Recently I had lunch with a friend whose son is a high school student, soon on his way to becoming a college student. This friend and I have had many conversations regarding LinkedIn and she has encouraged her son to initiate a profile there as well. It’s never too soon (or too late) to develop a LinkedIn profile and unless you will never work a day in your life: as a volunteer or for a paycheck. Virtually everyone should have one.
Back to my friend now, who is eager to get her son started on his profile. She lamented over the lack of apparent resources available to students on LinkedIn. While LinkedIn is a powerful networking database and information tool, the platform struggles on a variety of levels with self promotion. Some of its tools have already been laid to rest due to lack of interest from LinkedIn members – namely, I’d wager, because members can’t find said tools in the first place.
The same holds true for student resources on LinkedIn. A number of great resources are available to help students navigate their way through LinkedIn. Some are available on LinkedIn itself; other online resources are found elsewhere. Although several great resources actually reside on LinkedIn, you have to know where to find them:
The LinkedIn Student Jobs Portal
This is an actual job search database chock full of listings with internships and job openings for recent grads.
Written by the Staff at LinkedIn, this blog presents diverse topics that may be of interest to students. It isn’t updated terribly frequently, but the content is still fresh and relevant.
LinkedIn University: Tips for Building a Great Student LinkedIn Profile
Short and concise tips for your student LinkedIn novice!
And for those who prefer a more visual approach, there’s always YouTube!
LinkedIn Grad Guides
This series of short (less than 5 minutes in length each) videos presents useful information designed to get your student’s profile in top-notch form.
Good luck!