As a student, you are looking for advice on how to improve your LinkedIn profile to get hired quickly. Your LinkedIn profile is your online resume and a professional social network. According to LinkedIn, 87% of recruiters check your LinkedIn profile before hiring you.
Here are 10 LinkedIn tips for students to make your LinkedIn profile more professional and clutter-free.
1. Profile Picture:
Upload your fresh picture to your LinkedIn, profile. This simple step increases the visibility of your profile by 14x. It also adds credibility and trust to your profile.
On the other hand, if you don’t consider adding a profile picture, recruiters will not consider hiring you. If you don’t have a profile photo of your own, you are nobody on LinkedIn.
2. Banner:
Students often overlook a banner, but it can help you make a good first impression on the potential recruiter and your next employer. It helps you stand out in a crowd. Use your banner to showcase your area of interest.
To create a banner, go to Canva or Figma and search for LinkedIn banners. Analyze a few templates and create a unique banner for your LinkedIn profile.
3. Headline:
In the headline section of your profile, summarize your intentions in one or two sentences. Your LinkedIn headline is your slogan, which a LinkedIn user receives after your profile picture and is the most important section of your profile.
How to write a clear LinkedIn headline? There are 3 ways to write your headline as a student.
i- If you are studying at a well reputed college/university, include the name of your college/university in your LinkedIn headline.
For example:
Student at @collegename.
ii- Another way to write it is by writing your field name before the college name.
For example:
Pursuing Software Engineering @collegename.
Studying Masters in Chemistry @universityname.
iii- If you are currently doing an internship or have done any in the past, mention that in your headline, along with the name of the company.
For example:
Intern @xyz company
or Ex-Intern @xyz company
This completes the first part of your LinkedIn headline, which is more important. In the second part, add specific skills separating both parts using vertical slash ( | ) or emojis.
For example, software engineers who know Java may add this skill to their headline.
Avoid using buzzwords such as motivated, creative, and good communicator.
4. About Section:
Your LinkedIn “about” section is a perfect place to express yourself and state what you wish to find or achieve on the platform. Tell a story about yourself, including your professional journey and personal information. For example, your hobbies, etc.
Keep it short and precise!
5. Skills:
In the skills section, add at least 5 skills related to your field. This is a very important section of your LinkedIn profile for SEO.
Your profile will appear in the search results based on the keywords you use in this section.
6. Education:
Most of the time, recruiters filter candidates according to their education. Therefore, adding your education helps you appear in the search results. Information about your education assists hiring managers in evaluating you and showcases why you are a proper candidate for the position.
7. Create LinkedIn Posts:
Show your knowledge to the LinkedIn community. You can repurpose your essays into LinkedIn posts. It will boost your visibility, helping you appear in the feed of your next potential employer.
8. Experience:
Experience is more than just work. Write about any volunteer work, internships, or freelance work.
Also write about your academic certification, the languages you speak, and relevant skills.
9. Networking:
Networking isn’t just about who you know; it’s more about who knows you. On LinkedIn, you can find advisors, HR managers, professors, and other professionals. Connect and reach out to them. Offer help or ask for career guidance from them. Most of the time, they are willing to respond.
In addition to connecting with professionals, connect with your peers. Use the alumni tool to connect with your seniors doing your dream job. Seek their guidance for your career path.
10. Build Real Connections, not Numbers:
Once connected to professionals and peers, nurture your connection. Have a pep talk and let them know about your career goals. They may consider hiring you in the future.
Make sure to follow LinkedIn etiquette when communicating. Be polite and attentive to details. Refrain from spamming.