Quality Time:
Building an awesome and fabulous LinkedIn profile isn’t going to happen by itself. Put on some comfy clothes, grab some coffee or tea and hunker down with your laptop to spend time perfecting your profile. You may also want to have a favorite snack close by. The experience won’t be miserable, but you’ll need to spend some time intentionally creating a profile that works for you! Hint: have your resume easily accessible throughout this process. Now you’re ready for some quality time with LinkedIn!
Fabulous Photo:
Show off your pretty face! When choosing a LinkedIn profile photo, go with one where it’s mostly your face and the background is plain or simple. Find a nice blouse or collared shirt and consider pairing it with a blazer or suit jacket so you look snazzy. If your picture is over a year old, update it so it reflects how you look right now in real life. You want people to know they’ve found you when they come across your LinkedIn profile.
Rockin’ Headline:
Channel your inner Collegiette self and come up with a headline that will really “wow” people when they see it! Anybody can write “Student at Wake Forest University” as their headline, but you want something that will make you stand out in a good way. Are there some unique skills you possess? What are some power words or strong adjectives you can use to describe yourself? In what field are you looking for an internship or job? Incorporate these things into a phrase that is both catchy and classy.
Unique URL:
While in “edit profile” mode, you’ll notice a URL that appears right below your flawlessly chic photo. To the right, you’ll see “Edit” in blue. Click on that. You’ll be taken to a page where “Your public profile URL” appears a little way down on the right. Choose a unique URL for your LinkedIn profile. If available, use your name. If your name is fairly common and unavailable, add in your middle initial or put the year of your graduation after your name. LinkedIn will immediately let you know if the URL you enter is available. Having a customized URL allows you to easily share your profile with others.
Good unique URL example: www.linkedin.com/in/anitajob
Bad unique URL example: www.linkedin.com/in/ilovefluffyanimals
Sensational Summary:
Your summary is yet another great opportunity for you to showcase your fabulous self on LinkedIn. Think about it as a mini cover letter or a three paragraph mini-essay. The first paragraph is a brief introduction, and shares some of the things you’re involved with or doing on campus. Think of the second paragraph as a brief highlight reel about cool jobs or internships you’ve held. Maybe you want to share about a project you worked on, or something you’re particularly proud of accomplishing. Your third paragraph is where you’ll write about your goals. If you know specifically what you want to do and exactly where you want to be, say it. If you’re not quite sure of those things, keep it more generic.
*Photo from monitor.icef.com.
You’ve got this!
If you’re doing all of the above things, you’re off to a great start on your LinkedIn profile! Now that you’ve put some work into your LinkedIn profile, stay tuned for how to make your LinkedIn profile do some work for you! It’s only fair, right? Until next week…
Stay chic,
Jessica
Jessica Long is a National Certified Counselor (NCC) and Assistant Director of Career & Professional Development in the Office of Personal and Career Development (OPCD) at Wake Forest University. She is a Demon Deacon graduate, and has been empowering collegiettes and Campus Cuties across the state of North Carolina for nine years. She is a firm believer in the power of a good pencil skirt, an aspiring crafter, and has a serious weakness for chocolate chip cookies. Feel free to contact her with comments or questions at longjw@wfu.edu. Get connected with ways to stay fabulous after college by following WFU OPCD on Facebook and Twitter.