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Setting Up Your LinkedIn for Success

 

LinkedIn for Success

LinkedIn is the largest business-oriented networking website geared specifically towards professionals. It has over 500 million members, in over 200 countries. According to Rycraft (2018), “A professionally written LinkedIn profile allows you to create an online professional brand which can help open doors to opportunities and networks that you may not have been aware of without the help of social media.” (para. 1). 

LinkedIn offers students opportunities for professional networking, connecting, and job searching. In addition, companies use LinkedIn for recruiting and sharing company information with prospective employees. Use the Strommen Career and Internship Center’s LinkedIn Profile Checklist to get started: 

  • Photo: It doesn’t have to be fancy. Take the photo in front of a plain background, wear a nice shirt, and don’t forget to smile!
  • Headline: Tell people what you’re excited about now and the cool things you want to do in the future.
  • Summary: Describe what motivates you, what you’re skilled at, and what’s next.
  • Experience: List the jobs you’ve held (even if they were part-time), along with what you accomplished at each. Be sure to include photos and videos from your work!
  • Organizations: Have you joined any clubs or participated in any activities at Augsburg University or external of Augsburg? Describe what you did with each organization.
  • Education: Starting with college, list all the educational experiences you’ve had – including summer programs.
  • Volunteer Experience and Causes: Even if you weren’t paid for a job, list it! Employers and graduate admissions officers often see volunteer experience as just as valuable as paid work.
  •  Skills and Experience: Add at least five key skills – and then your connections can endorse you for the things you’re best at.
  • Honors and Awards: If you earned an honor/award in or out of school, share it!
  • Courses: List the classes that show off the skills and interests you’re most excited about.
  • Projects: Whether you led a team assignment in school or built an app on your own, talk about what you did and how you did it.
  • Recommendations: Ask managers, professors, or classmates who’ve worked with you closely to write a professional recommendation on your behalf. This gives extra credibility to your strengths and skills. 

Whether you’re creating your LinkedIn profile for the first time or updating your LinkedIn profile, the Strommen Team is here to help! Schedule an appointment with a career coach in Handshake or email careers@augsburg.edu. A recording of the wildly successful “Setting Up Your LInkedIn for Success” webinar is also available for viewing on our Strommen Career and Internship Center Moodle Community Site.