LinkedIn, the professional networking site, is an invaluable resource for graduates looking to kickstart their careers. Whether you’re searching for your first role, trying to secure interviews or looking for new connections, LinkedIn can help you get there. Just take a look at some of the stats:
- Almost 1 billion members (35 million of whom are in the UK)
- More than 10% of the global population has a LinkedIn account
- LinkedIn users aged 18-24 make up 20.4% of the social platform’s total users
- 95 job seekers apply for a job on LinkedIn every second
- 6 people are hired on LinkedIn every minute
But how do you harness all this power as a new graduate?
How to harness the power of LinkedIn & secure your first role
1. Understand how recruiters use LinkedIn
If you’re hoping to secure your next role through LinkedIn, it helps to understand how recruiters use the platform to find candidates for entry-level positions.
Typically, they’ll look for emerging talent in relevant industry groups, checking to see who is recommending and endorsing people and searching for candidates with profiles that match their requirements. They might even use Google to search for public profiles.
Knowing this means you can tailor your LinkedIn account to appear in these searches. Show up to conversations by joining industry groups related to your field of study. You should also endorse and recommend your peers (and ask them to do the same for you) and make sure your profile is set to public so it can be found in a Google search.
2. Optimise your LinkedIn profile
Much has been written about how to make your LinkedIn profile stand out, but there are a few key points that, as a graduate, you should stay laser-focussed on:
- Use a professional headshot – no selfies or pictures with your friends; this is your chance to make a strong first impression
- Write a targeted headline – what makes you stand out as a graduate? Highlight your degree, skills and aspirations
- Maximise the profile summary section – remember that only the first two lines of your summary show up in search results, so use this space to highlight your strengths and career goals, making sure to target key search terms recruiters might be using
- Add a little personality – while your profile should be professional, recruiters also prioritise culture fit, so show a glimpse of who you are beyond the list of skills
- Make sure to set your profile to #opentowork so recruiters know that you’re actively seeking a new role
If you need help optimising your LinkedIn profile, check out our LinkedIn profile writing service and discover how City CV can help you build influence, boost credibility and open doors as a new face in the market.
3. Manage your skills & endorsements section
Recruiters look at this section to verify the skills you’ve listed on your profile. If you have endorsements from peers, professors or internship supervisors, it sends a really positive signal – so don’t be shy in reaching out to your network to ask for endorsements that highlight your key competencies.
Once you have a number of endorsements, you can reorder them so that the most important or relevant ones show up first.
On the flip side, it’s just as important to endorse others. This activity shows up on your profile and reflects positively on you by highlighting how you support your network as well as how wide your network is.
4. Get active
Having an outstanding profile and a list of endorsements is great, but staying active on LinkedIn is key to keeping your profile visible to recruiters. It’s all about consistency.
As a graduate, this means writing posts about your field of study, your insights on industry trends or even your experiences transitioning from university to the job market. Join and actively participate in relevant groups, comment on and share others’ posts and continuously grow your network so that you start getting your name out there.
5. Build your network
LinkedIn’s power lies in its people – who you connect with and how you network can make a real difference in launching your career.
This isn’t just about making new connections; it’s also about nurturing those relationships and being helpful to others in your network. You never know where a new connection will take you – so contribute to conversations, share advice or tips you’ve learned from your studies or past placements, and add value where you can.
Yes, it might feel a little daunting, and dare we say uncomfortable, but just remember that no one is secretly judging you from behind their screen – on the contrary, they’re probably interested to hear a different perspective from a new voice. Try treating your LinkedIn feed like a networking event and you’ll soon get the hang of it. With practice, you’ll position yourself as authentic, trustworthy and an emerging expert with tons of promise.
Need some extra support to make it happen? Try City CV’s Graduate Programme, where an industry expert will guide you through your job search and application and on how to craft a highly effective CV, LinkedIn profile and graduate cover letter – a key part of the application process, and essential to get right.
Call +44 207 100 6656 or email enquiries@citycv.com to chat to our team about your career goals and learn more.