10 Reasons Why You Should Get a LinkedIn Profile

by Melanie Marx on May 17, 2011

LinkedIn is one of the most beneficial resources available to college students and working professionals alike. With more and more companies, professionals in the workforce, and students joining every day, here are the top 10 reasons why should you, too:
  1. To connect with your networking contacts: Adding someone on LinkedIn is a great way to follow-up with a new contact (still accompany this method of follow-up with an e-mail). Once you are connected, your new contact will have access to your profile and get an even better idea of what you are all about. Also, LinkedIn is a great way to reconnect with your past bosses and co-workers.
  2. To network with professionals: Not only is LinkedIn good for connecting and reconnecting with people, it also a great networking resource! Use it to message and connect with people!
  3. To post past and present work experience: LinkedIn is essentially an online resume. Use it to post information about your current and previous work experience just like you would with your resume.
  4. To search for people by company name, location, job title, etc.: LinkedIn is very user-friendly. You can search for people in almost any way which makes connecting with people that much easier. I use this tool a lot when sending out cover letters and resume. Instead of sending my information “To Whom it May Concern,” I search the company and locate the name of the hiring manager.
  5. To list your unique skills: LinkedIn allows you to list any and all skills you possess that may interest employers. It also allows you to specify the degree or level of proficiency with that skill.
  6. To join groups that interest you: LinkedIn allows you to join groups like alumni groups for your university and other organizations you like. Through these groups, you can talk and connect with other members and discuss current trends within the organization. The alumni groups are great because you can find graduates who work for companies that you like, and it provides you with an easy way to connect and conduct an informational interview about the company.
  7. To list a more complete work history: Space is not limited on LinkedIn like it is on paper. You can provide details to any job you’ve ever had if you so choose.
  8. To get recommendations: LinkedIn provides an opportunity for you to have people recommend your work and for employers to see what type of work ethic you have. Get recommendations from old professors and teachers, co-workers, past and current bosses, etc.
  9. To customize your information to reflect your interests and personality: LinkedIn is highly customizable and each section’s position can be moved and placed in order of importance.
  10. To add applications: If the standard LinkedIn Profile does not have everything you need, you can add applications like “Portfolio Display” to display other important content and examples of your work.

What’s your favorite thing about LinkedIn?

You might also enjoy:

  1. Optimizing Your LinkedIn Presence in a Competitive Job Market
  2. What’s New on LinkedIn: Company Search
  3. 5 Tools to Research Your Ideal Employer
  4. Finding a Mentor: 3 Tips to Help You Get Connected
  5. 3 Things to Consider When Your Job Search Hits a Plateau

Article by Melanie Marx

Melanie J. Marx is a rising junior at the University of Georgia pursuing dual majors in Mass Media Arts and Film Studies and an interdisciplinary certificate in Music Business. Through various internships, Melanie has gained diverse experience and knowledge in media communications. Melanie is an active member of the University of Georgia’s Di Gamma Kappa broadcasting society and enjoys balancing her time between various campus organizations, her studies, and supporting her fellow Grady students, the Department of Theater and the Georgia Bulldogs.

  • http://akhansen.com Andrew Hansen

    I still can’t determine a good reason to ACTIVELY use LinkedIn.  Yes, I am registered and have a fairly complete profile.  But that’s about it.  Same goes for just about every contact I have on there. LinkedIn hasn’t done enough to develop a need for their site.

    If you really think about it, Facebook isn’t that far from LinkedIn in their employer section. You can connect with those whom you’ve worked and list off responsibilities.  As a professional recruiter, I’m much more likely to find valuable information on someone’s Facebook as opposed to their LinkedIn profile. Facebook allows me to see not just what they’ve done, but how they currently behave (as one witnesses day to day postings – comments, photos, etc).

    Until LinkedIn finds a way to generate more day to day postings between profiles, I feel like you’re better off just making your own website or using something like About.Me as a landing page.

    Would love to get some other opinions on this.  Those are just my thoughts.

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