I got LinkedIn in the first year of University and never really knew what to do with it. My profile sat empty for a long time and I realized I needed to recall experiences and achievements I was proud of.
It started with the small stuff. Implementing my high school education and what I got involved in throughout school, such as volunteering as a prefect, coaching netball, and the Duke of Edinburgh award. Writing a small profile about who you are and what you would like to achieve is a good introduction to other fellow colleagues and recruiters out there who may contact applicants through LinkedIn.
Later in my first year, I became a STEM Ambassador and the following volunteering events I participated in I put on my LinkedIn as experience and my role – a stem ambassador. Already, your Linkedin profile can be improved by the small experiences you have had.
Keeping up to date is important. Make sure to follow relevant companies you would like to work for or learn more from through news posts and job openings they will post about. Showing interest in specific profiles on LinkedIn shows that you are proactive and approachable through the website. Liking and sharing posts are a good way of supporting others, while also posting a few things about yourself – such as events you have attended, or work you have done towards becoming a more professional person – is a good way of showing that you are active in perusing new things.
Once you get involved more in university and in work experience, you can add roles and improve your profile to show a whole rounded summary of yourself. Using photos is a good way of proving you have been to events or worked with certain companies. Tagging people and using hashtags gets you more views and more interaction out width the constraints of your connections (followers). Others can see your post, and it being shared will increase the scope further and further, until one day you may just get noticed. Recruiters or just staff from companies you like may just message with support and help to apply for jobs. From posting a blog on LinkedIn I got a lot of reshares, and previously I have been contacted by a recruiter for BP whole was encouraging me to apply for their summer placements. It is motivating to hear from recruiters and it could give you an advantage in applications.
It is a very useful and free website to enhance your career and improve your networking. It is good for keeping in touch with people you meet who might be friendly and available to help you out further. I have made many contacts through LinkedIn and it truly improves my knowledge on innovative projects happening around the world and current news on subjects I am interested in. It is like an educational social media that you can scroll through on your phone for just 5 to 10 minutes a day, it will really make you feel more connected and focused on your career.