Becoming "Linked-In"

Before coming to college, I had no idea what LinkedIn was. I don’t think I ever would have fully understood what LinkedIn was if I wasn’t a business student. I am currently taking a class that grades me on having a LinkedIn profile and the connections I make through the application. What exactly is LinkedIn? What is it useful for? How do you use it? LinkedIn is much simpler than it may appear. LinkedIn may seem complicated and confusing, but most social media platforms are when you are first using them.

LinkedIn is a professional social media platform that allows you stay up to date with business news, create group discussions, and network. Groups are a great way to demonstrate industry-specific expertise and ask or answer questions. LinkedIn is most similar to Facebook. On Facebook, you “friend” your friends and family and post personal updates to share with those you are friends with through the application. When using LinkedIn, you “connect” with people rather than be “friends” with them. You also want to make sure to connect with business professionals rather than your friends and family because it is intended for professional purposes.

Setting up a LinkedIn profile is easy, but it can be tough to know what exactly should be on your profile. Of course, your name should be on your profile, that’s a given; however, the name you put on your profile should match the name you put on your resume. This allows potential employers, or people you’ve spoken with before, to easily find your account. Adding a profile picture, also a given. Unlike Facebook or Twitter, your LinkedIn profile picture should be a processional headshot. It is also important to add your higher-level education, starting with the most recent. There are also options to add a summary, which describes your skills and experience, and add media, which can be external documents or links to other platforms. Most importantly, you’ll want to add your experience. As you would on a resume, add a summary that explains the positions you’ve held under the descriptions section when adding past and current work experiences. Whatever your current job title may be, that goes under the portion of your profile named “current.” Lastly, you may add any accomplishments, awards and interests to your profile.

While all that information may seem overwhelming, it is easy to go through your profile to add, remove or change any information at any time. As important as it is to make connections in your industry, it is also important to follow different accounts and join groups that pertain to your desired field. It is also important to remember that while Facebook is more if a private profile for friends and family, LinkedIn is a public profile for anyone to search and view. Another helpful tip: unless you are an active recruiter, it is not helpful to have a paid LinkedIn account. Simply a free account will do everything you need when connecting with people, looking for job opportunities and staying up to date with business news.

Although it may seem like LinkedIn is most useful for the business world, all future employers might search your name on LinkedIn, regardless of your industry or field. If you are an engineer, it is just as important and helpful to have a LinkedIn profile. It may not seem necessary to have a LinkedIn account in high school or college, but I disagree. I’ve found that having a LinkedIn profile in college is helpful to get a head start on making connections, as well as connecting with people as you meet them. It’s a great way to get ahead in your industry and people really do reach out to you through the platform. I recently landed a summer internship with the Columbus Crew after meeting a recruiter at a career fair and reaching out via LinkedIn.