LinkedIn

Did you know there are over 100 million LinkedIn users spanning 200 countries?  A new member joins LinkedIn approximately every second (over one million members a week.)  Executives from all Fortune 500 companies are LinkedIn members. 

Am I selling a service?  No.  Am I promoting a VERY useful platform for career networking and creating a positive digital footprint?  Absolutely.   If you have a LinkedIn profile, you can help maximize your Google search visibility.  What would you want a potential employer to see?  LinkedIn continues to be a platform that many college students simply don't understand.  I'd like to help fix that!  Here are a few tips on how to get started:

Create a complete profile.  Add a picture (professional, of course,) fill out the profile in its entirety.  As a college student, you might not have "work experience."  List the leadership positions you've had in the past or currently hold.  Bullet out a few key points on each project and keep it simple. 

Keep your profile updated.  Treat your profile just as you would a résumé.  It's much more than just a résumé, though.  Your profile captures your online presence, samples of your work, recommendations from former employers and colleagues and much more.  Update this at least twice a year, whether or not you change jobs.  If you do happen to change positions, definitely update it!

Join (and participate in) Groups.  LinkedIn has a wide variety of professional interest groups.  Find what interests you.  There are local groups, groups for jobseekers, and groups on social media to name a few.  Join a couple.  Then, participate and add value to those groups.  There's even LinkedIn Answers where you can find answers to millions of common questions.  You could even use this platform to offer your expertise and answer a few.  This can build credibility and visibility.

Connect with others in the industry.  Seek out others who are professionals in your industry or the industry you're interested in.  Reach out and connect with them.  On LinkedIn, you're required to send an invitation to connect:

**A couple of tips regarding introductions:  Tailor the message.  Reference in it how you know the person.  If you don't "know" them personally, reference who suggested the connection.  Don't say you're a friend, colleague, or coworker if you're not.  Be honest.  

Reconnect with other networks.  It's all about the network.  A university alumni association automatically comes to mind.  Yes, they're on LinkedIn.  Reconnect with classmates and professors.  Additionally, there is a growing amount of company alumni networks for former employees. 

Written by: Kirk Baumann
Director of Career Connections
SIFE USA