Career Directions 2016 PDF

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215.951.1075 • email: careers@lasalle.edu
LinkedIn: A Student’s Guide
How to make your profile pop
1) Use a Picture
Upload a professional looking picture (i.e. dressed in business professional attire versus a selfie in your dorm room) and check to make
sure your profile picture is not: blurry, dark, unflattering or cluttered. (See next page.)
2) Add Groups
You can belong to up to 50 groups on LinkedIn. Once you belong to a group, you can
email any of its members. This will allow you to network with people who work in your
desired field or in a new industry you’d like to enter. Join the LinkedIn groups of the
professional organizations you already belong to. Students are also allowed to join the
“La Salle University Alumni Network,” which will connect you to 6,000+ alumni.
How do you find Groups? On the top of your profile where it says “People –
Search”, click on the down arrow you’ll see a list of things for which you can search.
Select “Groups” off the list. You can type words into the search box and click the
little magnifying glass. Then you will see a list of groups.
3) Proofread Your Profile
Reread your profile out loud and have someone else look it over as a second set of eyes.
Watch for typos, grammatical errors, and misspellings.
W h y J o i n ?
To find contacts for informational
interviews by joining groups, such
as the La Salle University Alumni
Network (see next page).
To discover job leads using
LinkedIn’s jobs directory
To research companies and
connect with their employees
To stay on top of news and events
in a career or industry
4) Invite People to Join Your Network
Use the “Connect” button to invite coworkers, supervisors, peers, faculty, and family and friends to join
your network. Write a message to each individual instead of the generic “I’d like to add you to my
professional network” invite. If you have not been in contact with them recently, you can give them a
quick update. At the end of your quick update you can note, “I’d like to keep in touch by adding you to
my network on LinkedIn.” What if you don’t know who to invite? Start with the list that says “people
you may know” which is located in the “Home” menu at the top of your profile pag e.
5) Add Skills
Under the Skills & Endorsements heading, you can add skills you possess. These are words and phrases that are pre-defined by LinkedIn.
If you select yes to “I want to be endorsed,” your connections can endorse that skill. The more contac ts who backup your skill, the
better it looks, and the higher that skill will rise to the top of that section.
6) Ask for Recommendations
Recommendations help potential employers trust that you are, in fact, that hard-working, trustworthy, and dependable employee you
say you are. Collect recommendations from one or more of your bosses (from jobs, work-study positions, or leadership activities) on
LinkedIn. Not comfortable asking your old boss to write you a recommendation? Ask a co -worker who knows your work or a client who
can speak positively about an experience they have had working with you.
7) Write a Recommendation for Someone Else
Give recommendations for other people, but do not expect to always receive one back ( and don’t feel insulted if the person doesn’t
recommend you as well.)
“If you Aren’t on
linkedIn, you
very nearly
don’t exist.”
-- Jenny Foss, TheMuse.com writer, career
strategist, and author of the popular
career blog JobJenny.com
8) Strengthen Your Summary Section
Make sure to include noteworthy information: A bulleted list of your areas of
expertise can be helpful for people scanning your profile. What sets you apart
from other candidates in your field? What special skills or knowledge do you
possess that will benefit potential employers?
9) Ask or Answer a Question, or Post Information
If you are member of groups, you can post a question for discussion, share
information, or comment on a post. By doing this once or twice a week, you will
raise your visibility (to employers and recruiters). Remember, if you post a
question or comment, make sure your comments are relevant, positive, and
accurate and that there are no typos or misspelled words.
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