Many websites don’t provide detailed information about LinkedIn for students. LinkedIn, a social networking site, can be used for networking, job search, and career development.

Professionals and students can connect with others in their field through LinkedIn. A student should create a LinkedIn profile because it is an important tool for networking and building connections with professionals.

In addition to researching companies and industries, LinkedIn can also be used to find employment opportunities. Creating a LinkedIn profile is a good way to develop a professional online presence.

We will discuss why LinkedIn is important for students, how to create a LinkedIn profile, how to use LinkedIn for networking, and how to find employment.

LinkedIn For Students: 7 Reasons To Join

There might be several reasons to join LinkedIn, but here are the seven most important reasons for students to join LinkedIn.

1. Establish A Professional Identity

By using LinkedIn, you can advance your career. It would be best to consider your LinkedIn profile a professional brand you wish to share with the world.

When you transition from a student to a professional, your LinkedIn profile serves as an identity for employers, universities, colleagues, and individuals you wish to remain in touch with. 

2. Become More Visible

When prospective employers search for you on LinkedIn, they must find your LinkedIn profile.

Here you have the opportunity to showcase your knowledge and insights and get noticed in front of 830 million professionals, including classmates, recruiters, and future employers.

3. Linkedin Profile As Your Resume

It is still important to submit a resume when applying for a job. LinkedIn, however, has changed the landscape a bit.

You use your resume to show potential employers what you have accomplished in your career, but it doesn’t always give a true picture of who you are as a professional.

 LinkedIn is a valuable tool for supplementing your resume and giving potential employers a more well-rounded view of your skills and experience. 

4. Get Recommendations And Endorsements

LinkedIn provides an option to request endorsements from your tutors and classmates. Ask them to give details about the qualities and expertise that support your career goals.

Individuals with the greatest number of recommendations are more likely to attract employers’ attention. Don’t be afraid to increase your employability.

5. Find Out More About The Company

A valuable resource when considering a new company is LinkedIn, which provides insights into a company’s culture, values, and business operations.

The first step is to search for the company name on LinkedIn. You can explore the company’s profile to learn more about its mission and vision.

You can also review recent news articles about the company to understand its current direction. Furthermore, LinkedIn lets you see how your network is connected to the company.

Companies often post press releases and other news on their LinkedIn profiles, which can serve as a conversation starter and credibility booster during an interview.

6. Linkedin To Connect With College Alumni

You should be a member of LinkedIn to connect with the vast network of people you already have something in common. Here are some alumni from your college who would be happy to provide career advice to a student like you.

In most cases, these are difficult-to-reach individuals, but thanks to LinkedIn, they are just a message away.

7. Apply For Jobs Via Linkedin

Employers are now going one step further than asking for your LinkedIn profile instead of your resume and requiring you to apply through LinkedIn.

LinkedIn is a popular tool for connecting with industry professionals and searching for open positions. 

Some recruiters may even ask you to submit your LinkedIn profile instead of your traditional resume. Due to this reality, you should ensure a quality LinkedIn profile before applying for a position. 

How To Create Your LinkedIn Profile (9 Steps)

Let’s start with the part most students have difficulty with: creating a LinkedIn profile. Create a high-quality LinkedIn profile that will impress recruiters.

I’ll guide you on how to make your LinkedIn profile step by step. Go to the official website of LinkedIn. By clicking the link, you’ll land on the following page. Click on Join now.

After clicking on Join now, It’ll redirect you to the following page, where you’ll put your email and password to set up your account. After filling in the information, click on “Agree & Join.” A six-character password is recommended.

After clicking on the “Agree & Join” button, it will take you to the following page. Here you’ll provide your first name and last name. After that, you will click on the button “Continue.”

After clicking the “Continue” button, you’ll see a security check you need to verify.

Once you have successfully verified, you will be directed to the following page, where you must provide information about your country and city. After providing your information. Click on “Next.”

After providing this basic information, you will receive a link to verify your email address.

You will receive a verification code or link to verify your email address. Once you have verified, you will be asked to enter your contact information. Here you can verify your phone number. You also have an option to skip this step right now, but you can verify it later.

You will then be taken to the news feed of your LinkedIn profile. And you’re all set. You can start using your profile.

1. Profile Setup

LinkedIn is an incredibly useful tool for people looking for career opportunities. It lets you connect with companies, recruiters, and people you have worked with or are interested in connecting with.

So you need to create a strong profile to be hired as soon as possible. The first step in creating a profile is to use a professional picture for your profile.

2. Profile Picture

Your LinkedIn profile picture is vital for communicating your brand and professional identity. A picture is worth a thousand words, and it’s how you will be initially judged in an online professional network.

Your LinkedIn picture will leave an awesome first impression on potential clients or employers. Whereas inappropriate, poor quality or outdated pictures will leave a negative impression on your employers.

To add your profile picture, click on this camera icon, as shown in the image below.

You do not have to be a professional photographer to upload a decent picture. Don’t worry, just place your picture which represents you.

3. Write Your Intro

Once you have your profile picture, you can create your LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn will guide you through this process.

You should fill out the intro section when you first create your profile. The first thing people see when they visit your profile is this. You should dedicate the majority of your initial setup time to this section. After that, you are free to add additional details as needed.

You can access the intro section by clicking the little pencil icon next to your profile.

After clicking on this pencil icon, it will take you to the next page, where you can place your information like First name, Last name, Current position, Education, Location and contact info, etc. You’ll have to fill all boxes marked with an asterisk (*).

4. Headline

You can use this field to provide a very short description of what you are looking for. Without this, LinkedIn will automatically use your current job title and employer.

Although this can be acceptable, leaving it on default does not provide you with the opportunity to make a compelling first impression. There are 120 characters available to you, so make the most of them.

If you spend a little time writing a headline that is more specific than the default, your resume will stand out among all the other students with basic jobs and internships.

After completing the basic information about the job, you should write a description of the position.

As with your resume, this should include more than just your responsibilities but also what you have accomplished and achieved. That’s what future employers are looking for.

Ensure that if you include your email address, your privacy settings are set so that only 1st-degree connections can view it. Select “1st-degree connections” under “Who can see your email address” on the Privacy Settings page.

5. Write A Compelling Summary

Your LinkedIn profile summary is an excellent opportunity to tell potential clients and employers a bit more about yourself, your experience, and why they should work with you.

It is crucial to make an excellent first impression. With that in mind, you must write a stand-out summary. With a few tweaks, your summary can set you apart from other people looking for the same opportunities.

6. Write Your Skills

In the Skills section of your profile, you can add and remove skills. Maintaining a relevant list of skills on your profile will help others understand your strengths and match you with relevant opportunities. 

A skill does not refer to something you learned once or practiced for a few minutes. For example, a skill like writing 10-15 words per minute does not need to be mentioned. Up to 50 skills can be listed on LinkedIn, but you do not have to list them all. 

To add a skill to your profile, click the “Add profile section” and select the “Add skills” tab.

7. Experience

Now is the time to add your experience. Perhaps you are thinking, “But I do not have any experience. Still in college.”. Chances are, you have something to offer.

Many students are intimidated by this section and believe they need a dozen positions with impressive titles. However, this is simply not true. Don’t feel like you have to sound older or more accomplished than you are.

You might want to include something impressive you’ve done, such as internships at high-profile companies or starting your own business, include in your Experience section. 

8. Setting Up Your Custom URL

Using this method, you can optimize your LinkedIn profile to appear at the top of search results when some search for you.

This will not always be possible, especially if you have a common name such as “Usman” or “Ali,” However, even if the URL for your name is already taken, you can still customize your URL to be more memorable. 

To customize your LinkedIn profile URL, go to your LinkedIn page and click on “Edit public profile & URL,” as shown in the image.

9. Add Additional Profile Sections

Congratulations on reaching this point. You are almost finished creating your profile. Before you complete it, however, you should complete a few more sections.

These sections are not essential, but they can be a useful addition to your profile. You can see these sections in the image below.

The profile you’ve set up is up for now, but you’ll need to update it regularly to reflect your life changes and events.

Use LinkedIn To Find Jobs And Internships

LinkedIn is an incredibly powerful tool that can be used to find new jobs and other types of opportunities. Unfortunately, many people struggle to get the most out of LinkedIn and aren’t getting the desired results.

There are many ways you can use LinkedIn to find professional opportunities. Here are a few ways you can use LinkedIn to find employment or internship opportunities.

1. LinkedIn Jobs

The first step is to visit LinkedIn Jobs. By default, this page displays jobs for which LinkedIn thinks you might be qualified based on your listed experience, skills, and interests.

The recommendations are not always perfect, but they are a good place to start and can help you understand the companies available. You can also apply some filters to find perfect jobs for you.

2. Make Contact With Key Employees

You may be able to use LinkedIn to reach out to anyone associated with the organization if you are applying for an opportunity you learned about on a job board.

There is no need to contact the person in charge of hiring (although that would be ideal) but rather look for someone you know who knows someone within the organization.

Whenever you come across someone, ask them to introduce you. Most of the time, they will be more than happy to do so, especially if you mention that you are a student.

3. Identify And Create Opportunities For Yourself

After establishing some connections, you can contact them directly to ask if the person’s company is hiring interns for the summer. Just be sure to inquire well in advance.

Using this method, You may be able to find job and internship opportunities that are not advertised on job boards.

Final Words

When looking for a job, your LinkedIn profile is one of the most important tools. Here we have provided a comprehensive guide about LinkedIn for students. All students should take advantage of the site and ensure their profiles are as complete as possible. 

By putting time into completing a professional profile and joining groups that fit your needs and goals, you are putting yourself ahead of other potential candidates. It’s not something to ignore or put off if you can avoid it.

We appreciate you taking the time to read this guide, and we hope you’ll put what you’ve learned into practice! Once you start setting up your profile, the rewards can be endless.

Not only will you provide yourself with an easier way to find jobs and internships, but you’ll also have a strong online presence that your future employers and colleagues can use to learn more about you.

You should ensure that your profile is properly set up and allow plenty of time for your connections to help you gain valuable experience establishing a strong online presence.