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LinkedIn - 10 Tips for Building a Great Profile

Write an informative profile headline.

  • Your headline is a short, memorable professional slogan. For example, "Honors student seeking marking position."
  • Check out the profiles of students and recent alums you admire for ideas.

Pick an appropriate photo.

  • LinkedIn isn't Facebook. Upload a high-quality photo (your profile will be 7x more likely to be viewed) of you alone, professionally dressed.
  • No party shots, cartoon avatars, or puppy pies!

Show off your education.

  • Include all your schools, major(s) and minor, courses, and study abroad or summer programs.
  • Don't be shy; LinkedIn is an appropriate place to show off your GPA, test scores, and honors or awards.

Update your status regularly.

  • Posting updates helps you stay on your network's radar and build your professional books or articles, or events you're attending. Many recruiters read your feed!

Claim your unique LinkedIn URL.

  • To increase the professional results that appear when people search for you online, set your LinkedIn profile to "public" and create a unique URL (e.g., linkedin.com/in/YourName/).

Collect diverse recommendations.

  • The best profiles have at least one recommendation for each position a person has held.
  • Recruiters are most impressed by recommendations from people who have directly managed.

Develop a professional summary.

  • Your summary statement is like the first few paragraphs of your best-written cover letter—concise and confident about your qualifications and goals.
  • Include relevant work and extracurriculars.

Share your work.

  • You can also add actual examples of your writing, design work, or other accomplishments on your profile, where you can share rich media or documents. What better way to sell your skills than to show employers exactly what you can produce?

Show your connectedness.

  • Groups you join appear at the bottom of your profile. Joining some shows that you want to engage in professional communities and learn the lingo.
  • Start with your university and industry groups.

LinkedIn Profile Checklist

  • PHOTO: It doesn't have to be fancy; use your cellphone camera in front of a plain background. Wear a nice shirt and don't forget to smile!
  • HEADLINE: Tell people what you're excited about now and what you want to do in the future.
  • SUMMARY: Describe what motivates you, what you're skilled at, and what's next.
  • EXPERIENCE: List the jobs you held, even if they were part-time, and what you accomplished at each. Even include photos and videos from your work.
  • ORGANIZATIONS: Have you joined any clubs at school or outside? Be sure to describe what you did with each organization.
  • EDUCATION: Starting with college, list all your educational experiences, including summer programs.
  • VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE AND CAUSES: Even if you weren't paid for a job, list it. Admissions officers and employers often see volunteer experience as just as valuable as paid work.
  • SKILLS AND EXPERTISE: Add at least five key skills – and then your connections can endorse you for the things you're best at.
  • HONORS AND AWARDS: If you earned a prize in or out of school, don't be shy. Let the world know about it!
  • COURSES: List the classes that show off the skills and interests you're most excited about.
  • PROJECTS: Whether you led a team assignment in school or built an app on your own, talk about what you did and how you did it.
  • RECOMMENDATIONS: Ask managers, professors, or classmates who've worked with closely to write a recommendation. This gives extra credibility to your strengths and skills.

Networking Guidelines to Follow:

  • Establish your goal before contacting anyone.
  • Make contact by initiating a conversation.
  • Develop a file to store all pertinent information.
  • Return the favor when others ask you for help.
  • Do your research so you are prepared.
  • Express appreciation after by a note or email.
  • Set goals for ongoing networking opportunities.
  • Remain open-minded, prepared, and persistent.

Networking Resources

  • Informational Interviewing and Job Shadowing Tips
  • Internship Success Tips
  • LinkedIn - 10 Tips for Building a Great Profile
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Penn State Behrend

Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, offers the learning opportunities of a major research university in a welcoming, student-centered campus environment.
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