“What is a LinkedIn profile anyway?” “I already have a resume, why do I need one?” I’m sure you have thought this at some point recently. But the truth is, LinkedIn is a very useful tool for job searching, making connections, and highlighting your skills and experiences for employers to see. By having a profile, you have access to over 300 million professionals!
On Monday, November 16th from 12 to 1pm, there will be a Keys To Success: LinkedIn workshop in Commons 331. This will be a great introduction to why a LinkedIn profile is a helpful tool for connecting and networking. It will also give you tips to not only build your profile, but how to also effectively use all of LinkedIn’s resources. There’s no registration needed for this workshop, so check your schedule and see if you can make it on Monday!
LinkedIn is a great way of establishing connections from your previous or current employers, classmates, advisors, faculty, and family/family friends. You can even look at all of the alumni from UMBC and see what people from your degree program have found a career in! Even if you don’t feel like you have a lot to put on LinkedIn right now, I think it’s a great idea to create a profile and fill it in the best you can. As you gain more experiences and connections, you’ll be able to keep filling in your profile more and more. I created mine when I was a sophomore in undergrad with only a couple of jobs and a few connections on my profile, but I kept adding on as I got new jobs and internships and made new connections. I now have 250 connections, many of which who have endorsed me for the skills I put on my profile, which will look very good if an employer looks at it. It wasn’t a lot of trouble to make this profile and I’m so glad I did. With that said, I highly recommend getting started on yours!
If you check the Career Center’s website, we have a very helpful page for creating a profile, connecting, and internship/job searching. You can find that page here. LinkedIn also has a lot of helpful videos and tip sheets on how to build your profile as well. You can check out their resources here. Once you’ve created your LinkedIn profile, you can also make an appointment at the Career Center to have a specialist look over your profile and give you feedback!
Another great benefit to having a LinkedIn profile is joining UMBC’s Alumni-Student Networking Group. This group aims to connect its network of active alumni to current UMBC students in support of career exploration, academic development, and professional connections. Each week on this group I’ll be posting discussion questions relating to job/internship searching and all of the aspects of those searches (interviews, resumes, company visits, professional etiquette). Not only can you get great advice and support from other alumni, but you can also make connections and give feedback of your own! You can join the group here.
