Feel the power.

LinkedIn is a very powerful tool that every college student should be using and updating, especially during the summer when you have the time and the patience to sit down and write. It’s important to remember the alumni and recruiters on LinkedIn who are all always keeping their eyes open to new potential employees. For example, I know I am a part of many Ivy League and Cornell groups on LinkedIn and any alumni who are in these groups can look up my profile and potentially inbox me regarding a summer internship or a job.

I probably do not use my profile as effectively as I could, but I do have some tips on how you can use LinkedIn as an efficient and powerful career tool. 

Think about your goals. Why are you on LinkedIn? What do you really want a potential employer to know about you? Just think about anything you do before you edit your profile.

Post a picture (of your face). Your profile picture on LinkedIn should be professional, such as your sorority or fraternity composite photo or a senior picture for those just entering college. Pictures should be a head shot and not include other people. I asked my mom to take a picture of me up against a plain back drop because it looks more professional compared to the outdoors. If you are uncomfortable with putting a personal photo on LinkedIn, you can change your privacy settings so that only your connections can see your photo. 

LinkedIn can help you remember names. LinkedIn can be used to network offline, but it can also be used to help you remember who you have met. This is another reason why having a picture and updating is important.

Make the most of your headline. Your headline does not need to be your job title, but it can be “Talented [Your Profession] Seeking New Opportunity.” For example, I could put “Talented Human Resources Intern Seeking New Opportunity For Junior Summer.”

Post statuses. Update your status so that your name continuously comes up on your connections’ LinkedIn home pages, but not too much that you look desperate and sound annoying. I try to post at least once a month and usually find that between five and ten people view my profile after each of these posts.

Write a rich, but concise summary. The summary should not just be what your employer does, but what you do as an employee. Include even the simple tasks because it will show that you are not above the simple things and will really show how you have grown from one job to the next. Use numbers and concrete details, such as results and tasks you do on a daily basis.

Add sections to your profile. LinkedIn allows you to add sections regarding volunteer experience, projects, foreign languages and even test scores. I volunteered a lot in high school, but that does not come across in my job experience or on my resume which frustrates me because it was a very important part of my life. I use the volunteer experience section to show that it is not just about getting the job done. In the section where you can post projects, add videos, images, documents, links, and presentations that are relevant to your goals and aspirations.

Connect with care. Do not just connect with anyone and everyone. Create connections that are of value on both sides. You should be able to answer a few questions about anyone who you connect with on LinkedIn.

Join and participate in groups. Some groups are full of garbage but others can be really valuable. Do not just connect with groups regarding your school or your major but on topics that are of interest because usually those groups will contain the latest research or problem solving methods.

Connecting with LinkedIn means you're one step closer to getting that dream job!