Build a great LinkedIn profile
As you make new professional connections, you need a place to stay in contact. LinkedIn is the premier platform for creating and maintaining your professional online presence. On LinkedIn, you can engage with your connections, expand your network, and search for job and internship opportunities.
LinkedIn Best Practices: 10 tips for a great LinkedIn presence
1. Claim Your Unique LinkedIn URL
To increase the professional results that appear when people search for you online, create a unique URL that's related to your name (e.g., linkedin.com/in/YourName). First, make sure your LinkedIn profile is set to "public," then select "edit public profile settings and URL."
2. Write an Informative Profile Headline
Your headline is a short, memorable professional slogan. For example, "Honors student seeking marketing position." Check out the profiles of students and recent alumni you admire for ideas.
3. Pick an Appropriate Photo
LinkedIn isn’t Facebook. Upload a high-quality photo of you alone, professionally dressed. No party shots, or cartoon avatars! Profiles with photos are seven times more likely to be viewed.
4. Show Off Your Education
Include all your schools, major(s) and minor, courses, and study abroad or summer programs. Don’t be shy! LinkedIn is an appropriate place to show off your GPA (if 3.0 or higher), test scores, and honors or awards.
5. Develop a Summary
Your LinkedIn summary statement is like the first few paragraphs of your best-written cover letter—concise and confident about your strengths, qualifications and goals. Include relevant work and extracurriculars.
6. Add Skills & Expertise Keywords
This section is the place to include keywords and phrases that recruiters search for. Find relevant ones in job listings that appeal to you and in profiles of people who have the kinds of roles you want.
7. Post Updates
Posting updates helps you stay on your network’s radar and build your professional image. Mention your projects, re-post interesting articles, or post about events you’re attending. Many recruiters read your feed. Even posting once a month or so is better than not posting at all.
8. Show Your Connectedness
Groups you join appear at the bottom of your profile. Joining some shows that you want to engage in professional communities in your field. Start by joining groups associated with your university and your areas of professional interest.
9. Collect Diverse Recommendations
The best profiles have at least one recommendation for each position a person has held. Recruiters are most impressed by recommendations from people who have directly managed you. Ask supervisors, mentors, or managers to post something on your behalf.
10. Share Your Work
You can also add actual examples of your writing, design work, or other accomplishments on your profile, where you can share rich media or documents. What better way to sell your skills than to show employers exactly what you can produce?
Using LinkedIn: How to Build Your Network
Tips for Connecting
- Connect with people you meet at career fairs and other networking opportunities within 24 hours of meeting them.
- When connecting with someone, send a personalized message explaining the purpose for your invitation to connect: (Hi Xiomara – I am currently a senior studying mechanical engineering at oregon State and hope to enter the aerospace industry upon graduation. I noticed that you are an OSU alumna with experience in this industry. I would love to connect with you and learn more about your career path. Thanks in advance! – Phuong Quynh)
- Follow organizations and influencers that align with your goals and values; stay active in your network and share, like and comment on other people's posts that you find interesting.
Use LinkedIn Alumni Search for networking
Find out where your classmates and recent OSU alums from your program are working and how they got there.
- Search for Oregon State University’s LinkedIn page and click on the ‘Alumni’ tab. Then search for your majors or program by keyword.
- You can see where the alums are, follow their careers, make a list of possible companies and send messages to connect with them.
Your affiliation with other Beavers may be your foot in the door of a great opportunity!
LinkedIn Checklist
Use this checklist to review your profile and make sure you've optimized the content in each section.
Photo
- Industry-appropriate attire
- Plain or natural background
- No selfies
- Just yourself
Headline
This is a short sentence to tell someone who you are and what you have to offer.
- Relate it to your field of study/industry.
- Mention what you want to do.
- Make it short, memorable and professional.
Summary
In a few sentences to a few paragraphs, demonstrate why they should hire you.
- Be clear and concise.
- Use key words that are relevant to your industry.
- Describe your skills and goals.
Work and Volunteer Experience
- Include past and current work experiences, leadership roles, military experience and/or volunteer opportunities.
- Highlight your accomplishments.
- Use power statements.
- Can include more information than a standard résumé, but keep it concise and effective.
Skills and Endorsements
- Make sure the skills you list are relevant to your industry.
- If making a career or discipline shift, focus on universal, transferable competency skills (such as communication, problem solving, etc.).
- Add at least five skills.
- Connections can endorse you for the skills at which you are best.
- Endorse the skills of people with whom you have direct experience. Message coworkers, faculty, etc. and ask for endorsements of your skills.
Education
- Do not list high school.
- Include community college or previous school if applicable.
- List your university, field of study and expected graduation year.
- List the activities and societies in which you are involved.
Recommendations
- Ask supervisors, professors or team mates to write you a recommendation.
- Pick a person who knows your skillsets and abilities well.
Accomplishments
- Include projects, certifications, languages, relevant courses, military acknowledgments and compelling awards.
Custom URL
- Customize/personalize your public URL so that it reflects your name and can be used in professional documents like résumés.