The Advantages of LinkedIn for Graduates

Whether you are just starting your career, moving on to the next chapter, or have mastered it with years of experience, LinkedIn.com has become a platform for all ranges of people to interact. With over 400 million users in over 200 countries, LinkedIn is used to connect professionals around the globe. When becoming a member, you gain access to people, news, updates, and jobs that can help build your professional appearance, land your dream job, or find the perfect candidate for employment. LinkedIn targets professionals who want to establish business connections, network, display their career credentials and accomplishments, apply for jobs, and seek advice from friends and associates.

The LinkedIn website also provides some real life stories about the amazing opportunities this social media site can offer. For example, Marisa Khoury was a recent graduate from college with no professional job in sight. After two months of unsuccessful searching, she became discouraged. She decided to download the LinkedIn application, found the job posting section, and applied for over 10 job postings within the first week. She had interviews with some extremely successful companies and two weeks later, landed her dream job as a Regional Accountant Specialist at ADP. An opportunity like Marisa’s is what LinkedIn strives to offer their members.

In addition to all the benefits LinkedIn provides people looking for employment, it also assists the hiring managers in the search for qualified candidates. Hiring experts agree that most U.S companies view LinkedIn as essential outlets for recruiting with almost 90% of recruiters using LinkedIn to hire. Since job candidates are encouraged to highlight awards, professional goals and interests, and accomplishments on their profiles, it can act as a more in-depth online resume with information that employers may not necessarily see on your paper resume.

Here are some helpful tips to think about when constructing your own LinkedIn page:

• Don’t just duplicate your resume. Take some time to really add things to make your talents shine. Add videos, images, publications, or any piece of work to show employers you can back up the skills stated on your page.

• Use the Summary section to the fullest potential. Fill in this section with information, awards, highlights, and key words you think your target audience is looking for.

• Choose a professional profile picture.

• Use the headline for your job title to also describe what it is you actually do for the company.

• Don’t be afraid to reach out to someone who can help you advance your career options.

If you want to read more information about how to create a successful LinkedIn account, click here.

LinkedIn is a way to brand yourself as a professional, no matter what stage of your career you are in. To get started creating your own LinkedIn profile, click here.

The Career Services staff at High Desert Medical College encourages our students to create a LinkedIn profile as part of their career development plan and assistance with job placement upon graduation. “LinkedIn is beneficial to graduates because it is a gateway to local and regional job opportunities. We discuss LinkedIn with our students on their first day of building their Career Development Plan”, says Ian Dasmarinas, Student Services Coordinator. It’s never too early to begin building your resume and LinkedIn presence. For more information about Career Services at HDMC, click here.