LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking platform with over 810 million users worldwide. It allows users to create professional profiles, connect with other professionals in their industry, find jobs, join groups, and more. For students specifically, LinkedIn can be immensely helpful in a variety of ways. Here are some of the key benefits LinkedIn provides for students:
Networking Opportunities
One of the greatest advantages LinkedIn offers students is networking opportunities. As a student, you likely don’t have an extensive professional network yet. LinkedIn allows you to connect with professionals in your desired industry or career path. You can reach out to them, ask for informational interviews, get career advice, and make important connections. Building your network early is crucial because it gives you a head start in accessing insider information and opportunities. According to LinkedIn’s 2022 Global Talent Trends report, 85% of all jobs are filled via networking. With over 810 million users, LinkedIn is the perfect platform for students to broaden their networks.
Find Internships
Internships are one of the best ways for students to gain work experience in their fields of interest. LinkedIn makes it easy for students to find relevant internships. Just go to the Jobs section and search for internships using keywords related to your major or industry. You can also directly reach out to connections at companies you want to intern with to inquire about potential opportunities. LinkedIn is many companies’ go-to platform for posting internship openings. By building your network and proactively searching for internships on LinkedIn, you can land amazing opportunities that will bolster your resume.
Showcase Your Skills
As a student without much full-time work experience, it can be difficult to convey your skills and achievements to prospective employers or graduate programs. LinkedIn provides a place for you to showcase all your skills, certificates, coursework, projects, honors, volunteering experiences, and more. You can add media samples like presentations, papers, or videos you’ve created. You can get recommendations from professors, internship managers, or organization leaders you’ve volunteered with. This gives employers a much fuller picture of your capabilities as a candidate. Having a strong student profile on LinkedIn will make you stand out.
Research Companies
LinkedIn is a great place for researching companies you may want to work at or intern with. By following company pages, you can get insights into their work culture, values, career opportunities, company news and trends. You can identify employees who went to your university and reach out to them. By understanding companies better through their LinkedIn presence, you’ll be better prepared for interviews and networking conversations. This gives you a leg up in the job and internship search process.
Apply for Jobs and Internships
Once you’ve built your professional brand on LinkedIn, you can start applying for jobs and internships directly through the platform. Many employers now use LinkedIn to source candidates, so having an updated profile makes you visible and discoverable. When you come across an interesting opportunity, you can hit the easy apply button that autofills information from your profile into the application. This makes the job hunting process much simpler. According to LinkedIn’s research, students who fill out their profiles completely are 40% more likely to receive opportunities through recruiters.
Learn New Skills
LinkedIn Learning is LinkedIn’s e-learning platform that lets users take over 16,000 expert-led courses at affordable rates. As a student, you can gain new skills and add certifications through LinkedIn Learning at student discount pricing. Some topics covered include programming languages like Python and Javascript, business analytics, graphic design, and more. This can help expand your knowledge and make your resume stand out.
Join Industry Groups
LinkedIn has over 2 million groups based on professional industries, career interests, higher education institutions, and more. As a student, you can join relevant groups to your major or career goals. This lets you participate in group discussions, ask for advice, meet like-minded professionals and learn about events and conferences. Surrounding yourself with the right groups keeps you engaged in your desired industry.
Stay Up to Date on News & Trends
LinkedIn curates relevant news and content tailored to your industry interests and displays them in your feed. As a student, staying on top of the latest developments, ideas, and innovations is key. LinkedIn provides you with customized news so you can keep expanding your knowledge in fields that excite you.
Key LinkedIn Features Helpful for Students
Here are some of the most helpful LinkedIn features specifically suited for students:
- Student Profile Badge – Lets connections know you are currently a student.
- Campus Pages – Official university pages where you can connect with fellow students and alumni.
- University Pages – Follow your university to stay up to date on school news and job opportunities.
- LinkedIn Learning Student Plan – Chance to learn in-demand skills at a significantly reduced student rate.
- LinkedIn Events – Great way to find relevant conferences, seminars, and events to attend as a student.
- Publishing Articles – Opportunity to publish your own content and demonstrate your writing abilities.
Tips for Students Maximizing LinkedIn
Here are some top tips for students looking to fully capitalize on LinkedIn’s advantages:
- Complete your profile 100% including education, experiences, skills, etc.
- Include a professional profile photo and customized background image.
- Showcase course projects, papers, presentations, and honors in your profile.
- Get recommendations from professors, internship managers, or organization supervisors.
- Write summary about your goals, values and qualifications.
- Follow companies and influencers in industries you are interested in.
- Attend relevant online events, conferences, and trainings.
- Join Campus Student Organizations and University Pages.
- Connect with students, alumni and professionals from your university.
- Take affordable LinkedIn Learning courses to boost your skills.
Common LinkedIn Mistakes Students Make
While LinkedIn can be hugely beneficial, there are also some key mistakes students often make. Being aware of these can help you avoid them:
- Not having a profile picture or an incomplete profile.
- Passive activity rather than proactively messaging connections.
- Mass sending generic connection requests instead of personalizing invites.
- Only joining university groups instead of industry or interest groups.
- Not optimizing profile with relevant keywords for discoverability.
- Using unprofessional tone or content.
- Forgetting to follow up with connections after initial outreach.
- Not customizing resumes and cover letters when directly applying for jobs.
- Limiting activity to only when actively searching for jobs or internships.
LinkedIn Etiquette for Students
As you engage on LinkedIn as a student, keep these etiquette tips in mind:
- Customize connection requests instead of sending generic invites.
- Send thoughtful personalized messages when reaching out for the first time.
- Recommend connections you’ve worked with who contributed to your success.
- Congratulate others on new jobs, promotions, published articles etc.
- Follow up with connections after initial conversations.
- Use a professional profile photo and background image.
- Proofread content for typos, grammar issues before publishing.
- Add value to group discussions by sharing insights and resources.
- Exercise discretion when posting opinions, avoiding insensitive language.
- Stay engaged with your network by liking and commenting on posts.
Conclusion
In summary, LinkedIn is an extremely valuable platform for students looking to network, find opportunities, build their personal brand, and jumpstart their careers. By proactively creating a stellar student profile, connecting with the right people, joining relevant groups, and engaging professionally on the platform, students can derive immense benefits from LinkedIn. It is never too early to start building your professional presence on LinkedIn. With some discipline, strategy and a long-term approach, LinkedIn can be a game-changing asset for your future career success.