A reader recently asked if I could post some tips to help students maximize their LinkedIn profiles. Here are my recommendations:
- Include your overall GPA and/or the GPA in your major area of study if they are impressive. List honors and scholarships as well.
- Flesh out the activities section of your educational profile to include an overview of class projects or papers you did that simulate work projects. For example, if you are studying information technology and you did a class project to develop an application for a fictional company, include this information in your profile and briefly discuss the major accomplishments within the project.
- List your student activities, sports teams and hobbies and place special emphasis on any leadership roles you held.
- Include information on internships and volunteer work and focus on how you helped do things smarter, faster and more efficiently in these roles. If possible, show how you were able to have an impact and use numbers, dollars and percentages to quantify this impact.
- Search for others that are current students or graduates of your college and high school and see if the affinity is strong enough to forge a connection.
- Browse the groups section and see if your school or a professional association you are a member of has a group you can join. People who are part of the same group are more willing to share information.
- Use the Q&A feature to ask fellow LinkedIn members about their job functions, companies and industries. This is a great way to build visibility and trust online and gain valuable information that will help you validate your career goals . Be willing to both ask and answer questions.
- Get endorsements from supervisors from internships and volunteer projects. Reach out to professors and sports team coaches to do the same.
- Connect to your parents and other adult relatives. Doing so will make it easier for you to build relationships with people they know and gain valuable introductions.
- Work it! Set aside at least 10 minutes a day to manage your LinkedIn profile and reach out to people.