Real World 101: LinkedIn Tutorial

By Lauren Brose ‘15

If your professional resume and Facebook had a baby, his name would be LinkedIn.

LinkedIn has been all my professors talk about whenever we visit the topic of career planning. If you are currently a college student and haven’t made one yet, I would highly recommend doing so. What exactly is LinkedIn and why do we need one? Put it this way. Take a social media platform like Facebook and remove all of the following things: photos of you fratting out on Row every weekend, your thought provoking status about the death of McDreamy on Grey’s Anatomy (spoiler alert–– sorry i’m not sorry), and all of the cute videos and Buzzfeed posts that have spread through your newsfeed like a virus. Only publicize content and news updates that are relevant to that pristine resume you’ve been building since the day you discovered work experience is a requirement for post-grad employment.

Above all else, LinkedIn is a social networking site. We’re able to follow companies we are interested in working for, read up-to-date industry news, and track down alumni who are in the industry you wish to break into. The “Trojan Family” has great connections when it comes to jobs but we can’t expect them to come to us, can we? I’ve been tracking down Alumni through LinkedIn and have reached out and inquired about the company culture and ways I can strengthen my qualifications for future employment. The responses I’ve been getting in return have been beyond helpful!

Creating a profile is easy and can be done in under an hour. While I could simply refer you to the LinkedIn Tutorial I found online, I firmly believe this was designed for out-of-college-aged professionals who hardly know how to Internet. With my help, you won’t need to read this wordy PDF. Feel free to check my profile out for some inspiration. 

The Photo

Don’t:
Post a photo of you with a drink in your hand
Post a photo of you in a bathing suit or unprofessional attire
Post a photo of you and your friend— It should be a headshot of just you
Post a full-body shot that hardly focuses on your face

Do: 

Ask your photographer friend to take a headshot of you if you can’t find an appropriate one. While have a photo that highlights your good side isn’t going to earn you a job, it’s the first glimpse of connecting a name with a face. Therefore, you should show as much class as possible.

The Summary

Many choose to have a lengthy summary that exemplifies you as a professional. The way I see it, when an interviewer asks you, “tell me a bit about yourself— your background, education history, work history, and career objectives,” you can address those things in your summary. Some, such as myself, only highlight some really minimal parts such as major and minor and when I am expected to graduate. In the future, I know I will go back and elaborate more in my summary section but for now I am satisfied with the way it is. It’s totally up to you to decide what you want to do with your summary— I’ve never been told that summary’s on LinkedIn are a make or break factor on hiring decisions.

The Experience

Already have a resume? Perfect. Transcribe it to your profile and don’t be afraid to add supplemental material that further supports the work you’ve done. Did you do a project that can be viewed online? Link it. Did you design a website for a company? Show them. The biggest distinguishing factor with potential employees is what they are able to show instead of tell. Anyone can say they’re hard working, punctual, and a self starter. Back the claims you’re making by showing employers exactly how you would make an excellent asset to the team.

The Education

This step may be self explanatory but it’s important to note that you should definitely mention when your expected graduation date is, any relevant coursework, important project’s you’ve done in class, and groups or organizations you are involve in, and if you’ve picked up a minor as well.

Finding Connections & Alumni

Finding connections can be done in several ways but is much easier once you’ve always got the ball rolling. This is because once you make a handful of connections, LinkedIn will suggest others you may know based on whether you share connections, work for the same company, or attend the same university. To get started, manually search for classmates/colleagues/friends by name or input your email address so that LinkedIn will track down your connections.

I recently paid my career counselor a visit to discuss securing an internship for summer. She advised me to use LinkedIn to track down alumni at specific companies I am applying to. They’ll more than likely help you out but there’s a certain way to go about things. Conciseness is key.

Step 1: 

Go to the education tab and click “Find Alumni.”

Step 2:

Select your filters as appropriate to what company you’re looking into or search the company specifically on the top of the page. In this instance, I selected Greater Los Angeles > *Company Name* > Media and Communication.

Step 3:

You’ll be provided with a list of Alumni who currently work at or used to work at the desired company. Look for someone currently working at the company who is in a position of hiring power (HR, taken acquisitions) or in a department you wish to pursue. Most professionals won’t allow strangers to request to connect with them so specify how you know this person. Write a quick message introducing yourself and explain why you are reaching out to them. There is no promise that everyone will accept your request to connect, but there’s also a chance some will! If they do accept, send them a more detailed (but also relatively short). They’ll offer great advice and possibly review your resume. If they’re local, invite them out to lunch and speak face to face (and pay for their lunch!). This is a great way to meet a professional directly and make a positive impression. If they like you, there’s a good chance they’ll remember you when you, in the future, apply for a position with the company.

Many say “it’s who you know” when it comes to getting jobs. I think that is true in some form–– but it doesn’t mean that we need to have these connections before entering USC. Make your own luck by making your own connections. Good luck and happy Linking!