|
Remember way back in the second week of CDI 101 when you had to make a LinkedIn profile? Well, if you haven’t been active recently, get ready to dust off that password! LinkedIn can be your ticket into your dream internship or avenue to perfecting your network. Though it is important to keep connecting with others, it is equally important to continuously update your profile with relevant content through posts. But what exactly should you post? Here are a few tips to help you catch any employer’s attention.
- Link to an Interesting Article
There are thousands of blogs, newspapers, websites, podcasts and other sources that are full of interesting, industry or career related articles. Whenever you come across one that captures your attention, be sure to share it with others on LinkedIn. TheMuse suggests that before just posting just the link, be sure to add a quote that you find compelling and include it before the link, as it adds a level of interest and opinion to complement the article. If you want to go a step further, write a sentence or two reflecting on what you learned from the article or your perspective on the topic. This shows employers that you seek knowledge outside of the classroom, a valuable quality for everyone (and a trait of the Learner Talent Theme).
- Include a Summary of a Completed Class Project
Since you are still in college taking courses to further your education, it is advantageous to share insight from your course or relevant projects on LinkedIn. Some great examples of this is the analysis of an annual report in a finance class, an excerpt from a group project report, interesting research papers or even samples of design work for a project. You don’t want all of your hard work, time, and effort to go to waste so share it on your LinkedIn for others to appreciate all of your academic accomplishments, both big and small! Just make sure that each is authentic, noteworthy and credited to others that worked on it as well. Academic work can be used for more than just getting a good grade!
- Input on a Current Event
Keeping up with current events around the world has never been easier. As business students, current events are incredibly important to be aware of. Update your profile with your two cents on a political issue, social development, economic change, global scandal or anything else happening in the world today. A helpful tip is to focus on pulling information from an industry that interests you or one that complements your field of study. Make sure that your information is accurate and from a credible source! Also don’t neglect events occurring in other countries, employers love to see a student who is globally engaged!
Share a Ted Talk
Ted Talks are one of my new favorite sources of information. They cover topics spanning from business to technology to design to entertainment and more. Each speech is unique and offers an authentic idea and perspective, leaving them equally as entertaining as they are informative. If you come across one that captures your interest be sure to share it on LinkedIn for others to see! Similar to linking an article, add your take on the speech and maybe even an engaging quote!
Keeping active on your posts will not only add content to your profile but it will also give you added credibility. It will inform your followers that you are staying educated on certain topics and engaged in current events. This quality alone is extremely attractive to potential employers. If you want to read more on a variety of posts be sure to browse TheMuse and Vault for other ideas like these ones! So, the next time you go on your LinkedIn be sure to update it with a post!
Bonus tip from Caroline Gervais (’19, IDCC), another blogger extraordinaire! She says that another great source for content, specifically those that are career-related, is the career services website. If you head to the blog section of CareerEdge, you can peruse our vast catalog of advice, how-to’s and expert advice. Blogs are posted daily by students like Caroline (as well as our experienced Career Advisors) and cover a wide range of topics–thus, you never know what you might stumble upon! Once you find some posts that you like, be sure to share that content with your fellow students and employers–you never know what might spark a connection or conversation. Plus, our insight will be put to good use!
