Now, more than ever it is important to have a LinkedIn profile when starting out in your career. We recommend, that from the age of 16 you should consider making your LinkedIn profile, a similar time to when you create your CV.

Research shows that a massive 9 out of 10 companies use LinkedIn to recruit new hires, so if you’re not on LinkedIn you are already reducing your chances of landing your dream role or being found in the working world!

To get started, here is a quick checklist of the 10 must-haves on your LinkedIn profile!

1. Upload an appropriate photo.

Profiles which include a profile picture get 14x more views than those. Using an image, is the first point of contact you have with your potential employer.

Find or take a high-quality photo of you alone, professionally dressed. Nothing inappropriate! LinkedIn is not Facebook or Instagram, so no party shots or puppy pics!

2. Write an informative, but punchy headline.

Recruiters only spend seconds on your profile, so create a short, memorable professional ‘slogan’ which sums up what you want a recruiter, hiring manager or your future co-workers to know about you. For example: “A Level Student with interests in…”

3. Writing your summary statement.

Just like your headline, this section is the main place for you to stand out. Think of your statement as the first few paragraphs of your cover letter. You want to touch on your experience, qualifications (GCSE’s or equivalent) and goals.  Try to structure it almost as a story, describing what motivates you and what you have done. Try to give real life examples on how you got the results and were successful with something. You want to make sure you are using keywords which recruiters search for, such as “data analysis”, “marketer” etc.

4. Add your experience.

As you are a student, it is likely that you have not had much industry specific experience and have instead worked in more casual situations. You should still make sure to include it in your work experience. All those skills you have developed through work experience are transferable and are likely to be the skills a recruiter is looking for!  You can either choose to make it either more or less detailed than your CV, highlight key success stories and results you have achieved.

More importantly, always make sure to include any volunteer experience, as this is a good profile addition because it tells people something unique and personal about you; it reveals passions and makes you distinctive to other.

5. Show off your achievements!

If you don’t have a lot of work experience, or none, don’t worry! You can still have an outstanding LinkedIn profile. If you earned a prize or recognition (in school or out of school) you can list this under Honours and Awards.

This is also a great section to include any additional classes, languages, certifications, or team projects you have worked on to help demonstrate the skills you acquire.

6. Build your connections.

You don’t maximise the value of your LinkedIn profile until you have built your connections. Whether that be connecting with your school peers, teachers, family, friends, and work colleagues having a large network can help broaden your chance of finding job opportunities and interesting content to help teach you more about the sectors you are interested in.

Why not start connecting right away and connect with Pathway CTM and our CEO, Chris McNamara!

7. Go public and make yourself known!

It is very likely that your recruiter will Google you at some point in the recruitment process, so optimise your SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) by making your LinkedIn profile public and creating a unique URL. For example, www.LinkedIn.com/in/ChrisMcNamara

8. Share your work.

Adding real life examples of your work or attaching any documents to your posts makes your profile more visual and engaging, while demonstrating your skillset. What better way to sell your skills to possible future employers?

If you want a job in the creative industry, consider showcasing a portfolio of your work!

9. Use keywords when adding your skills.

Be sure to include frequently searched keywords and phrases in the “Skills & Endorsements” section. Have a look at people who work within the sector or companies you want to work for and look at how they showcase what they are good at.

You can also find relevant keywords by browsing job roles that appeal to you and look at the skills they list and include them in your profile!

10. Last tip, utilise the LinkedIn content.

The best thing about LinkedIn is that you can follow hundreds of business entrepreneurs, influencers as well as businesses and organisations relating to your interests. By following these profiles, you can come across relatable content which can help you learn, grow, and give you advice on how to move forward in your career.

Are you ready to set up your profile?

By doing these 10 things today, this will be an investment in your future and you’ll be glad to be one step ahead of the game when it comes to opportunity seeking.

Don’t forget, connect with Pathway CTM on LinkedIn to stay up to date with employer news and opportunities!

You can also watch this video to help guide you in creating the perfect CV!