LinkedIn – It’s never too early to start thinking like a professional

There’s a perception that LinkedIn is a graduate activity but did you know you can find a lot of value in having a LinkedIn profile when you first start studying.  It’s a great tool to complement your job search strategies.  Here are some of the benefits from having a LinkedIn profile.

Access jobs by your target employers

Did you know that employers are actively using LinkedIn as part of their recruitment processes as well? Over 30 percent of jobs are also advertised via LinkedIn.  An effectively written summary and headline will see you potentially appear in the searches of organisations in your chosen field. 

Research individuals and organisations

Consider LinkedIn as a key research tool in your career development activities.  Not only can you find out about opportunities within organisations, but you can keep up to date about changes within the organisations you target, key events and news and also research other peoples’ career paths and use LinkedIn to research where others who have completed your course have ended up working.   Based upon your headline, summary and your employment history and qualifications, you may appear as in organisational jobs searches. 

Grow your networks!

Build your networks in the industry – think of others in your year/course, colleagues from placements or WIL experiences, members of professional associations and academics as great sources of knowledge as your develop your career.

Need further assistance in setting your LinkedIn up? Attend one of our Career Ready workshops on LinkedIn to get the basics. You can book into this event via CareerHub