Having a LinkedIn account as a high school student can provide many benefits that will help you in your future career. However, there are also some considerations to keep in mind before creating an account. In this article, we will explore the pros and cons of having a LinkedIn profile as a high schooler and provide tips on how to create an effective profile.
The Benefits of Having a LinkedIn Profile as a High School Student
Here are some of the key advantages of creating a LinkedIn account while still in high school:
- Get a head start on building your professional brand and online presence
- Connect with professionals in fields you are interested in pursuing
- Learn more about companies and industries you may want to work in
- Discover potential internships, mentorships and other opportunities
- Build your network and make valuable connections for the future
- Stay up-to-date on job trends, skills in demand and other useful career information
- Gain confidence in online professional communication and profiling
- Highlight achievements, extracurriculars and other experiences to share with colleges
- Practice marketing yourself and shaping your public image
Having a presence on LinkedIn can be hugely beneficial for high school students looking to get a head start on their career path. Compared to your peers, building an effective profile early on can give you a leg up when it comes time to apply for college or jobs.
Potential Drawbacks of Having a LinkedIn Profile as a High Schooler
However, there are also some potential downsides to having a LinkedIn profile as a high school student:
- You have a limited work history to draw on for your profile
- Building an extensive network will take time and effort
- Lack of experience may diminish your credibility
- Potential overemphasis on LinkedIn instead of focusing on high school academics
- Need to be cautious about connecting with strangers or posting inappropriate content
- Requires maintenance to keep your profile updated and active
- Risk of too much personal info being public if privacy settings aren’t managed
- Colleges or employers may view a sparse profile as a red flag
The main challenges revolve around having a limited resume and network as a student. This can make it harder to create a robust, interesting profile. You’ll need to invest time into building connections and keeping your profile active to see benefits.
Tips for Creating an Effective LinkedIn Profile as a High Schooler
If you decide to join LinkedIn as a high school student, here are some tips to build a strong profile:
- Choose a professional profile photo – no selfies or informal pictures
- Write a detailed, keyword-rich summary highlighting achievements, skills and goals
- Include any work experience, internships, or extracurriculars and describe your responsibilities
- Add applicable skills to showcase hard and soft abilities developed through classes or activities
- Personalize your LinkedIn custom URL to use on resumes and other materials
- Follow relevant companies and join industry groups aligned with your interests
- Connect with people you know first – friends, family members, teachers, coaches etc.
- Research and connect with professionals working in your target field or company
- Seek recommendations from teachers, supervisors, coaches to enhance your profile
- Share and comment on content to stay active, but maintain professionalism
- Update your profile as you gain new experiences, skills and accomplishments
Following this advice will help you create a complete, polished profile that makes a great impression on visitors.
Should You Connect with Just Anyone?
When reaching out to build your network on LinkedIn, avoid connecting indiscriminately. Take care when deciding who to connect with:
- Connect with people you know and trust first – genuine connections are best
- Be selective when connecting with strangers – review their profiles first
- Decline requests from suspicious profiles with no clear credentials
- You can connect with professionals in your industries of interest who can offer advice
- Don’t feel pressured to connect with everyone who sends you requests
- Make sure you have some common ground before reaching out to new connections
Building connections takes time, so focus on quality over quantity. Seek out professionals who are established in their field and can potentially help you gain opportunities or offer mentorship down the road. But also be cautious about connecting with internet strangers when first establishing your presence on LinkedIn.
How to Manage Your Online Reputation and Privacy
As a high school student, it’s important to be thoughtful about managing your personal brand and online reputation when using LinkedIn. Here are some tips:
- Google yourself regularly to review the information that comes up about you online
- Adjust your LinkedIn privacy settings to control what’s visible to the public
- Be selective about what personal details, opinions or images you share publicly
- Showcase achievements and substance over potentially controversial style and content
- Maintain professionalism in all online interactions – think about your future audience
- Ask for guidance from parents, teachers or mentors if concerned about your online presence
- Remember – anything you post could potentially have an impact on college admission or job prospects
With some forethought, you can use LinkedIn to start building a strong personal brand and online identity that will benefit your future opportunities.
Should You Pay for Premium Services?
Here are some pros and cons of paying for LinkedIn Premium as a high school student:
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
|
|
For many high school students, the free account should provide adequate benefits. Premium can be considered later on or if you plan to use LinkedIn extensively for networking or job hunting.
What Content Should You Share on LinkedIn?
Posting relevant, engaging content is important for an active LinkedIn presence. Here are some ideas for student content:
- Articles related to industries or companies you are interested in
- Content showcasing volunteer work, group affiliations or extracurriculars
- Photos from academic competitions, conferences or school events
- Insights gained from internships, mentorships or jobs
- Academic achievements like scholarships, honors, or acceptances
- Constructive discussions related to your future career interests
- Positive news about your high school and colleagues
- Live reporting from conferences or campus visits
Focus on showcasing your skills, experiences and interests through informative, useful content. Be careful about oversharing personal opinions or non-academic activities.
How Can You Make Your LinkedIn Profile Stand Out?
Here are some ways high schoolers can make their LinkedIn profiles stand out from the crowd:
- Build a robust connections list with endorsements and recommendations
- Include multimedia like photos, videos, presentations or infographics
- Showcase volunteer work, causes or extracurricular leadership
- Highlight specialized skills, awards or certifications
- Publish articles and thought leadership content
- Obtain reviews from summer employers or internship hosts
- Share participation in high-profile events, conferences or programs
- Demonstrate expertise through projects and examples of your work
Leveraging multimedia and quantifiable results from a diverse range of experiences can help your profile stand out as unique and credible.
Top Skills to Include on Your Profile
Here are some of the key hard and soft skills that are great for high school students to showcase on LinkedIn:
- Public speaking/presenting
- Leadership
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Time management
- Problem solving
- Research and analysis
- Creativity
- Microsoft Office suite proficiency
- Social media and technology skills
- Foreign language fluency
- Customer service
- Writing, editing and content creation
Identify skills developed through classes, activities, jobs or volunteer work that you can feature prominently. Hard skills in areas like software, analytics or programming are also valuable.
Examples of Good LinkedIn Profile Summaries
Your profile summary is one of the first things people will see on your LinkedIn page. Here are two example summaries that demonstrate what an effective high school student summary could include:
Example 1:
Honor roll student at Springfield High School graduating in 2025. Participated in student government, tennis team and founded the school’s Investment Club. Passionate about a career in finance and gaining experience through internships. I bring strong analytical abilities, time management and presentation skills. Looking to connect with professionals in banking, investments and financial services to gain insights and advice to start my career journey.
Example 2:
Aspiring software engineer and upcoming graduate of Gotham High. Have mastered four programming languages through my Computer Science Academy coursework. Seeking internship and higher education opportunities to expand my coding skills and create innovative tech solutions. I’m a quick learner and work well independently or collaboratively. President of the Chess Club and scored in the 95th percentile on SAT Math. Supervised a team of 3 as cashier at Corner Cafe. Excited to connect with experienced developers, learn cutting edge technologies and tackle new challenges through future roles!
These profiles provide an overview of the student’s goals, achievements, skills and interests. This gives visitors helpful context right at the top of the page.
Conclusion
Creating a LinkedIn profile as a high school student has many potential benefits but also requires careful thought and management. Focus first on establishing genuine connections, highlighting achievements and skills and shaping your online brand. With a professional, active profile, LinkedIn can provide valuable networking and career development opportunities that will serve you well down the road. Just be sure to strike a balance and not put too much emphasis on social media instead of your high school studies and extracurricular commitments. If you approach LinkedIn strategically, it can become a useful tool to aid your future college and job search process.