{"id":17267,"date":"2022-02-21T01:07:09","date_gmt":"2022-02-21T01:07:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/explorecareers.com\/?p=17267"},"modified":"2022-05-11T10:37:02","modified_gmt":"2022-05-11T00:37:02","slug":"what-even-is-linkedin-do-you-need-a-profile-yet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/explorecareers.com\/what-even-is-linkedin-do-you-need-a-profile-yet\/","title":{"rendered":"What Even is LinkedIn &#038; Do You Need a Profile Yet?"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\">3<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>We think LinkedIn is an excellent resource for your career \u2013 no matter what stage you\u2019re at! So in today\u2019s blog, we\u2019re talking you through everything you need to know and our top tips for getting started.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h4>What is LinkedIn?<\/h4>\n<p>LinkedIn is a social media platform \u2013 kind of like Facebook \u2013 with a core focus and purpose on helping you present yourself professionally and build a professional presence online.<\/p>\n<p>It is the largest platform of its kind, where people worldwide create a dedicated career profile to help highlight their skills, experience, and educational achievements. You could say it\u2019s like a social media version of your resume!<\/p>\n<p>LinkedIn offers a lot more than a chance to replicate your resume online. Employers and recruiters use the platform to discover candidates, advertise opportunities and connect with potential employers.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Other benefits include:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A chance to connect with others in your chosen industries and share ideas, opportunities and build a sense of community.<\/li>\n<li>A place to learn about new employers and organisations, what they look for in candidates and find job opportunities.<\/li>\n<li>A great way to keep up with innovation, developments and news in your favourite career industries.<\/li>\n<li>You can start learning from others, how they built their careers and different pathways to explore.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>When Should You Create a Profile?<\/h4>\n<p>There are no hard rules around when you \u2018should\u2019 create a profile, although many people suggest just before you start applying to university, apprenticeships or getting ready for your next steps after school.<\/p>\n<p>Some application processes for jobs (and some further or higher education applications) invite you to share a link to your LinkedIn profile. It can be a great way to highlight that you\u2019ve been thinking seriously about your next steps.<\/p>\n<p>The important thing to remember is that there is no pressure \u2013 and definitely no rush \u2013 to have a fully-fledged, gold star profile set up right now. Spend some familiarising yourself with the platform, to begin with, and get started when you feel ready.<\/p>\n<h4>5 Tips for Getting Set Up<\/h4>\n<p>Whether you feel ready to get started now or just want to get some guidance for when you\u2019re ready \u2013 there\u2019s lots to think about when you first dive in.<\/p>\n<p>It might seem a little intimidating, but don\u2019t let that stop you. Check out our following tips to help you put your best foot forward:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>A Positive Profile Picture:<\/strong> When you\u2019re just getting started, you don\u2019t necessarily need a profile photo, but as soon as you want to use your profile to connect with employers or apply for jobs, it\u2019s a good idea to have one. Use a high-quality photo of just you (no group shots), in smart clothing, a plain background and remember to smile!<\/li>\n<li><strong>A Catchy, Simple Headline:<\/strong> The headline is the first thing people will read after your name, so use it as a chance to highlight your interests and goals. If you\u2019re planning on a career in IT, you could try \u2018Geeky Gadget Lover &amp; Aspiring IT Engineer\u2019.<\/li>\n<li><strong>A Smart Summary Statement:<\/strong> Be clear and concise and include just a paragraph or two, detailing where you\u2019re currently at (finishing studies, your favourite topics), what you\u2019re doing next (studies, work experience, an apprenticeship) and what you\u2019d like to do in the future. Don\u2019t be afraid to show a little personality!<\/li>\n<li><strong>Chronological Work and Volunteer Experience:<\/strong> Don\u2019t worry if you don\u2019t have much to go here yet. Both are important to keep details of, this includes your job role, where you did it and how long for \u2013 it all counts! Use bullet points to note a few of your key duties and things you learned\/achieved.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Education, Grades and Academic Achievements:<\/strong> Again, don\u2019t worry if you don\u2019t have heaps to include here, but having something to show will help others get an understanding of where you\u2019re at. Achievements can include any certificates or acknowledgements you\u2019ve received \u2013 it can also include any fundraising or events you\u2019ve helped to organise, whether you\u2019ve been a peer mentor or year leader!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h4>Next Steps<\/h4>\n<p>LinkedIn itself also has some great resources to help young people looking to get started on the platform.<\/p>\n<p>One of the best tools to take a look at includes the online <a href=\"https:\/\/university.linkedin.com\/\">LinkedIn University<\/a>. This is dedicated to supporting students while they apply to higher-education institutions and start their careers.<\/p>\n<p>Another helpful tool for high school students is the <a href=\"https:\/\/university.linkedin.com\/content\/dam\/university\/global\/en_US\/site\/pdf\/LinkedIn%20Profile%20Checklist%20-%20High%20School%20Students.pdf\">LinkedIn Profile Checklist<\/a> that covers each section of your profile and what to include.<\/p>\n<p>Most of all, see LinkedIn for the fantastic resource it can be to aid your career journey and when you\u2019re ready \u2013 dive in!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\">3<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span> &nbsp; We think LinkedIn is an excellent resource for your career \u2013 no matter what stage you\u2019re at! So in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":17268,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[25],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/explorecareers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17267"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/explorecareers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/explorecareers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/explorecareers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/explorecareers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17267"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/explorecareers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17267\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17273,"href":"https:\/\/explorecareers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17267\/revisions\/17273"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/explorecareers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17268"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/explorecareers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17267"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/explorecareers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17267"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/explorecareers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17267"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}