How to Get the Most Out of LinkedIn

By Sarah Knight on May 5, 2014

As a soon to be graduate, LinkedIn has become my favorite social network. Most of us who are graduating are still looking for a job, and if you have already secured a job, congratulations! Either way, job or not, LinkedIn is a great way to connect with others and showcase your talents. Here are some ways to spruce up your LinkedIn profile and how to use LinkedIn to your advantage.

Profile picture

Make sure you have a profile picture for your LinkedIn page. If a recruiter comes across your page, it will be more comforting for them to see a face behind the name and experience that you have listed on your profile. Since LinkedIn is a professional network, your photo should not just be any old photo. Make sure it has good lighting, that you can see your face clearly in the photo and that you are wearing professional or formal attire.

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.


Experience
In this section, you want to list all of the relevant experience you have to date. This section will most likely look very similar to your resume, but does not need to be a word for word copy. I would recommend spacing each point out so that the information does not look too crammed in each section. Also, I often see people who just list their positions and do not have any descriptions for what they did within each position. In my opinion, you should be explaining what you did in each role listed on your LinkedIn. If a recruiter or prospective employer comes across your profile, they will not be able to get an idea of what skills you gained from past jobs if you simply put the title, company, and dates of employment. So, make sure to fill out a description of the job role for each position you have held.

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.

Groups

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.

 Advanced Search

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.

Lastly, I recommend setting your LinkedIn profile to public so that recruiters or potential employers can learn about you even if they do not want to send a request to connect. If they come across your profile and cannot see any information about you, chances are they are not going to consider you for a position. Remember, LinkedIn is a great resource for college graduates looking to get a full-time job, so take advantage of all of that it has to offer. Good luck!

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