To all Freshmen: Let’s Talk About LinkedIn

Hello Everyone! Today’s blog post will be all about LinkedIn and how LinkedIn can be a beneficial tool to use. As recent high school graduates, it is essential that you utilize this social media tool because it can help you network with those in your field, find jobs, and connect with important contacts for the future. You have to remember that LinkedIn is a business-oriented social networking site, so it is crucial that you make your profile look neat and professional after you create your account.  Here are a few things you can do to enhance your profile:

• Have a professional picture: Upload a professional profile picture so that your connections know who you are! Having a high-quality, recent profile picture of yourself will be best to use.
• Display all your previous professional experiences: Your LinkedIn profile is similar to an online resume. You want to make sure you display your past education information, work experience, skills, and current work position to show future employers the experiences and skill sets you have.
• Add a profile headline that indicates your current profession: The headline is what your current profession is—so if you are a Marketing student at UIC, that that should be your headline! Below, you can see that I have a headline, a profile picture, where I go to school, and my current work experience.
• Add your skills and expertise: In the skills section, make sure to put down all the skills you have. This could include time management skills, research skills, public speaking, customer service, and the list goes on. Below is an example:
• Follow companies you are interested in: Follow companies that you are interested in working for so that you can learn more about the company—this will later be helpful when you are applying for positions within the firm!

Now, once you have created your LinkedIn profile, it is important that you use it to connect with classmates, professors, recruiters, and people you have met throughout your college career that can be important contacts for the future. You can also use LinkedIn to help you land the perfect job. As I mentioned in my last bullet point, you should follow companies that you are interested in. I have been using LinkedIn to connect to people in companies and industries that I want to learn more about. This can help you gain more information on the company culture and see what skillsets you need to work for that company. You can oftentimes view all of the jobs/internships that the company has posted on LinkedIn in one convenient place which makes it easier for you when you are searching.

Ultimately, LinkedIn can be very beneficial to you as a college student. Not only does it allow you to keep up with your list of target companies, but it also links you to classmates and former contacts all while helping to manage your professional brand to future employers. I would recommend all high-school graduates to utilize this tool to the best of their ability because It can only better your job search, bringing you that much closer to your ideal position when you graduate from UIC! If you do not have an account now, be sure to create one now and feel free to add me as a contact. Good luck and thanks for reading!