Using LinkedIn

Using LinkedIn

Why Use LinkedIn

  • Recruiters Can Find You
    • LinkedIn allows you to include accomplishments not normally found on a resumé.  That is particularly important early in your career.
  • LinkedIn is a Networking Tool
    • You can network and meet people in your field before you enter it.
    • You can explore different fields in advance.
    • Networks can be helpful if you move.
    • Networks can be helpful if you move within or between fields.

Creating a LinkedIn Page

Add a photo of yourself

  • Dress professionally or in business casual. Stand against a relatively plain, bright background (e.g., a white wall).
  • Be alone. Don’t crop a group picture.
  • Look friendly, but professional.

Add a Background Photo 

  • Add a background photo. It can be themed to fit with your work interest or a core quality about yourself.

Add a Headline

  • As someone interested a new job, don’t simply put your job title here. In a line or two summarize the field that you intend to enter. Include keywords. (You can identify keywords by going to job advertisements in your chosen field and seeing the words those postings use.)
  • Examples:
    • Soon to Be CU Boulder Law School Graduate Excited about Practicing Criminal Law.
    • Interior Design student at CU Denver seeking a summer internship in fabric design in the Los Angeles area. 
    • Honors History graduate seeking opportunity in archival work.

Experience

  • Describe your experience (it’s okay if you don’t have a lot of work experiences right now)
  • Add your work experiences in reverse chronological order (starting with most recent). Include the following:
    • full-time and part-time jobs
    • internships
    • all volunteer work that you’ve done
    • a one-time project that you’ve completed and can be proud of (e.g., Senior Thesis)
  • For each job, include:
    • dates of employment or involvement
    • company’s or organization’s name
    • the title of your position

Education

  • Recruiters tend to filter candidates according to their education. Thus, adding education information ensures that you appear in their search results.
  • Include scholarships and grants.
  • Include any honors, awards, or test-scores that you’re proud of (your high GPA-score, for example).
  • Include extracurricular activities (e.g., various society memberships).

About

  • Do not rely on the LinkedIn generator for this section. Your goal is to express humanity here. This is a story about yourself.
  • Convey the following information: who you are, what you have accomplished (this can include things that you have learned or experienced over the years), and what you can contribute. You don’t have to only talk about work experience here. You can bring in hobbies or worldview if relevant to the point you are making about yourself.
  • 2600-character limit
  • Add spaces between paragraphs
  • Write in the first person (I, my, me)
  • Initially, aim for 3 paragraphs. In the future try to make it shorter.
  • Include keywords that you think people in your field will be searching for.
  • Don’t try to be funny.
  • You can use some emojis, but don’t overdo it.

Skills

  • First, learn what competencies are sought after and valuable in your field. Look at the LinkedIn pages of professionals in your chosen field. What skills to they list?
  • Second, consider what hard skills you have gained from your life experiences and education.
  • Be as specific as possible (e.g., specify that you know “Python” and “Java,” not just “Programming”).
  • Third, what soft skills have you learned? Soft skills include communication, conflict resolution, time management, teamwork, leadership, adaptability, problem solving, critical thinking, patience, ethics, active listening, and organization.

Featured

  • You can include your articles, documents, photos, websites, videos, and/or presentations.
  • You can include past assignments here.

Recommendations

  • These show that you are capable even if you don’t have a lot of work experience.
  • It can include recommendations from volunteering or from professors.
  • Approach employers, professors, or managers and ask them to assess your performance.

Volunteer Experience

  • You can be setting yourself apart through volunteer work. 
  • Volunteer work is less work-intensive than interning. 
  • Volunteering is valued across much of the political spectrum.
  • Find volunteer opportunities here: https://www.sparkthechangecolorado.org/volunteer.html

Contacts

  • Don’t list an email account for yourself that includes funny or strange usernames.

Networking 

  • You can start this before you are actively searching for a job. Now is a perfect time.
  • On LinkedIn, you can search for people who can give you advice or helpful connections. Reach out to people who interest you. Who cares if they ignore you?
  • Send a LinkedIn request anytime you meet someone in your field or in a closely related field.
  • Reach out via LinkedIn to people you meet at professional and social events.
  • Search for groups that are relevant to your professional interests. There are groups organized around independent filmmaking, economics, marketing, etc.
  • Students can also make use of LinkedIn's university alumni network to find potentially helpful professionals.
    • Go to the university's LinkedIn page, and then search for alumni by title, keyword, or company.
  • Make meaningful connections. Quality is better than quantity.

For the Future

  • LinkedIn has a job search function. LinkedIn allows its users to apply for jobs via their jobs page. You can look there at job ads for good keywords to put in your profile page.
  • Continue to research your field. The more you know about the professionals and requirements within it, the better you can craft your page and add attention-grabbing keywords and skills. You will probably rewrite your “About” summary a couple of times early in your career.