With 630 million members and growing strong, LinkedIn is the world’s largest business network, providing the perfect opportunity for students and young professionals to build professional relationships and establish successful and fulfilling careers.
Did you know? Quick facts about LinkedIn
- LinkedIn
operates in over 200 countries and is available in 24 languages
- Two
new members sign up to LinkedIn every second
- 30
million companies are represented on LinkedIn
- There
are 20 million jobs on LinkedIn
- Over
40 million students and recent graduates use LinkedIn
With many graduate employers searching social media profiles
as a standard part of the recruitment process, it pays to have a LinkedIn
profile. Follow me on LinkedIn ›
5 things graduates should be doing on LinkedIn
Having a complete LinkedIn profile that tells your story and
showcases your skills and experience will improve your chances of being hired.
Take advantage of this powerful platform to build your network, stay on top of
industry news and trends, and demonstrate your capability to potential
employers.
Here are five tops tips for what you should be doing to make the most of LinkedIn.
Connect with everyone
Peers, classmates, past employers, lecturers. You never know how those connections may pay off.
Ask for recommendations
Take advantage of all of the connections you’ve already made and ask if they’ll recommend you on LinkedIn.
Be active
Send comments, share updates, and like things so people know you’re active. Introduce people if you think they should be connected.
Add a profile picture
Research shows that LinkedIn members who add an appropriate photo are far more likely to have their profile viewed by a prospective employer.
Stand out from the crowd
Promote yourself! You can now list projects, honours,
organisations and courses you’ve taken, so make sure you include all your
relevant experience.
More tips to help you stand out from the crowd on LinkedIn
Successful graduates are investing time to do the right
things everyday to help them stand out from the crowd and build quality professional
networks on LinkedIn. Follow these additional recommendations to make the most
out of your LinkedIn profile so you can land that dream job after graduating.
- List
your skills and expertise
This is a key area of your profile as it gives a brief snapshot
of your capabilities. Think about your skill set and how they can apply to a
potential career, then list them. This can be a few short, concise sentences or
even dot points. It’s also a good idea to link to online elements of work you
have completed.
- Personalize your connections
When requesting connections on LinkedIn, take a moment to
change the template request from “I’d like to add you to my professional
network” to something that actually identifies you and why you should be
connected with that person.
- Join groups
Groups are a great source of company information, industry
news and job opportunities. Search for groups which are relevant to the subject
you have studied and the industry or discipline you are looking to work in.
Once you are part of a group, you can take part in topical discussions and
forums, as well as being exposed to articles, blogs and other useful material
which will keep you up to date with what is happening within the industry.
- Search for events
Find out about events coming up in your area that might help
you build your professional network offline.
- Keep
your profile public
Although you may be concerned about privacy, keeping a
private profile is not the way to go on LinkedIn. Open your profile up publicly
to connect with new people, but keep in mind that this should be a professional
profile, not a personal one – so be careful what you share.
- Apply for a job
The people who will employ you are on LinkedIn. They can be
recruiters, hiring managers or other company representatives. You can connect
or communicate with them directly, but remember that if you are going to apply
for a job on LinkedIn you should always include your resume and a cover letter.
- Search for an employer
LinkedIn company pages provide a wealth of information to
help you explore where you want to work. ‘Follow’ company pages to learn who
companies hire, what products and services they sell, what professionals are
saying about them, and who you know who works there.
- Proofread, proofread, proofread...
Your LinkedIn profile is much like a first impression. Incorrect spelling and grammar won’t make a positive first impression, so it’s a good idea to proofread your content.