As a college student, you are striving to earn your undergraduate and become a professional in your field of study. There are a variety of paths we can take after graduation, such as entering the workforce, applying for graduate school or even starting your own business.
No matter what your plans are after Ohio Northern University, there is one essential tool that can be used to strengthen your professional development: LinkedIn.
LinkedIn is an online platform that connects organizations, employers, coworkers, peers and other formal relations on, what is essentially, a social media platform. Users are able to create an online resume and share posts that highlight pivotal moments in their academic and professional careers.
Ultimately, the platform is an important way for potential employers to connect with you and determine whether you will be the right fit for their company. On a similar note, the clients you work with in the future may use LinkedIn to see your job experience and get a sense of your professional performance.
Knowing that LinkedIn plays a significant role in your careers, Marcia Kostoff from Polar Careers has helped gather some essential tips so that you can make your LinkedIn account professional and useful for your career.
Add a professional profile photo.
Your profile photo is one of the first impressions you will make on a potential employer/recruiter when they click on your profile, so make it a great one.
Typically, profile photos are cropped to your head and shoulders and have plain, simple background. The photo should not be a group photo zoomed in on your face, nor should it be from an event or vacation. There are a variety styles your profile photo can be in; as long as it maintains a sense of professionalism, you will be good to go.
If you do not have a “professional” photo with a plain background, no worries! Senior photos can also work for your profile as long as they are cropped to your shoulders. *Free, professional headshots will no longer be offered at ONU career fairs as they were in the past.* You can also remove the background of your senior photo with Canva (or any editing software) to have a white backdrop.
Craft summary about yourself.
Located towards the top of your profile, the “about” section plays a significant role in expressing who you are to the world. As a current college student, perhaps you may like to share what your majors are and why you selected them. What are your goals? Each summary is personal, and you can create an appointment with Polar Careers to see what type of summary suits your needs.
Volunteer experience does not go unnoticed.
Volunteering demonstrates that you contribute to the community outside of the classroom. While you are excelling in your schoolwork, employers are satisfied to see that you go beyond expectations to dedicate your time others.
Add your employment history.
A description of your specific roles and responsibilities clearly communicates the skills you learned. This extra step also demonstrates that you were willing to take the extra time to be more thorough.
If you do not yet have a job experience or internship to list, consider making your Volunteer section more robust. Doing so will demonstrate to potential employers that you are involved in the community and developing soft skills through various acts of service. As you obtain work experiences, you can downsize your Volunteer section to what is the most relevant or noteworthy.
Make connections.
Now that your profile has been set up, it is time to begin “connecting” with other people on the platform. By connecting with people, you will be able to see each others posts as well as have the opportunity to keep in contact for any future inquiries or updates. Some people you may want to connect with are:
- Professors
- Peers
- Coworkers
- Bosses & Supervisors
By connecting with others in the academic and professional communities, you will stay updated on new developments in your future career industry while also creating a network. You never know when your connections with others may come in handy, like for a job interview or research assistance.
Share your college education.
Adding to the Education section of your profile is a key component for your LinkedIn resume, for it adds to your credibility and highlights a significant part of your professional development.
You can strengthen the Education portion of your profile by following the prompts provided by LinkedIn, such as indicating your major(s), minor(s), extracurricular activities, field-related skills you have learned and perhaps even a brief explanation of what you are learning in your program and how you can apply that to your career goals.
As a college student, you do not need to add your high school onto your profile. Enrollment in an undergraduate program implies that you have graduated from high school. The extracurriculars and awards earned from your time in high school are no longer relevant.
Missed Opportunities
As you take a look at your completed LinkedIn profile, consider some of these missed opportunities that have been noted by the Polar Careers staff.
Spelling errors are common mistakes seen on profile pages. Spelling and other grammatical errors communicates to employers that you lack attention to detail even though it was a minor oversight. To ensure the quality of your writing, have a friend or peer read through your profile; another set of eyes can often catch the errors that you miss.
Also, be sure to stay active on the platform by liking and commenting on posts or reposting content shared by others. By doing so, you are actively engaging with others in your field and staying up-to-date on new developments in your industry of interest; this is what LinkedIn is for! You don’t have to scroll through your LinkedIn feed every day, but try to avoid going weeks without any form of engagement.
Although this topic was mentioned earlier, do not overlook the importance of a profile photo. Not only does the photo increase credibility, but you can also receive up to 21 times more profile views than those without a photo, which can be crucial when you are in search of a job or internship.
All in all, college is the perfect time to start creating your digital resume on LinkedIn. As an emerging professional in your field, there is no better time to start crafting a digital footprint that represents your career goals and aspirations.