Welcome to our LinkedIn university!
It can be hard to know how to use LinkedIn for students.
You may not yet have the professional experience to make your profile feel complete.
And yet, it still feels important to start using it to get a footing in your career.
Well, we agree.
And we think there are many LinkedIn uses for students.
We will go through just a few ways you can reap the benefits of LinkedIn no matter what stage you are at as a student.
Let’s start from the beginning.
LinkedIn shares some functional similarities with social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook.
The difference is that LinkedIn is primarily used to advertise your employability and demonstrate your professionalism.
LinkedIn has a wide range of uses.
These include seeking opportunities, applying for jobs, growing your CV, and building your network.
LinkedIn creates a virtual environment in which students and employers seek to engage with like-minded people.
It’s a platform that can better equip you for your career development by connecting you with other professionals with similar interests.
For students, advice from people who are a few steps ahead of you in their career development can be valuable and insightful.
This is a key benefit of LinkedIn as it is very easy to find alumni from your university and keep up to date with what they are doing now.
Many alumni will have their job title in the ‘headline’ at the top of their profile.
Most will also have their company listed on their profile, with employment history and any fellow employees.
So, in the future it’s a good idea to set your job title as your graduate student LinkedIn headline.
For now, you can set it as your degree.
LinkedIn will suggest networking links for you based on other people’s network and any industry and job title links.
This is particularly helpful for final year students looking for graduate roles.
If you find someone whose role you are interested in, it is worth messaging them to find out more about this.
However, some contacts you cannot message unless you have connected with them.
To do this, click the ‘Connect’ prompt on their profile and attach a message registering your interest!
The below template can be used as guidance for contacting a fellow alumnus:
‘Hi [name]. I came across your profile on [where you found their profile], my name is [name] and I am a [stage of study] studying [degree] at [name of university]. I noticed you are an alumnus, and I would love to connect with you as I would like to pursue a similar career to what you are doing now. Let me know if you think you can help!’
If they accept your connection request, here are some questions you could ask to start the conversation:
This question will allow you to gain an insight into the role. But remember that this is only one perspective of the role, so try talk to others to get a fuller picture of it.
This question allows you to map someone else’s career path.
They may share a typical or atypical route to their position.
It can be very helpful to hear the atypical routes into roles, as you may gain perspective on unexpected avenues into your dream role.
However, keep in mind that everyone has different experiences, qualifications, skills, and backgrounds, so their route might not be suited for you, but it may help you determine the path that is right for you!
This question can help guide your career path. You may get advice for various kinds of work experience opportunities that you can partake in that employers will be impressed by, especially in your industry/area of interest.
Even reaching out to second year or final year students can be very beneficial as a first-year student.
Who better to ask for study tips than people who have recent, first-hand experience in what you are about to go through!
This insight could help put you ahead of your cohort and set you up to excel in your career early.
As your network grows, you may come across charities, employers, or your own university advertising opportunities that are perfect for you.
So, do remember to scroll through your feed to see what others are posting about. This can also help you get an idea of the kind of things you may want to share too.
Don’t forget that employers can see your profiles, and you can give them yours when you apply for jobs where CVs are required.
You can simply put your profile URL underneath your name and show your employers more than what’s on your CV.
Another tip for your student LinkedIn profile is to connect with your lecturers.
Lecturers tend to have quite a large network which may allow you to find more people to connect with and reach out to.
Let us take the example of a Psychology lecturer who just posted about publishing their newest paper on the topic of child development and let us assume this is an interesting topic for you.
This would be a great chance to react to the post!
Maybe comment a congratulatory message and read the paper if you have time.
You can then reach out to your lecturer asking to set up a meeting to discuss their research further. This is the perfect way to start a connection.
This can be extremely valuable, and a great demonstration of the importance of LinkedIn for students.
As mentioned before, lecturers tend to have large networks and know a variety of professionals.
This means they may be able to pass on opportunities they hear about, for example.
Still wondering how LinkedIn is useful for students?
Treat it (almost) like social media. Now, don’t go posting pictures of your holiday on LinkedIn.
But, if you have done some great work experience, a presentation, or volunteering, then talk about it!
Knowing how to boost your LinkedIn profile is important.
Talk about the skills you learned, thank whoever (if applicable) supported you, any challenges you faced, and how you overcame these.
This platform is a chance to show employers and other professionals you go above and beyond the lectures, seminars, and set reading at university.
It can help you stand out from other students.
Posting and sharing articles in your area of interest shows that you are passionate about what you do too, which can help you make connections with people who can help you further your career.
Networking online is just as important online as it is in person.
Stay engaged and react to and comment on other people’s posts.
This helps promote your account, plus they may return the favour in the future!
Provide references and endorsements for your colleagues and people you worked in a group with.
Chances are, if you have been in an educational setting, you will have done some group work and if you are student, you may have a part time job.
Asking your colleagues or boss at your part time job or students who you did group work with for a reference or skill endorsement looks great on your profile.
For example, teamwork skills can be endorsed by a work colleague.
Yes! There are so many LinkedIn benefits for students: if you wait until you’ve graduated, you’re missing out on valuable time.
Do not wait to start your profile.
If you are new to LinkedIn, start off by connecting with friends, family, and other students you may know from your university.
It is important to remember that you can tweak your profile at any time and can spend time learning how to create a good LinkedIn profile.
So, when you first start, it does not have to be perfect.
Alia Awan
