Linkedin Tips for students in 2023
LinkedIn is the platform for professional networking, so it can be a daunting place for students yet to find their place in the professional world.
But it’s never too early to create your LinkedIn profile. In fact, the sooner you begin to build your profile, the sooner you’ll be found by potential employers and have the opportunity to form these professional relationships for the first time.
This ultimate guide to LinkedIn for students covers everything you need to know to get started, from what LinkedIn is to how it works and what your profile should include.
What is LinkedIn?
LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking platform, offering individuals and businesses the chance to connect in more formal and polished setting.
But what does a ‘professional networking’ platform actually involve? Well, LinkedIn offers a few main services within the platform, all of which will be useful to students like you.
Professional network: LinkedIn users can connect with like-minded individuals, colleagues, course mates, employers and industry leaders. They see your posts and you can see (and engage with) theirs.
News outlet: LinkedIn has a news section where you can read about everything from hiring trends to career advice and big commercial stories. It’s a great place to engage with leading stories that are topical among businesses and professionals right now.
Jobs board: LinkedIn has a jobs section where they pull together a long list of roles that seem like a good fit for you based on your experience, qualifications, and the skills listed on your page. It’s a great way to find new opportunities without crawling lots of job sites daily.
Communities: LinkedIn users can join groups and communities within the platform, making it easy to stay in touch with people you’ve met at specific events, or even just alumni from your university.
Educational platform: LinkedIn also offers a wide range of online courses, allowing you to upskill and gain qualifications no matter what stage of your career you’re in. It makes learning accessible to everyone, including students.
Direct messaging: Like most other social media platforms, LinkedIn lets you message your connections privately. This is great if you want to seek advice from an industry leader, or if you want to reach out to a hiring manager about upcoming opportunities. It also makes it much easier to stay in touch with other professionals.
How to set up your Linkedin profile
Before you can access all of these exciting features, you’ll need to create a LinkedIn account and profile. We’ve pulled together a few instructions on how to set this up below.
1. Register for an account
Before you can do anything on LinkedIn, you’ll need to register for an account using your email address, name and contact details. This only takes a minute or two and you can change these in the settings later if you ever need to update them.
2. Add a profile photo
Next, you’ll need to upload a photo to use as your profile picture on LinkedIn. Don’t be put off by the fact you don’t have a professional headshot just yet.
Just choose a clear and friendly photo that mostly shows your face and has a neutral background. If you’re dressed smartly in the picture, even better.
3. Choose a LinkedIn headline
Headlines allow other LinkedIn users to understand who you are and what you do at a glance.
This is where a lot of students get stuck, though. They assume that they have to have a flashy role to have a good headline.
In reality, your headline can be as simple as ‘Student at Leeds University’ if you don’t have a job title just yet. You can even set your LinkedIn headline as an aspiration (e.g ‘Aspiring solicitor).
It just shows that you’re eager and ahead of the curve when it comes to professional networking.
4. Write your summary
This section is a bit like a bio. It’s your opportunity to sell yourself and share your aspirations, journey, skills and experience with potential employers and other professionals.
Again, this can be tricky for students at the start of their careers. But it doesn’t need to be. Just explain what you’re studying, what you aspire to do in the future, which experiences have shaped your aspirations, and what you’re interested in.
You have 2000 characters to tell others about yourself. Be confident and use them to shout about your biggest goals and achievements.
4. share your work experience
We recommend adding all of your work experience here, from part-time retail jobs to internships and insight days.
Don’t forget to summarize what the role and experience involved, as well as any specific skills you gained during your time there.
5. add your education details
You’ll also be asked to fill out a section about your education. Here you can add your education history from GSCEs all the way to your degree. It’ll ask you which school you went to, which degree you’re doing, and which grade you received. You’ll also be able to add any activities and societies you’re a part of.
6. Add specific skills to your profile
You’ve probably mentioned a few of your core skills in your summary. However, you can also add specific skills in the ‘Skills’ section of your profile. These can be tied to specific work experiences you’ve had, too.
You can add up to 50 different skills to your profile, and these will be used to display more relevant roles in the jobs board, as well as getting you in front of employers looking for those specific skills.
How to make connections on LinkedIn
Great. So you’ve set your LinkedIn profile up. Now what? Well, you need to make LinkedIn connections.
What is a LinkedIn connection?
A LinkedIn connection is a way to stay in touch with someone on LinkedIn. It opens up two-way communication between users, allowing both users to see eachothers’ posts, updates and even send direct messages.
Who should you connect with on LinkedIn?
LinkedIn allows you up to 30,000 connections. But that doesn’t mean you should go crazy and send connection invites to everyone you come across on the platform. You should be intentional about who you’re connecting with - just like you are on other social media sites.
In particular, it’s a good idea to connect with the following people:
Alumni from your old school or university
Friends and colleagues from previous jobs
People you’ve met by networking at events
Recruiters at companies you’re interested in working at, or in fields you’re aspiring to work in
People you find inspiring and would like to learn more from
Don’t worry about connecting with too many people at once, though. Your network will naturally grow as you’re exposed to other peoples’ posts and as you meet more people.
How to make a connection on LinkedIn
There are a few different ways to make a connection on LinkedIn. However, the most common way to connect with someone is to click the ‘Connect’ button on their profile page.
Once you do that, the person you’ve connected with will be sent an invitation, which they can either accept or reject - just like a friends request on Facebook.
We recommend adding a short intro or message to your connection request to help people understand why you want to connect with them or how you know them.
This can be as simple as introducing yourself and saying that you’re interested in the field they work in, so you’d like to find out more. Or, you can simply say that you’re also interested in a certain area and you’re looking forward to connecting.
Don’t overthink or complicate it. Just keep it friendly and professional!
The most useful LinkedIn features for students
LinkedIn Learning
LinkedIn Learning provides a wide range of online courses and tutorials covering various topics, including business, technology, creative skills, and more. As a student, you can take advantage of this feature to enhance your skills and gain knowledge in your areas of interest.
Analytics
LinkedIn's Analytics feature provides insights into the performance and engagement of your profile and posts. It shows you information such as the number of profile views, post views, and engagement metrics.
By analyzing these analytics, you can understand how well your content is performing and which employers are viewing your profile.
Alumni search tool
The Alumni Tool allows you to explore and connect with alumni from your university or educational institution. You can filter by location, industry, company, and more to find alumni who can provide insights, mentorship, or even potential job opportunities.
Groups
Join LinkedIn Groups relevant to your field of study or career aspirations. Engage in discussions, ask questions, and share insights. Groups provide an excellent platform to network, learn from industry professionals, and connect with like-minded individuals.
Events
LinkedIn Events feature allows you to discover and join professional events, conferences, webinars, and workshops. Attending industry events can expand your network, provide learning opportunities, and help you stay updated with the latest trends in your field.
Do you need a LinkedIn account?
Having a LinkedIn account can be advantageous for students that want to build their network and be exposed to more opportunities.
LinkedIn also helps to level the playing ground for first-generation students that might not have friends and family in certain roles.
This is because it gives them the opportunity to reach out to professionals and employers for advice, mentorship and experience - regardless of who they know already.
This is something we’re passionate about at The 93% Club. We want to give state-educated students the same opportunities to succeed in their career that privately educated students have.
If you want to expand your network beyond LinkedIn, hit the button below to join the club.
