LinkedIn:
Building Your Network
STUDENT UNION OFFICE 2031 | [email protected] | (239) 304-7228
LinkedIn
LinkedIn.com is considered the Facebook for professionals and is an expanded and interactive version of
your resume as well as a visual demonstration of your network. Your profile can include information
about your education, past volunteer, extracurricular and athletic activities, work and internship
experiences and professional skills. LinkedIn is also a networking tool that allows you to effectively
organize your network, collect endorsements and recommendations, and search for jobs or internships.
Why use LinkedIn?
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Showcase all your skills and experiences, including the stuff you can’t fit on a resume.
Find alumni and career experts, follow companies, and join groups.
Manage your connections and keep track of your communications.
Search for entry level jobs or internships at www.LinkedIn.com/StudentJobs.
Your LinkedIn profile will appear when you are “Googled.”
Formatting your Profile
According to LinkedIn, a 100% complete profile is 40 times more likely to turn up in searches.
Heading
 Defaults to your current (or latest) job title. If you are job seeking or are a student update this
to show your goal. For example: Aspiring Latin Instructor.
 As a student be descriptive. Instead of Ave Maria University Student say Dean’s List Ave Maria
University Accounting Student. And choose an industry that is related to your career goal.
Photo
 Optional but highly recommended.
 Needs to be a professional headshot. Do NOT include objects or others in the picture.
Websites
 Link to blogs or professional portfolios.
 Update the default label “Website” to something descriptive such as “Jane Doe Twitter.” When
viewing your profile, others will see these words and not the URL.
Skills
 Add professional skills to your profile. These are keywords from job descriptions and from
profiles of those in your desired industry.
 When editing your profile you can click on a skill to view LinkedIn’s page for that skill. This will
provide you with similar suggested skills as well as related trends, statistics, and profiles.
 You can receive endorsements for your skills. Skills will appear on your profile by the numbers
(most highly endorsed first and so on).
Summary
 Use this section to list your highlights and accomplishments. This is like a preview for the rest of
the profile so write it with impact and with an eye toward personal branding.
 A bulleted list may be optimal to promote readability.
Education
 List complete education information including GPA and Test Scores if exceptional.
 Include any awards, activities, major projects (such as a thesis) and relevant courses.
 Do NOT list every course you took. Stick to those most relevant to a potential career.
 As a current student you may want to list this section near the top of the profile.
Past Experiences
STUDENT UNION OFFICE 2031 | [email protected] | (239) 304-7228
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Include any past work or internship experience and any volunteer activities.
Activities, Organizations, and Projects can be added to past experiences or highlighted in their
own sections. LinkedIn is completely customizable.
General Tips
 LinkedIn is extremely customizable. You can reorder the sections on your profile via a drag and
drop. You should order your profile with the most important sections appearing at the top.
 Customize your public profile URL with your name so that you can include the link on your
resume. Example: linkedin.com/in/avestudent.
Networking
Connections
 Ideally, you will use LinkedIn to connect with only those that you actually know. Think broadly
here: classmates, professors, teammates, co-workers and supervisors (past and present), people
you know from church and volunteer activities.
 Connect to the AMU Career Services account to get started.
 Visit www.LinkedIn.com/Alumni to view Ave Maria affiliates. You should use this list to initially
begin to build your network on LinkedIn.
 Be diligent about following up and adding new people as you meet them.
Groups
 Join Ave Maria University Career Services and Ave Maria University Alumni networking groups
(linkedin.com/in/AMUCareerServices).
 Join other groups that are relevant to you. (Examples include networking groups in your local
area and major industry groups such as the Society for Human Resource Managers for Human
Resources.)
 Follow companies of interest and connect with hiring managers.
 Use groups for making new connections and keeping up on industry and company news. Share
relevant articles or jobs in groups to increase your visibility.
Communications
 Use LinkedIn contacts to keep notes for yourself and records of past interactions. Like and
congratulate connections on career milestones and share relevant articles and content within
your industry. The more you contribute the more you will get back.
 Customize your interactions. LinkedIn will provide default text for inviting connections but you
should personalize this request. Many will not accept your connection without a personal note.
 Request recommendations for past positions. Having one or two recommendations highlights
your strengths and offers external validation of a job well done. Employers may view your
LinkedIn profile as part of their evaluation of you as a potential employee.
Additional Resources
The features on LinkedIn are constantly evolving. Ave Maria Career Services frequently links to articles
explaining new features and the best ways to leverage the system during a job search.
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Facebook.com/AMUCareerServices
@AMUCareers
LinkedIn.com/in/AMUCareerServices
Career Counselors are also happy to review your LinkedIn profile and offer suggestions for
improvement.
STUDENT UNION OFFICE 2031 | [email protected] | (239) 304-7228