Using LinkedIn

http://www.linkedin.com/

A network to link people with common business / professional interests. Here you have a personal profile, connect with people and join groups which can also have job listings.

LinkedIn is becoming very popular as a means for
- users to source job vacancies
- users to source potential employees

Make the most of your LinkedIn profile:

Complete your profile: complete profiles are more likely to be found during searches. Keep your profile updated! When you change something it appears in your connections' feeds. If you are job searching, then you should also have your profile visible to those you are not connected with. Check your settings for options.

Your photo - pick the right photo or get a friend to take one (headshot is best), preferably not one taken on a night out (it may be a nice photo but unlikely to be your 'professional face'). Keep the background neutral (not too busy or distracting). 

Update your Headline – use keywords that are appropriate to your career profile (not just the default 'Student at NUI Galway')

Summary - use this like a short personal statement or cover letter. What are the main points about your history that make you stand out or that highlight your expertise or what you can offer an employer

Don't ignore the other sections! These include Skills, Publications, Languages, Patents, Certifications.
This will increase your visibility. It's relatively easy to fill out the Employment, Education sections, but what about the awards (did you get any academic awards while at NUIG or elsewhere?), organisations (are you a member of any clubs or societies on or off campus?), skills (employers can search using key words so make sure you've mentioned the important ones, particularly languages).

Use keywords: potential employers search for specific words, so instead of only putting in 'BSc IT' add details such as 'Modules included: C++, Java' - get as detailed as possible with techniques / tools / systems used or studied.

Recommendations - have you worked closely with someone (project supervisor, tutor etc), it doesn't have to be an employer reference that you would use on a CV.

Contact details - you can allow group members and others to contact you through LinkedIn, check your settings. We don't recommend adding your mobile number (and your personal email may not be necessary if people can contact you through LinkedIn), but if you have a personal website or blog that is relevant to your career then do add that to your profile. You can also add instant messenger details (if relevant and appropriate).

Personalise your profile url so that you can use it in your CV (www.linkedin.com/in/name). This looks far more professional and can be used in your CV.

Discussion Groups:

Join relevant groups and participate in discussions where suitable - there are groups covering all types of careers and interests

Join the NUI Galway alumni group and check if there is a group for your specific College / School. 

You can get daily or weekly email digests of discussions within your group.

Each group also has a jobs feed.

Connections:

Using connections - see some tips on getting a job in the LinkedIn blog
http://blog.linkedin.com/2012/10/17/how-to-get-a-job-with-your-dream-employer/    

Getting updates:

You can follow companies that interest you. These pages may also have Careers sections and links to their groups. Company pages also allow you to see employees and to see what their career history is. 

You can also follow certain people - http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/whoToFollow  

Tracking career options:

Another feature of LinkedIn is that you can track career options...  You can see graphs of alumni from your university or subject specialism over various years (it defaults to your own attendance years so perhaps change the years in the search criterion).  Their blog gives a good overview of how to use this feature.

You can also use company pages to track career history of individuals.

Now that you're started:

Search job opportunities on their job portal for students and recent graduates http://www.linkedin.com/studentjobs

Read gradireland's blog post on using LinkedIn

LinkedIn's Learning Centre has a student section with video and tip

Finally, have a browse through the topics in their blogs tagged LinkedIn for Students http://blog.linkedin.com/topic/linkedin-for-students/. There are loads of hints and tips as well as presentations for using LinkedIn effectively.

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