The Mystery of LinkedIn
Graduation is creeping up faster than I want to acknowledge, and with that comes the job hunt. As I have gotten into senior level courses we have started to incorporate using the Internet to make ourselves more marketable. LinkedIn has become one of the most useful ways to get a job after graduation. My field is Electronic Media/Broadcasting (EMB) and Spanish. EMB is a very technological field, and they are constantly looking at your online presence to ensure that you will be a good fit for whatever job you are going into.
LinkedIn is something that to be honest I have only created in the past because other classes required it. When we had a lecture in class the other day about how to use LinkedIn to your benefit. There were so many things that I learned that I hadn’t even considered. You want to have consistency between all of your presences online. One of the most important things is to have a professional headshot on your LinkedIn profile. I had one, but I didn’t even think about the importance of putting one up. If truly shows that you care, and that you are capable of putting in the effort. People who are going to hire you don’t care about the hike you took last weekend, or the selfie while you were out last Saturday night; they want to see how you are portrayed professionally.
The way that you want to update your wardrobe with any major life or career changes is the same thing that you want to do with your online persona. When it comes to LinkedIn you need to update your experiences, skills, and anything else with your professional life periodically. Below are two great resources to help you build your LinkedIn profile. Just like anything else LinkedIn needs to be constantly worked on. You can’t simply just let it sit there, and these two websites show you what not to do, and best practices.
https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-31-best-linkedin-profile-tips-for-job-seekers
https://www.forbes.com/sites/learnvest/2013/03/04/8-mistakes-you-should-never-make-on-linkedin/#460287f74130
