Why and how to use LinkedIn in high school

Why should you use LinkedIn?

LinkedIn lasts

As one of the longest standing social media platforms used today, LinkedIn has had a hand in developing career professionals since 2003.

Its long-time and widespread usage goes to show that it likely won’t be going anywhere anytime soon, so you can trust that your profile will probably be with you all throughout your professional journey.

Additionally, LinkedIn adjusts its features to meet the needs of each of its users. So, the platform will literally be with you every step of the way if you create a profile now, while you’re in high school. It’ll help you with the specifics of your job search, suggest jobs that could be the right fit for you, and allow you to build both professional and casual networks with other members.

Show off your professional side

You might choose to show off your best life on other social media platforms, but LinkedIn gives you the opportunity to show off your professional life.

• Craft your profile to present yourself the way you want employers to see you — be selective for your profile picture and cover image, headline, summary statement, skills, and experiences. Here are some suggestions on how to shape your profile.
• For your profile photo, feel free to put on your best or favourite interview outfit and ask a friend to snap a flattering headshot of you. You can think of this as your future employer’s first impression.
• Fill in as many fields as you can. You may not have content for everything but try your best! Not only will this round out your profile, but it’ll also make you more visible in searches.
• Build a unique LinkedIn URL. You’ll be able to use it on future résumés and cover letters.
  • For example, https://www.linkedin.com/firstname-lastname
• Include volunteering. Because you’re a high school student, you might not have much or any work experience under your belt just yet. That’s okay! If you have volunteer experience, don’t overlook it — you still likely gained some valuable skills and experience, and your future employer would love to see that.

The value of networking

One of the best things about LinkedIn is that you can join or build professional networks easily. The size, calibre, and level of engagement of its member base gives you many opportunities to build a personalized network that might be beneficial to you as you start thinking about your future career path. LinkedIn is also perfect for simply connecting with others and getting to know them better or seeing what they’re up to professionally!

LinkedIn’s fastest growing demographic is recent graduates and young professionals (aged 18-25). Many of them are in the same boat, looking to connect with the 180 million senior-level influencers and over 55 million companies that are on the platform. As someone trying to break into an industry, you’re almost guaranteed to find leaders you admire and with whom you’d love to work.

And when you do find them? You can bring them into your network.

1. Follow them to see what content they’re publishing and engaging with.
2. Find out who they follow and follow them. Be curious — find out what topics industry leaders are currently most interested in.
3. Connect with them. This is a great way to put yourself on their radar.
4. Strike up a conversation. Be humble, complimentary, and direct. You might want to tell them what your current job goals are, or what you want them to do for you. Regardless, it never hurts to network with professionals in any form!

Build an online résumé

Use LinkedIn as a space to collect all your professional experiences. Whether it’s a summer internship, part-time job, or (if you come to Waterloo) a co-op term, you can include them all in your experiences and link your employers’ company pages. This connects you with others at the organization and helps LinkedIn’s algorithms piece together the content that will show up on your feed.

It's a great idea to include a URL to your LinkedIn on a tailored résumé to show the employer the full scope of your skills and experiences, as you would likely omit some details to meet the specific job requirements of a particular job.

Here are some things to note when displaying your professional experience on LinkedIn.

1. Standardize the tone and style of your writing. Make sure the entries for your experiences are consistent in terms of detail, tenses (past tense for past jobs, present tense for your current role), spelling, and accuracy.
2. Keep your current role updated. If you’re currently working, your role may change or evolve over time, so make sure your description shows all that you’ve achieved thus far!

A bonus of LinkedIn is the ability to request endorsements from colleagues or supervisors, which you can action during or after your job.

Endorsements live on your profile and give hiring managers a taste of what they can expect to hear from your references.

A job searching hub

Since LinkedIn is home to over 55 million companies, those companies are actively advertising about 15 million job postings to other LinkedIn members. That’s 15,000,000 jobs! But not just any jobs — from executive opportunities to internships, companies know they have an audience of keen, career-driven people and in turn reward them with access to meaningful opportunities.

In addition, some LinkedIn job postings offer more information than others you may find online because they come directly from the company instead of a hiring agency.

Some tips for starting your LinkedIn job search

• Complete your profile and keep it up to date.
• Follow companies you’d like to work for to receive their job postings.
• Search the job titles you aspire to have and dig through the descriptions to see what they require. If they list skills that you have but don’t list on your profile, add them! If they list skills that you don’t have yet, hone them. Don’t be intimidated by job descriptions — rather, make yourself an ultimate candidate by taking time and effort to meet the requirements that they describe.
• Follow job search experts for interview and résumé tips. Like all professions, there are trends in job searching. Put yourself ahead of the curve by learning which key questions are likely to be asked in interviews and the types of answers HR professionals want to hear.
• Upload an up-to-date résumé. Keeping a résumé on LinkedIn makes it much more efficient to apply to jobs on there. Check out our tips for building a résumé before university if you’d like some résumé pointers!

Showcase your learning

Out of over 830 million LinkedIn members, only one million users have published an article or a post. That means there’s room for your content. Engage with the LinkedIn community — whether that’s sharing your learning as a university applicant, sharing an article that inspired you professionally, publishing a “how-to” guide, or sharing completed certifications.

Be active and be brave! Posting content can be intimidating, but you never know who your content might resonate with. Put yourself out there; it’s a risk that could really pay off in the long run!