LinkedIn: From A Student To A Job-Seeker
“Networking is not about just connecting people. It's about connecting people with people, people with ideas, and people with opportunities. "
And this is just what LinkedIn does.
So, What Is LinkedIn And How Is It Different?
LinkedIn is a professional platform where you connect with prospective people, not because you want to chat with them for no reason at all, and not because you want to scroll through their photos.
On LinkedIn, you follow people for their ideals, for the opportunities they offer, and because you think their career is worth following.
It’s a place for job-seekers to connect with employers, and vice versa. It’s a place for students to lay the foundation for their dream institutions or organizations.
-This platform opens itself to newcomers in the job market, giving them the opportunity to widen their scope of employment opportunities.
-If you are a student pursuing a postgraduate degree, or an undergraduate, or even lower, LinkedIn offers you the chance to connect with your alumni or your peers, and gain one-on-one guidance while broadening your network.
While Facebook, Instagram, and other social platforms are frequently used for entertainment, LinkedIn is solely concerned with your career and the people who can assist you in furthering your career.
How To Use LinkedIn?
Setting Up Your Profile:
LinkedIn is more than enough to help you create a LinkedIn profile on its own.
Have a look- https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a554351/how-do-i-create-a-good-linkedin-profile-?lang=en
I’ll talk about two things they didn’t mention here-
Your Cover Photo:
Your profile picture should be a formal image of yourself, then what different should be the cover pic?
It should be something that shows who you are, like your biggest achievement, your biggest passion, your own organization or startup, your place of work, or even the college you go to.
It might even be something that keeps you going, maybe a quote that you strictly adhere to, a quote of someone you idolize.
For instance, the images I put up here, one displays one of her leading achievements, while the other has a view of his alma mater.
These represent the-The “Featured” extent of who they are, their dreams and pursuits.
The ‘Featured’ Section:
LinkedIn offers a ‘Featured’ section where you can exhibit your milestones and peak moments of success.
This section gives you a chance to show people the best side of you and to represent your career and experience in the finest way possible.
I would prefer a “resume” to be one of the most important things included here. After all, what can give others a better overview of you than something that documents your life as a whole?
Following the resume can be the accomplishments and moments you’d like to remember for the rest of your life; feats that make you a cut above the rest.
How To Connect With Others On LinkedIn?
Before connecting with others, you need to find the category of people you want to follow.
For example,
1) Let’s say you are a high schooler applying for undergraduate admissions at a college or university. No one can give you a better insight into the pros and cons of your desired college than an alumni of that very institution.
2) Again, suppose you are studying at ‘X’ university and you want to join your dream organization, ‘Y’, after your studies. Guidelines from someone working at ‘Y’ and from the same university as you will go a long way to help you in the long run. Or maybe, if everything goes perfectly, you might even get a recommendation from him/her!
So, How Does LinkedIn Make This Easy For You?
Let me search for the LinkedIn page of Dhaka University, for example.
I jump onto the alumni section and type in one of my ambitions, “Google.”
And voila!
Here they are, a whopping 459 alumni from Dhaka University working at Google. (The number might not be correct, but the ones you find will be more than enough.)
Now let’s move onto the next step, which is the last thing I’ll talk about today.
How Should You Approach Them?
Most of them might have premium LinkedIn versions, which will make it even harder for you to text them.
And why would they even accept a connection request from someone they know nothing about?
This is where LinkedIn’s personalized note feature comes in.
Many of us underestimate this feature, but this just might increase your chances of connecting with someone who might change your life.
Let me give an example of how I would approach someone.
I am currently studying at Notre Dame College and would do anything to get into Rice for my undergrad.
So here I am, leaving a note to an NDC alumni who’s studying at Rice:
Hey ‘X’!
I had a glance at your profile on LinkedIn and was amazed by the work you do at Rice University. Being an undergrad Rice aspirant from Notre Dame College, I’d love to get connected with an alumni such as you to help me on my journey, and in the meantime, get myself acquainted with a great human being!
The Bottom Line:
So this is me signing off, and if you still haven’t, go ahead and open up your LinkedIn account without any delay!
And start connecting, so that 10 years from now, you can look back on this ‘you of today’ and thank him/her for connecting with the person who went on to change your life.
