Helpful Tips for HS Students and Their Parents to Make the Right Profile
Whether you are a high school student looking to explore potential career opportunities or a parent hoping to help their child begin professional networking, LinkedIn can be a great tool. In case you don’t know, LinkedIn is a networking website where you can create an online profile and connect with professionals in different industries. In this blog post Shamrck will talk about how easy it is for students to create an awesome profile on LinkedIn that will create new educational and career opportunities.
You might feel like LinkedIn is irrelevant for high school students, but it’s actually a great place to start your career. It can help you keep track of internships and other opportunities from college that you may not be aware of yet. Plus, LinkedIn allows you to create connections with professionals in your field so they can provide feedback on your resume or recommend jobs for you.
You can also use the platform as an online portfolio – if employers are interested in hiring someone who has done work related to their company, then publishing examples of said work through a profile could make them more likely to hire you. So get started now by creating a professional profile and making sure it looks good!
1. Introduce yourself
When you introduce yourself on your LinkedIn profile, it is important to include some personal details. This will allow people who visit your page to get a better idea of the person behind the profile they are looking at.
LinkedIn profiles should be more than just resumes with contact information. Including interesting, yet relevant, facts about yourself that can make you stand out as an applicant among many others vying for opportunities in similar fields. These could also give recruiters or managers insight into what kind of personality might work best in their office environment.
2. Put your best foot forward
Shamrck encourages you to s how off your best self by creating a LinkedIn profile that presents an accurate and honest representation of who you are. It should be professional, yet personal and friendly at the same time. That means adding information to reflect all areas of past work experience, volunteer experience, and future aspirations, while not going overboard with details.
When creating or updating your social media account, make sure to include important contact information about yourself so that employers may reach out to you for internship or job opportunities.
3. Focus on your skills and what you want to be
Focus on what you want to do and who you want to be while creating a LinkedIn profile. Instead of the usual focus solely on your past work experience and tasks completed at previous jobs for the obvious reason that a high school student is not going to have the same voluminous work experience. Focus on the skills that will help you in a future job, asking yourself, “What would I be able to contribute?” Then use this approach when creating your professional profile.
Get descriptive and enthusiastic about your interests and goals. Instead of writing down something generic like, “I’m great with numbers,” put in something more interesting such as, “My passion lies within finance.”
4. Include a picture that is appropriate for the audience and profession
LinkedIn is a great way to connect to professionals and companies in your industry. However, if you’re not careful about what photo of yourself you choose for the profile, it can be misleading or even offensive. It’s important to be mindful when choosing an image on LinkedIn because it is the first thing people will see when they come across your profile. We all know how important it is to make a good first impression. Choose a photo that represents who you are personally and your intended career path(s). Also ensure that it is a professional photo, following platform rules and guidelines, and culturally appropriate.
5. Make sure your profile is up-to-date with current information
Make sure your LinkedIn profile is as current as possible and remember it should be edited and updated in a timely manner. Recent changes such as new jobs, school changes, internships, or even school achievements can all be important to update on your profile. Edits can easily be made at any time.
6. Build connections with other professionals in the industry of interest by following them on LinkedIn or sending them an invite request
On your profile, build connections with other professionals in the industry to broaden and expand contacts. These connections could allow you to possibly discuss business opportunities or advice about your career path. One of your contacts may be able to help you find an entry-level job when entering your new field or discover more opportunities even after you are established in the chosen career path.
Conclusion
Create a LinkedIn profile that will make you stand out, using your skills and interests as keywords. Use these words in the headline of your profile, summary section, company sections, and jobs/experience. This will help recruiters find you on social media networks like Facebook or Twitter where they might not be looking for high school students.
Make sure that all of the information on your page is professional looking and up-to-date so people can take you seriously when they visit. Get constructive feedback from people who you can trust.
You never know where connections might lead if someone gets a glimpse at your page – make sure this happens by putting yourself out there with an impressive LinkedIn Profile.
Go to the Shamrck Dashboard today for a personalized career plan and access to local opportunities that will help set you on the path for success.
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