How to Get the Most Out of LinkedIn
Profile picture
Your Bio
I was once speaking to a UCSC alumni that I had reached out to and he explained to me what an elevator pitch is. An elevator pitch, in this case, is a quick summary used to quickly and simply define yourself. Do not leave this area of your profile blank. This is your chance to clearly state who you are and what kinds of positions you are looking for. Also, it is at the top of your profile, so people are likely to read your elevator pitch before they look at your skills and experience to feel you out.
Skills
Adding a list of relevant skills allows profile viewers to see what technical skills you have such as what programs you know how to use, which languages you speak, and more. Some examples of skills you could list are Microsoft Office, writing, blogging, java, HTML, cold calling, etc., the list could go on. This is your chance to state in simple terms what you know how to do. The cool thing about listing these skills is that your connections can endorse you for them. When you have endorsements, it shows people that view your profile that others agree that you have the listed skills.
LinkedIn lets you join up to 50 groups for free. Groups are great for job seekers and networkers because they create a community of people who are interested in the same topics as you. I encourage you to join as many groups as you can and contribute to the conversations happening within the communities.
Recommendations
If you are connected to an employer or colleague that you know thinks highly of you, feel free to ask them for a recommendation. This shows people that you are good at what you do and that your hard work is recognized by others.
The advanced people and job search allows LinkedIn users to find people and positions that they are interested in. Through the people search you should be able to find recruiters, potential employers, and school alumni that you are interested in reaching out to or learning more about. Also, there is an abundance of search criteria for job seekers who are looking for entry level to senior level positions. You have the ability to search for people who work for particular companies, went to a particular school, maintain a certain job title (i.e. “recuiter” or “human resource coordinator”) and more.