How You Can Build a Professional LinkedIn Profile

Overview

• LinkedIn vs. Facebook• LinkedIn statistics• Why you need a LinkedIn account• What’s on your profile?• Basic profile checklist

LinkedIn vs. Facebook

• LinkedIn and Facebook are not the same thing!

• LinkedIn is a professional site that can help you with your career.

• Facebook is for socializing. • Do not mix the two sites. Do you really want

future employers looking at your Facebook photos or wall posts?

LinkedIn Statistics

• 100+ million users• Over 150 industries are represented• 2+ million college students• 37,000+ college and university alumni groups

– including National College!

Why You Need a LinkedIn Account

• It’s your professional online presence• Opportunity to connect with other students,

alumni and local employers• Research companies/career paths• Explore opportunities with local employers

that may not recruit on campus• Learn professional networking etiquette

What’s on your LinkedIn profile?

Headline

• Appears directly below your name

• Affects how people will find and classify you

• Think of this as a slogan for yourself – How do you want people to think of you professionally?

Profile Photo

• Allows people you have networked with to quickly identify you

• A professional looking headshot is very important

• You should be the only person in your profile photo

• Remember, this isn’t Facebook – pictures of you partying are not appropriate

Education

• Include information about all schools you have attended

• Include your program of study and degree or certificate

• Include any honors or awards you’ve received at school

Summary

• This should resemble the first few sentences of your cover letter

• Allow for others to quickly learn about you• Present your summary in short blocks of text for

easy reading

Specialties

• Include keywords and phrases that a recruiter or hiring manager might type to find a person like you

• The best way to find relevant keywords is by checking out job listings that appeal to you and pulling words from there

LinkedIn Profile Sections

• Showcase your college accomplishments– Projects– Awards & Honors– Organizations– Courses

Adding SectionsSelect the section you would like to add to your profile (note: you can add as many sections as you choose to – you will need to select sections one by one)

Once you have the section selected, click “Add to Profile”

Adding Sections (cont.)

To add information to your new section, click “+ Add a course”

Be sure to select “Student at National College” from the dropdown menu

Your Completed Profile• Users with 100% complete

profiles are 40 times more likely to receive opportunities through LinkedIn

• You can’t build connections if people don’t know you exist or see what you have to offer

• Think of your LinkedIn profile as your online business card, your resume, and letters of recommendation all in one

LinkedIn Basic Checklist

HeadlineProfile PhotoSummarySpecialtiesExperienceEducation