Recently an article appeared in The Wall Street Journal written by Julie Jargon, For College Students, LinkedIn FOMO Is Real—These Tips Will Help. The article ran for no less than three days on the front page of the website and I saw it shared quite a bit on social media. The gist is that LinkedIn for college students is causing feelings of inadequacy. Then, eleven tips are offered for college students who want to improve their profiles.
This article makes some excellent points, however, I think it’s important to take a step back and look at the expectations of employers relative to LinkedIn for college students.
Obviously, a college student will not have a track record of any significant number of years of experience. The expectation of a recruiter viewing a current college student’s profile is more about having a professional presence than it is around having years of experience.
This may or may not surprise you, but, for the most part, companies do not recruit candidates out of college off of LinkedIn. To engage with college students, many LinkedIn recruiters will use their newly-acquired platform, Handshake.
What is LinkedIn Handshake
Handshake aims to help students and recent grads find their next opportunity. Handshake is different from traditional LinkedIn because all the opportunities that are posted are specifically for students and recent grads.
If you are a current student in search of an internship or a job opportunity or a recent college grad looking for a foot in the door, Handshake is where you will find recruiters and job opportunities that are geared, specifically, for you. No experience required!
LinkedIn for College Students: Key Pieces of Your Profile to Optimize
Photos
Your photographs, both your profile photo and background photo, are critical. Within a fraction of a second of viewing your profile, regardless of your experience, an assessment will be made. A large portion of that assessment is based on the images you select as well as your headline.
You want to select a background photo that is not of you surfing or juggling, but rather conveys a sense of professionalism. Similarly, your profile photo should feature you in a professional setting so that people can picture you working and contributing in the office. It is more important to show how you will fit into the work environment as opposed to how fun you are.
Yes, I’ve seen bathroom selfies used as LinkedIn profile images and images of college students holding a beer. I have faith in you, though, that if you are concerned about optimizing your LinkedIn profile, you already know that is not the way to go. You don’t want to be that person.
About section
This is a great opportunity for you to tell more about yourself. Start with a high-level overview of your experiences to date. Again, since you are at the beginning of your professional experience, you may not have many amazing accomplishments to point to, and that is okay!
For college students and recent college grads, what’s even more important than experience is the attitude that is conveyed. Make sure it’s an attitude of willingness to work hard, a desire to learn, and a growth mindset.
Wrap up your About section with a clear call to action or CTA. Think, something along the lines of… I’m passionate about learning more about (insert your field here.) Please get in touch so that we can connect (insert your email address here.)
Yes, add your email address to the About section. Make it as easy as possible for people to get in contact with you.
You can read more about crafting an incredible About section here.
Open to work
Turn on the Open to Work feature. No, I don’t just mean the green circle that appears around your head. You want to set the visibility so that recruiters will be able to see that you are Open to Work. For any given job only about 10% of people on LinkedIn are actively looking for work, so having this feature turned on can have a big impact on how often you are contacted.
To turn on the Open to Work feature, follow the steps listed here.
Skills section
Be sure to populate your Skills section. You are able to list fifty skills and because each one of these makes you easier to find via the LinkedIn search engine, I suggest that you use all fifty. If you’re not sure what skills to list, look at the job descriptions you are interested in being considered for. If you possess the skills listed, add those to your LinkedIn profile Skills section.
If you are a computer engineering student and you have significant experience in Javascript and Typescript, those should be listed as skills on your profile.
Don’t stop there. Fill in the Education section with courses and certifications you’ve completed. If you are still in school, you can list your anticipated graduation date.
Social Media Use for College Students
LinkedIn is not Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, or any other platform. It is a business platform. The kinds of things you share should reflect that accordingly. Think about interesting articles you’ve read in The Economist or respected publications relevant to your field of study. You can also feature articles related to your studies that someone from your dream employer might also find interesting.
The same goes for how you respond to what others have posted. Make sure your comments have more substance than, “You go girl!”
Try thinking of your LinkedIn profile and overall engagement on the platform less as a resume and more as a personal marketing opportunity.
Think about it, if a potential employer visits your profile and…
- The first thing they see is a professional profile photo and background photo.
- Next, they see an About section that seems enthusiastic.
- Then, they see some featured content that is related to your industry and displays a high level of professionalism.
This will make a great first impression and give them a better understanding of who you are – whether or not they choose to recruit you from the platform.
To current college students and recent college graduates: Good luck on your LinkedIn search for internships, meaningful connections, and eventually jobs. And in the meantime, don’t get too bogged down by LinkedIn profile FOMO. Showcase who you are, what you can do, and a level of professionalism – then you’ll be good to go!