Unlocking LinkedIn to It’s Fullest Potential

Hello Everyone!

I am so excited that we are going to have a few days off for Thanksgiving! This break is well deserved for everyone, WPI and B term can be so stressful; all the classwork, projects, and the weird changes in weather. During this break, I suggest you rest a lot, eat a lot, and also start looking for jobs/internships. It’s never too early to start looking for those and with the tips I will give you, it might even be fun.

First off, I would say if you haven’t read my first LinkedIn blog, you should do that: LinkedIn Part 1 ! (Don’t look at the date because that is incorrect)

Now you are ready to read the rest of this, few tips for LinkedIn:

1] Build your LinkedIn profile before your job search begins – When I say build, I mean it; make sure you put as much information as possible (Education, Projects, Experience, etc). LinkedIn doesn’t have to be 1 page like your resume, so feel free to add a better and more elaborate description. Please make sure you do this, it makes life so much easier. Sometimes you can even apply with your LinkedIn for jobs that are posted on Employer websites.

2] Update your profile regularly – Just like a resume, make sure you add any new information on to your LinkedIn as well.

3] Connect with people – The way LinkedIn works is by connecting with new people, you increase your network, allowing you to find contacts in your field of interest.

4] Ask for recommendations – Once you have worked at a company, ask your supervisor if he/she can write you a recommendation. On LinkedIn, these can go a long way because a potential hiring manager will be able to see not only what you accomplished, but how well you did it, based on the recommendation.

After you have completed the above steps, here is the best way to actually use LinkedIn to find jobs. More and more companies and employers have started using LinkedIn to find potential candidates for internships and full time positions. One of the ways you can find some of the jobs are by following the companies that you are interested in. Once you do so, you will see any job openings that they post of LinkedIn.

Another way to look for job openings is by clicking on the Job tab, right under the search bar. You can search for jobs based on title (ex: Intern or full time), keywords (ex: your major), and by company name. When you do, you will see that so many opportunities come up, that it can take a long time to look through all (but you really should!). So a way to save some time is by going into advanced search and then selecting the location you would like to work at, and/or the industry. If you are not sure, keep those blank and this way you will get even more options in your results.

Once again, Happy Thanksgiving everyone and happy job hunting! Thank you for reading and until next week,

– Omesh