How to Build Your LinkedIn Profile as a Student
Posted: March 04, 2021 | Author: Lyndsey Nelson | Read Time: 2 minutes
LinkedIn is a great resource for students trying to build a professional network. It’s an excellent way to connect with employers past and present and to set up a professional profile perfect for impressing potential employers. Joining LinkedIn is quick and easy. Once you have your account established, use the following steps to make your LinkedIn profile stand out against the competition.
10 Updates for Your LinkedIn Profile
Photo/Headshot
While a professional profile photo isn’t necessary, be sure to pick a nice picture of yourself professionally dressed to use your LinkedIn profile photo. Use something with an empty background that emphasizes your personality and professional demeanor.
Headline
Use your headline to summarize who you are and what you want to do in your future career and life. Check out headlines from students and alumni you admire for more ideas.
Summary
Building a professional summary is key to building your LinkedIn profile. Describe who you are, what you do, what you’re skilled at and what comes next. View your summary as the first few paragraphs of your cover letter. Here you can briefly describe your qualifications and goals, including references to work experience and extracurricular activities.
Experience
List the jobs you held, even if they were part-time, along with what you accomplished at each. You can even include photos and videos from your work.
Organizations
Be sure to list any clubs or organizations you’ve joined, whether in or outside of school. These can be a great way to build a diverse LinkedIn profile that will stand out to potential employers.
Education
Starting with college, list all the educational experiences you've had - including summer programs. Include all your schools, major(s) and minor, courses, and study abroad or summer programs. Don’t be shy — LinkedIn is an appropriate place to show off your GPA, test scores, and honors or awards.
Volunteer Experience
Even if you weren't paid for a job, be sure to list it. Admissions officers and employers often see volunteer experience as just as valuable as paid work.
Skills and Expertise
List at least five areas of expertise on your profile for your connections to endorse. These skills will pull up in searches by employers, so be sure to include relevant skills to the kinds of jobs you’re looking for.
Honors and Awards
Don’t be afraid to brag about your accomplishments! If you earned a prize in or out of school, let the world know about it by listing your honors and awards on your LinkedIn profile.
Recommendations
Ask managers, professors or classmates who've worked with you closely to write a recommendation. This gives extra credibility to your strengths and skills. The best profiles have at least one recommendation for each position a person has held. Recruiters are most impressed by recommendations from people who have directly managed you.
Setting up a LinkedIn profile is a quick and easy way to build a professional network and market your skills to potential employers in your area of interest. For more information about building a professional network while you are a student at Southern Utah University, visit the Career and Professional Development Center.
Tags: Career Center
