Why LinkedIn?

Yes, you should have a LinkedIn profile.

Some things you can do on LinkedIn:

  1. Develop and practice your professional identity.
  2. Explore the career directions of people like you.
  3. Find people to contact for informational interviews/networking.

Develop and Practice Your Professional Identity.

A LinkedIn profile is the ticket of entry to successful LinkedIn interactions. At a minimum, you should have

  • a photo (if not a professional headshot, a well-lit head-and-shoulders image of you in office-appropriate clothes)
  • a headline that conveys your skills, interests, or aspirations: NOT “Student at UIUC” or “[Fill in the blank] major at UIUC” or “Freshman/sophomore/junior/senior at UIUC”
  • some entries in the “Experience” and “Education” sections of your profile (that’s where you can put your major and expected graduation date).

This information in your profile means that when you click on someone’s profile, and they look to see who is seeking them out, they will find some information about you (which is more interesting – and less creepy -- than an empty profile).

Beyond that concern, though, your LinkedIn profile is a place to “try on” different versions of the professional you are becoming. “Sorority recruitment whiz looking for entry-level HR roles,” “Passionate advocate for animal rights and talented communicator,” “Aspiring biochemistry researcher.” Experiment with different ways of presenting your skills, leadership roles, and career goals – you can keep changing it as you interests develop.

You probably have more ways of defining yourself than can fit in the headline. The “About” section allows you to provide more detail and to drop in skills and other keywords. As you fill out the “Experience” section, think about the story you are telling about your intellectual and professional growth (both in your major and in your other experiences).

Explore the career directions of people like you  

Once you have some information on your profile, you can start exploring. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has its own LinkedIn page where you will find a tab labelled “Alumni.” Clicking that tab opens a wonky but functional database of all 350k+ people on LinkedIn who have some kind of U of I connection. By playing with the search bar and the present filters, you can identify alumni who  

  • Graduated from your major
  • Work in a field that interests you
  • Are building a career out of skills like yours
  • Have a job title you aspire to.

Find people to contact for informational interviews/networking

Illuminating as it is to scroll through profiles, talking to the real people behind them is even better. The LinkedIn platform makes it easy to include a message with a “Connection” request, which gives you an opportunity to introduce yourself and ask for a conversation, the opportunity to learn more about what they do, how they got started on their career path, what they like/don’t like about it, what advice they have for you. The official term for these conversations is “informational interview,” but people also call it ”getting coffee” or “talking on the phone.” Some key points about crafting these messages:

  • Keep it brief! LinkedIn doesn’t give you a lot of room (no more than 3 – 5 sentences).
  • Establish some meaningful point of connection: your shared major, your curiosity, an RSO involvement related to their profession (e.g., “I’m active in APO, like you were in college, and I’d like to turn my commitment to service into a career.”)
  • Explain why you are reaching out to them. What do you hope to learn from a conversation that you can’t learn by Googling? (e.g., “I’d like to learn more about how you got started working for organizations that address food insecurity.”)
  • Ask for a conversation (e.g., “Would you be available for a 20-minute phone call on Wednesday or Thursday this week?”) It may feel odd to be so directive when you are asking someone a favor, but it takes the burden off them to come up with a date/time/modality, and it begins the conversation about when and how to meet.

Finding people on LinkedIn, and then connecting with them both on and off the platform, is how you can start building your own professional networks, while you develop your own professional identity.

 

For more ideas on navigating your future career path, visit our LAS Career Services Blog. 

By Kirstin Wilcox, Director of LAS Career Services