LinkedIn is an important component of your professional presence. Now, while you’re still in school, is a great time to start building your profile so that it’s there to help you when you need it.
Build Your Presence Before You Need a Job
LinkedIn excels at helping you make professional connections. But it doesn’t happen overnight. It’s like your retirement (see our Multiple Streams of Income article,) you can’t start saving when you decide you need it. You have to save early and often. Your LinkedIn presence is the same way. If you suddenly need the network, you should have already built it. Of course, if you need it now and don’t have it, go ahead and start building it today.
Once you have it up and running, dedicate a little time to your LinkedIn account every week. I learned this tip from Carol McManus, the LinkedIn Lady. Taking just a few minutes per week keeps you relevant and up-to-date. Check out our Build Your Network in 5 Minutes Per Day article.
Research Employers
Sooner or later, you’re going to be looking for an internship or full-time job. Between now and then, companies will deliver info sessions on campus. LinkedIn helps you research the companies. Find out about the companies and what they do.
An important factor is that each company’s LinkedIn page includes great information like:
- People you’re already connected to who work there
- People who graduated from your school who work there
- People who currently work there
This invaluable information could help you grease the wheels when you’re ready to apply for one of their jobs. Conveniently enough, many companies list available positions on LinkedIn, too.
If you don’t know someone, look through the list of current employees and see if anyone has “2nd” next to their name. If so, someone you’re connected to is connected to them. Just ask your connection for an introduction.
Get Found by Employers
I can’t image a company hiring someone without first researching them online. I’ve researched every person I’ve had a hand in hiring for the last decade. Make sure that you have a professional page to be found when someone searches. This is your online resume and you want it looking sharp.
- A professional headshot (portrait mode on your iPhone or Android will do) in a nice shirt, maybe throw on a jacket. It doesn’t have to be in a suit and tie, but please don’t have it taken in your vintage Space Invaders t-shirt.
- A suitable headline.
- Work, education, and organizations.
Keep Apprised of Industry Trends
Join a few groups in your field of study and read the discussions. Not all of them, but once in a while check in and see what’s happening. Keeping up with current topics ensures that you’re staying up with the fast-paced world of engineering and it gives you great topics of discussion when you’re visiting with a recruiter.
“Do you have any questions?”
“What do you think about the advances in artificial intelligence and mechanical engineering.”
“Great question. I just got back from a conference on that topic …”
As a word of advice, don’t ask me that question. I’ve seen all of the Terminator movies. I know how that works out.
Get Published and Get Noticed
As with the link above, which was written by a student, LinkedIn offers the opportunity to show off your expertise. Share it on your timeline and get your friends to like and share it, too.
Publishing on LinkedIn opens you up to a larger audience. Every time someone interacts with your article by liking it, sharing it, or commenting on it, your article and you are exposed to that person’s audience. What’s more, someone might just search the Internet for the idea you shared and find your article. And you never know who might be the next reader. Perhaps the person who will hire you or invest in your ideas.
Connect with Alumni
As an alum who hires engineers out of college, I can tell you that I definitely like returning to my alma mater and coming away with a stack of resumes to review. Even more, I like seeing those resumes turn into new team members. And I know I’m not the only alum who feels this way.
Make yourself known through your school’s LinkedIn groups. Join the school and department groups. Join in discussions on your field of expertise or even that horrible beating your team took in the opening round of March Madness.
LinkedIn’s “See alumni” tool provides cool insights into where your fellow alumni live and work as well as what they do. You can even narrow the list by searching for keywords. Are you looking for a job in civil engineering in Houston, Texas? Provide a few keywords and you’ve just come up with a list of alumni who are working in your field in the city where you want to live. Start networking.
Final Takeaway
LinkedIn is a useful tool for connecting with people, getting noticed professionally, and, ultimately, getting a job. Start building your network now before you need it. If you do, it will be a thriving resource when you turn to it.
Photo by Mimi Thian on Unsplash