Thursday, March 19, 2015

LinkedIn 101


Just created your LinkedIn profile and wondering what to do next?  To get the most out of it, it is important your LinkedIn profile is as complete as possible.  Here are some tips to get you started…
  • Your Profile Picture: Although you may like the picture of yourself at that party on Friday night it is not an appropriate picture for your LinkedIn profile. Your photo should be professional and not with friends or of anything without YOU in it. According to LinkedIn professional profile photos are 7 times more likely to be found in searches.
  • Your Summary: Keep it professional. Speak to your goals, qualifications, and your experiences and use key words/skills relevant to your industry to help others find you.
  • Your Experiences: Avoid copying and pasting your resume or job descriptions but try to summarize each position using key words and relevant skills. If possible upload examples of your work/projects you’ve been working on to further showcase your experiences and achievements.

Stay relevant by updating your profile on a regular basis with your professional activities. Doing so will keep you on people’s radars and update potential employers on your most recent career advancements and achievements. Those with complete profiles are 40x more likely to receive opportunities through LinkedIn, so it is well worth spending 5 minutes to update your profile!

Connecting with People on LinkedIn

You’ve created a profile and have finished updating it, now it’s time to network and connect with people. When sending other users invitations to join their network never send the standard LinkedIn request.  If you’ve met before mention a few details about where and when you met. Additionally, be sure to mention why you want to connect whether it be for career advice or they work in an industry/company that you are interested in. 

Stop by the Career Resource Centre for all your LinkedIn questions and for more resources on how you can make the best LinkedIn profile possible!

Mike Pratas, 
Political Science Major
Senior Career Assistant





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