by Social media is often seen as a homage to the things in our lives that make it worth celebrating. Your best friend’s 21er? Immediately highlighted on Instagram stories. How about a detailed vlog of what’s new in your world for your close friends or a video of Kris Jenner crying with the caption, “Week 8 Mood?” Straight to the private story on Snapchat (not speaking from experience or anything). How about curating looks and potential photo ideas for your summer Mood Board? Look no further than Pinterest. Do you want to expand your network, find an internship, and share your skills with future employers, notable alums, and classmates? Enter LinkedIn. Think of it as a career-orientated highlight reel, where your successes in your collegiate and corporate life are displayed. Like so many others, I have used it as a space to showcase what I have participated in at the University of Oregon and what makes me feel passionate in my day-to-day life. As a rising senior with 500+ connections that once identified as a certifiable LinkedIn novice, I have included five tips on maximizing the platform while ensuring your profile stands out.
- About: Less Is More!
While it may be tempting to present a Joan Didion-adjacent bio for those that click on your page (believe me–I’ve been there), make sure your About section is short, sweet, and to the point. Essential facts to include could be your major and minor or words that describe your leadership style and what you are looking for on the platform. For example: “I’m Sally Sue, a junior studying psychology and media studies. My passions include direct communication, relationship building, and supporting fellow students in the clubs where I hold leadership roles. I am searching for an internship for Fall 2023 and am open to network!”
2. Experience: Tell Us Why it Matters!
Resumes are often very run-of-the-mill in terms of how they are formatted. LinkedIn is a great space to expand on projects you’ve worked on, both through posts and the Experience section of the platform. Had the honor of working with the Student Alumni Association at a recent conference? Want to reflect on your internship experience from last summer? Tell us about it! The more potential employers can see when it comes to your strengths and talents, the better.
3. Posts: More than a Highlight Reel!
While in a lot of ways, LinkedIn is a glorified resume, it’s also a place to show who you are. Being successful on LinkedIn means not shying away from being vulnerable, especially if it means letting your skills shine! As the Women In Creative Industries President, I have included work on the Creative Corner blog. A favorite post dedicated to Greta Gerwig and the abrasiveness of my Catholic high school experience during Women’s History Month entitled, “A Love Letter to Greta Gerwig,” now takes permanent residency on my LinkedIn page ( and is also linked here).
4. Connecting: Make the First Move!
It can be intimidating to connect with individuals you do not know on LinkedIn, primarily if they work in a sector you hope to join. However, more often than not, a short note attached to your request to connect can lead to great conversation and gaining insight from industry professionals! Are there particular individuals catching your attention on the platform? Ask to set up a Zoom call to talk further! You never know where it can take you.
5. Comparison Kills (So Don’t Let It)
Getting swept up in our peers’ successes and the intimidation that often comes with searching for a job or internship can be easy. As cliche, as it sounds, everything happens for a reason. While LinkedIn can be exciting, it is essential to remember that our worth is not defined by the positions we hold or the post-grad opportunities we secure. Everyone is on a different timeline in life, so trust your timing!
Thank you for covering this topic! I personally find LinkedIn to be super intimidating, and I struggle with the proper etiquette for approaching new connections. I like that you said to consider LinkedIn as a place to show who you are. It’s easy to get caught up with your presentation on LinkedIn, and I think it’s good to remember that striving for authenticity while maintaining a professional tone will help connections understand your values and unique insights as an individual.
I enjoyed all of your thoughts on how to improve your LinkedIN profile. I feel like as young professionals we are always pushed to post and interact on LinkedIn, but never given examples on how to grow and become successful on the platform. In my opinion, I think comparing yourself in any situation is hard, but especially in this when everyone around you is doing such amazing things, especially at the SOJC. Thanks for giving such insightful advice!
I’m personally intimidated by LinkedIn for two reasons. The first being that it’s not just my friends that are seeing my content, but future employers. There’s a scary factor about posting and being judged by people of a literal higher rank in my desired field of work. It’s also that I’m being compared to peers from around the region who I worry may have a much better LinkedIn resume than me. This article made me feel in good company with my peers starting at the ground level.
Hi, I loved your blog!
I think LinkedIn is an underrated platform for college and even high school students. Before last year, I refused to join LinkedIn because I thought it was just a silly social platform my parents used. It wasn’t until my friend showed me all of the exposure and opportunities that you can gain from LinkedIn, that I finally joined. I always think it’s super impressive when a student has over 500 connections on LinkedIn, I’m still on my journey there (only 300 more to go haha). But overall great job on your blog, I think you mentioned great tips.
This was such an informative blog! I did not get into LinkedIn till last year- my senior year of college and I wish I would have had these tips then! I think being on a professional platform can be intimidating, but your 5 tips simplify it. I also love how “Real” your tips are. They are not just cliche rules and regulations, they are truly things that can make people’s experiences more seamless
Hi! This is super insightful. As many of us move into the job search, it is essential that we learn what LinkedIn is truly good for and how to maximize the capabilities. I have been especially using it to see how people with my “dream” job got to where they are. It can be difficult not to compare my timeline to theirs, so I loved that you touched on that. Thanks!
Hi! I really like the tone you took with this blog post — I think you balanced academic and conversational very well which was super engaging. As far as the actual content, I can tell you really understand and know this topic, your advice was great and really clear. I particularly like how you emphasize being bold and confident rather than seeing LinkedIn as a living resume. I think if people followed this advice, they would see a lot of success on their profiles!
This is the content I need! LinkedIn is so heavily used in the professional realm and understanding what is effective is very valuable, especially for those coming out of college (like myself). Your blog is engaging and offers dynamic advice and recommendations – professional, academic, and conversational. Your tips were informative and very relevant. Great job.
I found this post very informative and interesting. LinkedIn has become a mainstream social media platform for professionals at this point. As intimidating as it is, I feel like it can only be an advantage and even a motivator. Connecting with proven professionals, showcasing work/school accomplishments and building a resume can lead to opportunities out of the blue. These are great tips on building a LinkedIn profile and making people feel less intimidated.
I enjoyed your post and I found it very helpful. As a senior who’s also trying to find opportunity and connect with the right people these were some great tips! My favorite tip was about peer comparison. Saying that it’s ok for someone else to have a good profile and reputation but don’t base yourself off others profiles. I think that helped me refine my own LinkedIn.
Hi!
I loved everything about this! You made this super informative by making it simple and organized at the same time. I definitely need to follow these steps to make my LinkedIn profile better. You did a great job of being informative and engaging.
As someone who is slowly approaching post-grad and finding a career I think Linkedin is an amazing resource. I think all the points you made were great suggestions that I will incorporate into my own Linkedin. In specific I liked your section about less is more, that is something I need to keep in mind more. Sometimes I tend to go on and on to sell my experience when in reality just a few simple sentences or bullet points is the best approach!
Hi! This post is so helpful and super relevant for everyone as they near the end of their college eduction. I feel like I have grown up with social media accounts, so I feel pretty experienced when it comes to Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, ect. LinkedIn is fairly new to me, and different than most of the other social media platforms I use. These tips are super great to have for someone that isn’t super sure on how to approach LinkedIn. Great job!
Thanks for sharing!
LinkedIn is the most important social media app for young professionals entering the world. I have been working on my LinkedIn, but it definitely needs some tweaking still. The SOJC has a few networks for students to connect which has allowed me to explore alumni and current students.