Improve your LinkedIn

Are you social media savvy?  Do you know the interwebs like the back of your hand?  As college students, we like to think of ourselves as pretty knowledgable on the subject, however there is one social media outlet that continues to confuse and frustrate us all: LinkedIn.

LinkedIn exists in some parallel universe where adults understand how to use it successfully, while us millennials kind of blindly fill out our profiles, hoping we are doing it right.  For those of you who are stuck in this parallel universe, allow us to help you manage your LinkedIn account with these 5 helpful tips!

1. Use a nice photo
While this seems like a no-brainer, you’d be surprised at the amount of college students using selfies as their profile pictures.  This is your portrait to all your future employers.  Do yourself a favor and use a nice camera (or find a friend who has one) and take a quality photo so their first thought isn’t, “What brand of potato did they use to take this picture?”

2. Post relevant coursework and extracurriculars 
Have you been hesitant to create a LinkedIn profile because you don’t have any actual work experience?  Don’t be!  Instead, highlight all the relevant classes and extracurriculars you have been involved in, so employers can see what you are interested in as a student (this includes studying abroad!).

3. Join groups
It might seem scary to put yourself out there, but networking on LinkedIn is easiest when you join groups.  Find groups that interest you, and if you don’t know what interests you yet, you can always join the UCLA Alumni group!

4. Ask professors for recommendations
If you want to ask a professor for a letter of recommendation, why not also ask them for an endorsement on LinkedIn?  Especially if you don’t have any professional experience, a professor’s recommendation can speak volumes about your character and work ethic.

5. SPELL CHECK
Employers don’t want employees who leave typos in their work.  Don’t be that person.

by Laurie Goodman

 

 

Do’s and Don’ts of Social Media

So summer is coming, and everyone here at OTH could not be more excited!  The beach, endless amounts of In N Out, not referring to your schedule in numbered weeks–and my personal favorite–making money from summer jobs!  But in order to get hired for an awesome summer job or internship, you should make sure your social media profiles are under control.  Here are some do’s and don’ts for your social media pages.

Talking to your friends:

• Do: Talk to your friends.  I mean, it is called SOCIAL media, right?  Don’t get super paranoid.  Big Brother isn’t watching you (he has more important people to watch).
• Don’t: Use profanity.  In this article, 30% of recruiters said that they will reject an application if there is offensive language on your profile.  But if you don’t want to be censored (fight the man), make your profile private so that future employers can’t see what you post.

Talking about your employer:

• Do: Promote your involvement in your organization/club/company!  It shows you’re dedicated, and future employers look for people who are excited about their work.  On a completely unrelated note, On The Hill is AWESOME, and I couldn’t imagine a better place to work!
• Don’t: Bash your past employers on your profile.  Just don’t.  44% of recruiters said that they would turn away your application on this point alone.  Be smart.  Even if your previous employer was the worst person on earth, tell your friends in person, don’t just shout it into the internet void.

Photos:

• Do: Post awesome photos of you doing awesome things.  Because you’re awesome.
• Don’t: Keep your photos public.  What may seem innocent fun to you could be construed as obscene to a future employer.  Don’t take the chance.  Here is a helpful link on how to make your photos private.

We know most of you already do these things, but look at this as a quick refresher course in common sense on the interwebs.

by Laurie Goodman