Maximizing Your LinkedIn Profile as a College Student

If you’re a college student, you’ve probably heard about the app LinkedIn before - maybe you’ve heard that you should start an account on it, or your friend told you that they just found their dream internship from a LinkedIn post. LinkedIn, whether you love it or hate it, is an essential part of building your career and networking with professionals in your desired fields. Many recruiters look at your LinkedIn profile when considering you for a position, so it is important to have a polished and informational profile.

While it may seem overwhelming at first, LinkedIn is a very simple tool to use. Once you complete all the sections in your profile, it is fairly low-maintenance to keep up with your profile. And, once you’re all done, you can start using it to find internships in the field you want to work in, and start job searching for post-graduation opportunities.

The first step is simply to ensure that your full name and a professional headshot is the center of your profile. Be sure that your full name and headshot are available to everyone on LinkedIn by double checking your privacy settings. Add in a headline - most people put their current job, future job, or a little information about you as a student. An example would be “Incoming Intern at ______” or “Passionate Student Studying Marketing at ___ University”. These three sections (name, profile picture, and headline) combined creates the first impression that people will have of you when viewing your profile. Once you have the basics down, you can begin filling in the rest of the sections on your profile.

Start with your work experience. If you had a service job throughout high school, go ahead and put that on there! If you work somewhere on-campus, add that as well. Of course, add any internships you’ve had in the past or that you currently have. Develop a detailed “about” section with information regarding who you are as a student, and what your career goals are. TIP: If you’re stuck and have no idea what to put for the “about” section, ChatGPT is a great tool to use for this! Next is education. Add in all the information regarding your college education - your major, any clubs or activities you’re in, your GPA, and leadership positions. Other sections you could include on your profile are licenses and certifications, volunteer experience, skills, courses you’ve taken, the languages you speak, and organizations you’re involved in.

And ta-da! You have just successfully created a detailed, informative, and comprehensive LinkedIn profile. Now comes the fun part - beginning to build your career, start networking, and job searching. You’re able to develop your network on LinkedIn by sending connection requests to others (think followers on Instagram). You can start with connecting with your classmates and peers, your professors, family members, and friends. Begin following profiles of people who are in careers that you would love to be in one day - this serves as great inspiration for your career journey, and who knows, they could frequently post job or internship openings at their current company.

The hardest part about LinkedIn is just starting and creating your profile - after that, the possibilities are endless. LinkedIn has so many amazing opportunities for young professionals and it is a platform that every college student should be utilizing and taking full advantage of.