A LinkedIn Primer for New Graduates

You have graduated (or are about to graduate) from college, and are hunting for a job. You already know that you need to create a professional profile in LinkedIn. Unfortunately, you don’t have much of a meaningful professional life to describe, yet. Nevertheless, you need to proceed with the task. Think of your LinkedIn profile as a work in progress – continuously. It’s crucial to keep your information fresh and up to date. But you need to start somewhere. Here are some tips:

1. YOUR NAME: Everyone searching for you or connecting with you will use this information. If you have always been known by a shortened version of your first name (e.g. Tim vs. Timothy), you should continue use that name. On a Search, LinkedIn knows enough to return Timothy for Tim, William for Bill, Richard for Rick. (Note that it doesn’t seem quite as smart in regard to shortened versions of women’s names, e.g. it did not list Kaitlyn for Kate.) If you have a very common name, you will need to provide other information in your profile to facilitate an Advanced Search, such as your Alma Mater and your Location.

2. YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS: Not only will you use your email address to logon to LinkedIn, but your email address will be visible to all of your LinkedIn connections. It will also be used to notify you of important LinkedIn updates (including requests to connect and incoming messages). Many students have been using a university-provided email account. If you are about to graduate, you may need to create a new email address for yourself. Using gmail is a good, free option. Make your email address moniker a version of your name, so that people can easily recognize it as yours.

3. PHOTO OR NO PHOTO: Having a photo on your LinkedIn account is optional, but I believe that it is beneficial. However, a bad photo is worse than no photo. Change out of your T-shirt, put on a shirt with a collar and/or a jacket, and have a friend take a decent head shot of you for your profile.

4. YOUR AVAILABILITY: Your profile should include your graduation date and a statement regarding your availability – both in terms of timing and location. For example: “Available for employment immediately after June 2012 graduation. Currently living in Chicago, IL, but open to relocation anywhere in the continental U.S.”

5. CRAFTING THE SUMMARY: Tell us what you have studied, what your degree is in, and how you hope to apply your education (what kind of job you hope to find). This isn’t a resume. You can be a little creative here and give us a glimpse of your personality.

6. YOU DO HAVE EXPERIENCE!: A big part of your LinkedIn profile is the enumeration of your experience. You may require some help thinking about this from the perspective of a potential employer. It’s certainly easier to detail the experience you gained from an internship related to your field of study than it is to find the relevance in other types of summer jobs, but you can always focus on the responsibilities with which you were entrusted and the skills you gained. If you closed up a pizza joint after the manager went home, you were entrusted with the security of the premises and the cash register – AKA “Management Experience”. If you were a camp counselor, you were entrusted with the development and safety of children – AKA “Mentoring”.

7. RECOMMENDATIONS: You need several professional recommendations on your profile. Tap your connections while they are current! If you have had an internship, as for a recommendation from your Supervisor(s). Consider approaching other past employers and professors as well. For more tips, read my April 2010 blog on Collecting Recommendations.

8. HELP US RELATE: LinkedIn Profiles can be very dry and technical. Your profile will most likely be viewed by related professionals who understand your field, and by Human Resources professionals and other acquaintances who do not. The wording and terminology you use needs to generate universal interest. If you are in a technical field, use of specific terms may be necessary – but you also need to offer a translation for people who don’t know the lingo, so they can relate to your skills and experience in some way.

9. WELL-ROUNDED: Something prospective employers consider is whether you will “fit in” to their team and work environment. Give them a glimpse into who you are by adding a little information about your interests and extracurricular activities. LinkedIn also allows you to add a “Reading List by Amazon”. Use this if you are reading books that highlight your interest in continued learning and professional growth.

10. START CONNECTING: Send out invitations to connect to past employers, fellow students, friends, relatives, etc. The real value in LinkedIn is your network. You’ll be surprised how quickly it expands once you get started.

Once you have a draft of your LinkedIn profile – ask trusted, experienced professionals that you know to review it and give you feedback. Make changes. Look at other people’s profiles and adopt good ideas for your own use. A healthy majority of employers now search social websites to research job candidates. You can make a good impression by having a well-developed LinkedIn profile.

Other recommended reading:
Advice for Newly Hired Graduates
10 Ways to Screw-Up Your LinkedIn Presence
10 More Ways to Screw-Up Your LinkedIn Presence
Are you Purposefully Positioning Your Online Identity?

Advice for Newly Hired Graduates

You have just graduated from college and are fortunate enough to have landed a job to start your career. It’s an exciting time that you may find a little daunting. Your friends, family, and new co-workers will have plenty of advice to share. I have some of my own. Although I recently retired from the corporate career I enjoyed for almost 30 years, I clearly remember my start in 1980. My advice is offered from the perspective of experience and having learned some lessons the hard way. You will have to do the same – but that doesn’t prevent me from wanting to share anyway. When you first start your job, be humble. You are not much more than potential to your employer at this point. You need to prove yourself, and it will take a while. Everything you do and say right now is a building block toward a reputation that you want to serve you well. The basics still matter. Be on time for work in the morning – even if others aren’t. Don’t be the first to scurry out the door at the end of the day. Dress professionally and neatly (within dress code standards), and always be well groomed. Take time to develop relationships you can trust. No one is your friend on your first day. I know, it sounds paranoid. I’m just saying be discreet with personal information you share, until you get the lay of the land. Minimize how much your personal life encroaches on your work life in your first weeks/months of employment. You don’t want to be perceived as constantly having to deal with car problems, doctor appointments, etc. Be reliable. Focus your efforts, work hard and smart, volunteer when people need help, and ask for advice when you need direction. Good work is always eventually recognized by competent management. Take responsibility for your work – the good, the bad and the ugly. Trust me, you will make mistakes. People will respect you for how you recover from them. When you succeed, accept accolades gracefully and share the credit vociferously with people who helped and supported you. Have realistic expectations about advancement. Over the years, I never asked when I would be promoted. However, there were many times I asked for more responsibility and more work. Later in my career, on several occasions, I pitched a position that would fulfill a need and proposed myself as the person to fill the role. Promotions came naturally, every 2 to 4 years. You can take the initiative to move your career along – but remember that the needs of the organization will always outweigh your personal desires. Finally – keep growing. Constantly strive for new learning to expand your skills, even if you have to do it on your own time. Business is always growing and changing. You need to be doing the same to stay competitive. The moment you think you have arrived and start relaxing, you start losing ground. Readers: What advice would you give to graduates just entering the work force? Please submit your thoughts as a comment to this blog.