LinkedIn is a great place to learn about new job opportunities, find employers, and encourage connections. Take your profile from basic to amazing with these tips!
- Connections, connections, connections.
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Connections are the first thing that everyone sees on your profile. The more connections you have, the more opportunities you have available to you. Connect to anyone you know — think of old coworkers, family friends, your friend’s parents. Anyone who knows you by name or face should be added to your LinkedIn. Additionally, follow people who are inspiring to you. Perhaps it’s the CEO of your dream company, someone in the position you want to hold one day.
- Make your header stand out.
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Similar to your connections, your header is one of the most seen items on your profile. Simple headlines aren’t going to catch anyone’s eye. My current headline is:
“Aspiring Digital Marketing Specialist || Passionate about the intersection of social responsibility and marketing || Leeds School of Business Student”
You want to have three parts for a really good headline. The first like should be about your dream job or ultimate goal. Make sure to put “aspiring” or “future.” Next should be a line about something that makes you stand out. Choose something that you are passionate about or that you have done. Next should be the school you go to. You can put the general “University of Colorado Boulder” or your specific school like “Leeds School of Business.”
- Keep your profile up to date.
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Obviously, you should add all job experiences and things along those lines, but don’t be afraid to also add examples of class projects, articles you’ve written, or skills you have. I add all of the articles I write for “Her Campus”, even though I’m not going into journalism. Any work that you’re proud of should make its way to your LinkedIn — it could just catch the right person’s attention! You also should have your high school under education, and a few classes you’ve taken that are relevant.
- Have friends endorse your skills.
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Once you have your skills added to your profile, encourage your friends to endorse them. This further shows your proficiency in those areas and can prove to employers that you are well-rounded. You can make this really fun by gathering all your friends to create LinkedIns and endorse each other together!
- Use strong adjectives for your experiences.
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You can make any job experience worth adding to your LinkedIn through strong adjectives. You didn’t simply wait on customers as a server, you enhanced the dining experience for all guests. You didn’t check patients in as a secretary, you maximized the check-in process for clients. See the difference here? Some strong wording can show your true qualifications.
I hope that these tips serve you well and I see your beautiful LinkedIn soon! Go forward and start making connections.