LinkedIn, a 20+ year old professional networking site, connects individuals and businesses globally. It enables users to create profiles, share resumes, post updates, and connect with colleagues and industry professionals.
LinkedIn also offers job search features, career development resources, and a space for industry-related discussions. That is a lot of career information at your fingertips!
In addition to building a strong profile – which you should have reviewed by a peer coach at the Walter Center– these tips will help you make the best use of your time and this resource
Build your Connections
It’s not just who you know, but who those people know. The power of LinkedIn lies in building connections beyond the first degree. The more first-degree connections you have, the more access to second- and third-degree connections. Through this network, you’ll have more insider access to the hidden job market!
Explore IU and the College’s Alumni Pages
Connect with current and former IU students – you already have a shared experience! From IU’s school page, you can view the profiles of the 280,000+ active student and alumni profiles. Browse this area for ideas of career paths, companies, occupations, and experiences to pursue based on searchable criteria such as major, location, or industry. Take a look at the IU College of Arts and SciencesAlumni tab as well! This is a great resource that you can keep coming back to.
Explore Jobs
From LinkedIn’s Career Explorer page, you can gather ideas for occupations based on your current skills, or work on ideas for skills you need to develop based on career paths you’re interested in. From here, you can directly find jobs posted on LinkedIn and connections from your network who also have those skills, then select LinkedIn Learning courses to develop those proficiencies.
Develop Skills with LinkedIn Learning
Once you’ve identified skills you’d like to develop, participate in LinkedIn Learning courses, which are provided free through IU.
Once completed, you can display your proficiency as a badge on your profile. LinkedIn also provides clear ways to demonstrate your skills by taking assessments or posting about transferable skills directly on your profile.
Join Groups
LinkedIn Groups are a quick way to connect with people who share your interests or work within a common industry. Groups allow you to participate in discussions with these professionals and learn about new topics and job opportunities.
Search and Apply for Jobs
With LinkedIn jobs, once you click on a post, you can easily see your connections or people you may know who already work at the organization. Follow your targeted employers andset up job alerts to be the first to hear about them. LinkedIn will also provide recommendations of jobs for you based on the skills and experiences on your profile.
Open to work? Clearly indicate on your profile by turning on the “Open to Work” banner, using the hashtag #opentowork, and selecting the types of opportunities you’re seeking.
Prepare for Interviews
Use LinkedIn’s Interviewing tool to practice answering interview questions based on skill or industry. With more employers utilizing online interviewing software, this is a great opportunity to practice with this format. By recording a video, you can receive instant feedback, view it on your own or ask your connections to provide their thoughts.
Actively Engage
Your visibility is enhanced through your engagement on LinkedIn. Update your status, share articles of interest to your profession, and post about what you’re learning or career-related events you’re attending. Use hashtags (such as #internships) to stay up to date or bring attention to specific content.
Have fun!