Boost your LinkedIn profile with the help of Student.be

What is LinkedIn?

Created in 2003, LinkedIn is the largest professional network and it's purpose is to get in touch employers and employees. More than 300 million users around the world use the website as an online CV to keep up with professional life. Moreover, there are more than 39 million students who have a LinkendIn profile and we will explain why you should be one of them.

Why do I need to complete my LinkedIn profile?

There are different levels of completeness of a LinkedIn profile:
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Expert
- All-Star

Having a complete profile is important if you want employers to be able to visit it more easily. Indeed, a profile with all the sections filled will get much more connections because it will be visible thanks to the research criteria.

There is no need to freak out if you do not know how to complete your profile properly. Here is a list of tips meant to help you:

The profile picture

Needless to say that putting your Facebook picture on LinkedIn is not an option. A LinkedIn profile will mostly be visited by professionals therefore you should post a sober picture (in every sense of the word). This means no picture of you on holiday nor a selfie in the bathroom with a duckface.
Leaving a profile with no picture at all might not be a good idea either once you know that profile with a picture generates 11 times more connections than one without a picture.

The function

Paying attention to the terminology is also necessary. The research is based on key words so the description of your function should be clear. In other words, don’t put something too specific to one function or you will be categorized by the employers visiting your profile. However being too vague won’t help you either. Avoid terms such as “project manager”, this could mean anything.

The summary

This is the first thing the employer will read when he visits your LinkedIn profile. This consists in a summary of your professional background and your experience. This section has a specific aim: urging the employer to read the rest of your profile.

Other important sections

- The education section is also important because it gives the employer your background as a student. Thus, you should complete it with the degree you got and where you studied.

- Your skills describe you as a professional so it is an advantage to complete this section as well. The employer will then know if you are the best match for the job so if there is nothing in this section he will not be able to judge if you are the one he needs or not.

-The languages you master are very important for employer. When companies post a job offer there is almost automatically requirements about languages so if you speak any foreign language don’t forget to mention it!

The networking

LinkedIn has a professional purpose but it is important to keep in mind that it is a network so don’t forget to use it as such. It is recommended to be active on the website in order to increase your chances of getting noticed by employers. This means that you could try to get as much connections as you can, you could also follow companies, share your accomplishments, join groups, …

Also view our list of starter jobs!

 

Now that you know everything there is to know about LinkedIn you can complete your profile and share it with employers when you apply for a job or an internship on Student.be. This will give some substance to your application by showing your proactivity on the job market! 

 

Jordan Godet