LinkedIn tips
LinkedIn can be a helpful tool for networking with others in your industry.
Tips to enhance your LinkedIn and boost your profile within the platform’s algorithm:
- Customize the URL of your profile.
- Have a profile picture, ideally with the “open to work” tag.
- In your profile's ‘About’ section, have a professional summary containing relevant keywords (related to your technical skills, areas of expertise, and industry).
- Use the specific names of tools and skills you have experience with across your profile.
- Send connection requests to other professionals in your industry. It’s okay if you haven’t worked with them personally, and it is not necessary to include a note/message.
- Keep LinkedIn messages short while maintaining professionalism and proper grammar.
- Be sure to complete the “skills” and, if relevant, “projects” sections of your LinkedIn profile. When recruiters or potential hiring managers see your page, you want them to find the key qualifiers they are looking for in a candidate.
Networking Strategy:
- Begin by connecting with your direct, personal network. Be thorough! Include past and present coworkers, classmates, family friends, teachers, and mentors. This establishes a baseline for you.
- You can build your external network using LinkedIn to find connections or as a follow-up from in-person events.
- At job fairs or industry events, take down the names of guest speakers or people you chat with, then look them up and send them a connection request. Send a brief message reminding them where you connected in person.
- You can also rely solely on LinkedIn to make connections, but be deliberate about who you connect with. Start by identifying specific companies you are interested in and would love to work for. Then, search the company name and “recruiter” to see if you find LinkedIn users who work as recruiters for that company. You can add those recruiters to your network with a short message introducing yourself, stating your interest in their company, and summarizing the type of position you are looking for.
- From there, engaging with those connections’ posts is better than continually messaging them directly. This keeps you on their radar without them needing to go out of their way to respond to a DM.
- At job fairs or industry events, take down the names of guest speakers or people you chat with, then look them up and send them a connection request. Send a brief message reminding them where you connected in person.
We offer these tips and more in our Job Search Guide,
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