LinkedIn's mission is to connect the world's professionals to make them more productive and successful. There are currently over 1 billion users in more than 200 countries worldwide including around 48,000 active Loyola Alumni. It is important to have a presence on LinkedIn as 97% of recruiters report using it to find job candidates.
Creating Your Profile
Your profile on LinkedIn is more than a digital resume. It conveys your personal brand, can be used to showcase your work, and is a way to differentiate yourself from others in your field. Entry level professionals can double their chances of getting a callback when they have a comprehensive profile.
Photo
You should always include a photo on your profile. The Rizzo Career Center will take a professional headshot if you need one. Log in to Handshake to see upcoming events where we will be taking photos or schedule an individual appointment.
The banner photo on your page can be used to showcase your industry or passion. Loyola offers banner photos of campus you can utilize as well.
Headline
This is the most important aspect of your profile as it always shows with your name. It is your chance to claim your expertise so don't waste it simply saying "student." Include a bit of who you are, what you offer, and what you're looking for. There is no one right way or formula, but consider any or all of the following tips to see what feels authentic for you:
- Use keywords you want to be known for to show up in those searches
- If you have had an internship in the field you want, you can include that
- Make it future oriented - where do you hope to be? what is your next step? what are you looking for?
- Mention any relevant skills you have acquired from courses or internships
- Highlight your personal brand and what makes you unique
EXAMPLES
- Mechanical Engineering student | Aspiring Product Designer | Skilled at prototyping
- Business grad excited to dive into sales and cultivate customer relationships
- Mental Health Advocate | Psychology Student | Future Clinical Psychologist
- Policy Advocate in the Making: Political Science major with International Relations passion
- Results-Oriented Marketing Intern • Exploring the Intersection of Marketing and Technology
- Finance Student graduating at the top of my class with internships at Barclays and Goldman Sachs
- Passionate about Words | English student with creative writing skills | Seeking creative ventures
- Entry-level Advertising Creative | Class President | SuperConnector
About
When recruiters search LinkedIn, words in the "About" section carry extra weight. This should be forward thinking, not just a summary of what you have done so far. Be sure to include the keywords you want to be known for, future goals, and areas of passion. Think of this section as a bit of an "elevator pitch" to introduce a potential employer to you more holistically than a resume.
Experience
Once you have had your resume reviewed by the Career Center, you can add the same bullet points about your experiences here.
Skills
Focus on unique or industry specific skills. Edit the order they are listed because only two are displayed on your profile without having to click for the full list. Focus on specialized programs and skills for your target industries.
Additional options to maximize your profile
- Use the projects or featured section as a makeshift portfolio and an excellent way to showcase examples of your work.
- Volunteer experiences can often showcase professional skills and convey your involvement in the community.
- You can list organizations you were a member of in your Education section, but if you had leadership roles, it gives more prominence to instead use the organizations section.
- Edit the url of your profile (in the upper right hand corner) to have a more clean link for your resume.
- If you have a website or GitHub, be sure to include the link.
The Career Center can provide feedback on your LinkedIn profile and show you ways to use the platform effectively for your goals. Schedule an appointment through Handshake for assistance.
Building Connections
It is important to connect with everyone you know who is on LinkedIn - think broadly about friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, professors, anyone! Having your base network built up will allow you to see when you have a mutual connection to someone and could possibly get a "warm" introduction.
When reaching out "cold" on LinkedIn, it is critical to always add a personalized note when sending a connection request. You have limited characters, but just enough to let them know why you want to connect is enough. Once you have connected with someone, you can then send a complete message.
One of the easiest ways to build your network is through the nearly 50,000 Loyola alumni on LinkedIn. You are able to search and filter to find out if someone works at a company where you are applying, what others with your major are doing now, and if there are any alumni in a new city if you plan to relocate. Having Loyola in common is a fantastic touchstone and we have seen numerous examples of Greyhound Nation rising to the challenge of supporting each other.
Maximize LinkedIn Features
Nearly every company, organization, and government agency has a profile on LinkedIn. You are able to follow those that you are interested in or are thoughtleaders in your industry. There is also the ability to set up a job alert for a company where you would like to work. Hint: recruiters can see who follows and has alerts set up. On the employer page, you can also click the People tab to see all of their employees on LinkedIn. This is a great way to find someone for an Informational Interview, connect with a recruiter, or see if you have common connections with anyone who works there.
The search bar can be a powerful tool. If you enter a job title, you can see job postings for that type of role, but it also shows people who have that title, groups related to the field, and posts about the topic. Engaging with and re-posting content shows you are actively involved in your field and put in effort to stay current. Who you follow, your groups, and companies are displayed on your profile and can demonstrate your engagement in your industry.
You can mark yourself as Open to Work, which is a good indicator for recruiters. Under your photo on your profile is a button to indicate what you are open for - select multiple job titles of interest, the location(s) where you are looking, and other key factors.
LinkedIn Learning
Current students, faculty, staff, and administrators have Free Premium Access to more than 20,000 courses and personalized recommendations through LinkedIn Learning.
LinkedIn Learning automatically adds skills learned and LinkedIn Learning course certifications directly to your LinkedIn profile.
Use your Loyola email address to activate your account.