Under "Skills and Endorsements," you can ask managers, professors and even fellow peers to write a recommendation for you. This section basically provides employers credibility for your skills and strengths that you have listed. Like endorsements, you can give someone a recommendation in return. A great idea would be to ask a professor that knows you well to write a short recommendation for your LinkedIn. Most professors will say yes as long as you were a good student in their class.

Accomplishments

At the bottom of your LinkedIn page is the "Accomplishments" section. This includes Courses, Honors & Awards, Projects, and other subsections. These are easy to fill in and vary from student to student. Here is a link with help on how to list accomplishments on your LinkedIn.

Interests

The last section on your profile is called "Interests" and can be filled once you follow company and organization pages on LinkedIn. This section simply provides employers and connections with a list of your interests... pretty self-explanatory!

You're All Set!

At this point, your profile should be finished. Now you can add connections and network with industry professionals.

For more help on getting started on LinkedIn, simply click this link.

Good luck, and welcome to LinkedIn!

FAQ: What's the difference between LinkedIn and a resume?

A: Your LinkedIn may seem very similar to your resume. They both show your recent job experiences, education, skills, and so on. However, your LinkedIn should tell a bigger story than a resume. With that being said, the big difference between LinkedIn and a resume is that your LinkedIn should expand on what you did as well as show other experiences which will make you look more well-rounded. You're selling yourself and your abilities to an employer or recruiter, so it would help to use LinkedIn's networking features to your advantage.

Author's Note

As an undergraduate student, I've witnessed many fellow students - including upperclassmen - struggle to connect and network with industry professionals and hiring managers. It's clear that universities have not realized the potential that LinkedIn has, and as a result, many peers are falling behind the curve.

This article aims to introduce LinkedIn and show my peers how to build their profile to connect with employers on here.

For more information, comments or inquiries feel free to connect with me at my LinkedIn profile or at [email protected].