Getting started on LinkedIn: 9 tips for students and recent graduates

Current and recent graduates! If you’re not on LinkedIn, or you only have a half-baked LinkedIn profile, you’re almost certainly missing out on job offers. It’s that time of year – a lot of you have recently finished your studies and are starting to think about your first ‘proper’ job; but where do you start.

You’ve probably heard of LinkedIn (I mean, it does have more than 430 million users worldwide) but you’ve likely ignored it. Most University students think of LinkedIn as solely for established professionals, or perhaps too dull to bother with. If you want to get a good job quickly after graduation, however, then you need to think again.

Why? Because LinkedIn is where jobs and recruiters are. At any one time, there are 6.5 million jobs listed on LinkedIn and 94% of people making hiring decisions say that they use LinkedIn to vet candidates.

Think of LinkedIn as your CV that never sleeps. In fact, think of it as more than that: it’s your personal branding exercise, it’s how you want the world to see you, it’s the result you want to show up at the top when someone Googles you.

But how do you build a half decent LinkedIn profile when you’ve got no real work experience? Here are nine things you should do to get started.

#1 Post as professional a photo as possible

Your fancy dress Facebook profile picture is not a good fit here, nor are actions shots of you downing a pint or playing with your new kitten. Sorry, selfies aren’t appropriate here either.

A common mistake, however, is to assume that you must be in formal business attire or staring deadpan at the camera. Work is a more casual place these days than your parents might have you believe. Think semi-formal and smart casual. And don’t forget: you’re allowed to smile!

#2 Put an aspirational headline

Don’t just write that you’re a “Geography student”, and definitely don’t say that you’re unemployed. Put something that implies you actually care about your career and have an interest in the world of work. If you’re still deciding, and it’s early days, then you can be broad (and you can change it later, of course).

You’ve got 120 characters to play with here, so put something descriptive, interesting, and — most importantly — aspirational. Try something like ‘Motivated student and aspiring marketer’, ‘Psychology student exploring career opportunities in communications and business development’, or ‘Recent computer science grad looking to use my skills to build cool things’.

#3 Put something in the summary section

LinkedIn puts a great big summary box right at the top of the profile page for a reason. People want to know who you are and what you’re all about quickly and painlessly. Hiring managers and recruiters will scan profiles in just a few seconds — if you don’t get their attention right off the bat, they won’t bother reading down the page.

You’ll have been told to write this section in the third person. Don’t. It reads weirdly, isn’t authentic, and can unconsciously create some bizarre contortions of the English language. Write in the first person (‘I’m a student…’ etc.). Say why what you study, what your career goals are, and how you’re pursuing them.

#4 Fill out the ‘education’ section but don’t go back too far

After a few years in the workplace, potential employers will only glance at your educational history — they’ll put much more emphasis on your experience. For now, though, it’s pretty much all you’ve got, so don’t leave it empty.

Don’t, however, go overboard. No one is interested in your Year 9 SAT’s scores, or even your GCSEs for that matter. Go back as far as your A-Levels, specifying the individual courses you took. There’s no need for grades. You should also include your University, your degree course, and a few of the more impressive sounding modules you’ve taken.

#5 Only include relevant work experience

At school, they might have taught you about writing CVs and suggested that you include everything, even that part-time job waiting tables at the local pub. They were wrong (unless you’re after a career in catering/hospitality, of course).

It’s best practice to only include experience that’s professionally relevant — so skip the pre-University stuff and focus on internships, relevant summer jobs, specific projects or contracting positions and so on here.

#6 Be smart about your other experience

Think broadly about your experience and include voluntary positions. Make sure you put these in the “Volunteer Experience & Causes” section — don’t try and imply that being Treasurer of the Hockey club, for example, was equivalent to a job. It wasn’t.

However, this sort of experience — volunteering on the committee of a university club, helping a charity to fundraise, or assisting a sports club to organise tournaments, etc. — are all high-quality pieces of experience that employers will pay attention to in lieu of work experience.

#7 Make use of the additional profile sections

Beneath the traditional CV sections are a number of sections that perfectly suit people at the beginning of their careers with little work experience. These sections — languages, awards, projects, skills, and courses — are your opportunity to show that you’re a well-rounded person who does more at university than just drinking and going out.

#8 Seek out recommendations

If you’ve got some relevant work experience, from an internship perhaps, then maximise its effectiveness by asking for a recommendation. It’s quite common for managers to receive requests for recommendations, just make sure you personalise your message asking them and thank them for them for their time.

#9 Have someone proofread it for you

Spelling and grammar mistakes and sloppy writing will make potential employers run a mile. Almost 90% of hiring managers say, even if other qualifications are present, simple errors will result in them discarding a candidate. Ask a friend or relative you trust to review your profile and suggest changes.

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