By: Kellie McLeod, Career Advisor
Are you an active LinkedIn user? We know that many of you are, and we wonder if you have considered that your college student can benefit tremendously from using LinkedIn. Although college students are not yet established in a chosen career, they can leverage LinkedIn to connect with professionals in careers of interest – much can be learned by reviewing the “paths” taken by professionals or by browsing actual job postings within a field of interest, even if your student is not ready to apply for jobs. Students can also join groups and discussions where opportunities are uncovered, and generally become more visible to potential employers. All of these things start to transition your student away from being in college to being gainfully employed.
High Point University has a strong presence on LinkedIn with 12,838 LinkedIn members who have some connection to HPU. There are 3,358 members in the High Point University Alumni group (students may join this group as a senior), and 1,564 members in the Career and Professional Development group managed by our department.
Our staff is joining many other career services professionals from top schools to promote the use of LinkedIn to students and to guide them on how to build an effective profile. And because you, as parents, play such a critical role in your student’s college experience and in their transition beyond college, we would like to ask you to partner with us. We have this excellent video (produced by LinkedIn) embedded in our webpage and hope you will take a look and encourage your student to as well. We realize that because college students are so active on other types of social media that many will incorrectly conclude that LinkedIn is a site for parents and not for them. We would like to shatter that myth, and ask that you help us by explaining these benefits:
- Your student can search and connect with people (potentially HPU graduates) who are already working with a company or in an industry of interest. Reaching out to current employees is a great way to schedule informational interviews/job shadowing and to access the “back door” when applying for an internship or first job
- Your student can research connections to gain an understanding of what kind of background (previous jobs) is helpful for landing the position they desire
- Your student can join groups related to the field he/she wishes to pursue; many professional associations also have large LinkedIn groups
- Your student can search open opportunities posted by LinkedIn members on the Jobs Board or through specific groups
- Your student can think of their LinkedIn profile as an expanded version of their resume and can also attach all types of media to their LinkedIn showcasing their work
Please encourage your student to build a strong profile rather than just “sign-up” to be on LinkedIn. In addition to the video mentioned above, our staff developed these helpful resources:
- Making the Most of Your LinkedIn Headline, Summary, and Connection Requests
- Career Services Guide: Everything You Need To Know About Connecting To The World’s Largest Professional Network
An effective profile includes:
- A “headshot” photograph – taken while dressed in professional attire and with no one else in the picture (against a neutral background)
- A descriptive “headline” – should not say “Student at High Point University” because this is too general; an example of an effective headline would be “Communication and Marketing senior seeking experience in Advertising in the Boston area”
- A concise “keyword-rich summary” that sells skills and experience, gives an overview of who you are, what you are trying to accomplish (in the short term), and perhaps states your long-term career goals
Our staff often does presentations on LinkedIn in classes and through student organizations. And of course for more in-depth assistance, students can stop by during Drop-In Hours (Monday through Thursday 12 p.m. – 4 p.m., and Friday 12 p.m. – 3 p.m.), or make an individual appointment with a Career Advisor.