When creating a LinkedIn Profile, filling out the Experience, Education, and Volunteering sections is self-explanatory. However, there are a few key components students miscarry when it comes to crafting their best LinkedIn Profile: the Profile Photo, Headline, About Section, Skills, and URL.
LinkedIn members with a Profile Photo receive far more engagement: 21 times more profile views and 9 times more connection requests. A simple way to find a LinkedIn photo is through Bentley University’s Headshot Event. This event leaves you with numerous free professional headshots.
The LinkedIn Headline is one of the most important fields for LinkedIn's search algorithm. Your LinkedIn headline shows up in Google search results and affects how recruiters perceive you. As a college student, your headline should be composed of:
Education | Skills or Keywords | Relevant Job or Activity
Headline Examples:
“Pursuing Economics-Finance Degree at Bentley University | IT Help Desk Consultant”
“Accounting Major at Bentley University | Women's Leadership Program Member”
“Honors Student at Bentley University | Incoming Consulting Intern at RSM”
“Corporate Finance & Accounting Major | Bentley University | Digital Media Marketing | Over 6 Figures in Monthly Ad Spend”
“Honors Economics-Finance Student at Bentley University | Private Equity Analyst Intern at Union Park Capital”
The About Section is the one place you define yourself in your own words. This section can be broken down into a power statement, heading with email, “Why Should I Hire You?” paragraph, core competencies, 3 best accomplishments, and a closing Statement.
The Power Statement is a sentence in the third person that covers your education. Power statement example: “Second-year honor student at Bentley University pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics-Finance, with a minor in Data Analytics”.
The Heading with Email is composed of:
Main keyword | Main keyword Email: ___________________
Headline example:
“Seeking Summer Internships | Finance
Email: joe_doe@gmail.com”
The “Why Should I Hire You” Paragraph is composed of sentences in the third person that cover relevant courses, relevant job / activities, and interests. “Why Should I Hire You” Paragraph example: “Took courses in Financial Markets and Investment, Monetary Economics, and International Finance. Through the Bentley Investment Group, Investment Banking Club, and Bentley Open Market Committee, I have sharpened my professional skills while building on my interest in finance and economics. I work on campus as a Trading Room Analyst where I assist Bentley students on software like Bloomberg, FactSet, etc. Over the summer I worked at PoliCorner, as a Business Development Intern full time in NYC. At PoliCorner, I assisted in SEO strategies, user growth, and website and app development.”
Core Competencies are composed of bullet notes that cover your soft and hard skills. Core Competencies example:
“CORE COMPETENCIES
Analytical Thinking
Problem-Solving
Training and Mentoring
Microsoft Access
HTML
Python”
Accomplishments are bullet notes of your three best honors / awards / work accomplishments: Accomplishments example:
“ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Bentley University’s President’s List
Bentley University’s Women’s Leadership Program
Established new forecasting tracking and management reporting system related to revenue, triggering a 20% increase in accuracy of financial data”
The Closing Statement is a sentence that restates your email and the work opportunities you are searching for. Closing Statement Example: “Please contact me at johndoe@gmail.com for any marketing opportunities”
It is important to include Soft Skills and Hard Skills (demonstrated skills). Not only is the skills section helpful in seeing which job opportunities match up with your abilities, but the endorsement of these skills also increases your chances of getting discovered. For non-demonstrated skills, select where the skill was acquired (ie. under experience, education, courses, volunteering, etc.). For demonstrated skills, score in the top 30% to earn a badge.
The LinkedIn Public URL is a simple way to divert people directly to your LinkedIn profile from any web browser. Therefore, it is important to keep it simple. Go to “Edit public profile & URL” and personalize the URL for your profile. Omit any random numbers so that the only characters left are your first and last name. Linkedin Public URL example: “www.linkedin.com/in/johndoe”.
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