1. Build your professional profile
Creating a professional online presence can set you apart from other graduates entering your industry.
Think of your LinkedIn profile as your online resume and a reflection of your personal brand. Let it do the talking to prospective employers and recruiters by including the following:
- A professional headshot and a banner image.
Use a banner image that demonstrates your industry or highlights what you’re all about.
- A descriptive headline that appears below your name
This doesn’t have to be your current job title! You can use keywords to articulate your professional self – your value proposition or what you’re known for.
- A succinct summary of who you are and the problems you solve
The ‘About’ section is your chance to engage visitors to your profile and get them excited about the prospect of working with you. Use this section to highlight your experience, major achievements and relevant skills.
- Your career experience, education and any certifications, as well as your relevant skills
Try and include details about your achievements in the same way you would write them for your resume: with active verbs that highlight your individual impact in projects and teams.
Tip: Have you heard of SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)? It’s a standard practice in digital marketing and you can use it on your LinkedIn profile too! Simply add industry-relevant keywords across your profile to optimise your reach as a prospective employee.
2. Grow your network
You’ve probably heard the saying, “It’s not what you know, it’s who”. While knowledge and skills are certainly integral to your profession and your ability to fulfil your role and responsibilities, having a network of professionals who know what you’re about, your strengths and your experience could help land your next job.
Start with RMIT’s official Alumni LinkedIn Group, where alumni post job opportunities, connect with others and share achievements. As a graduate, your first connections are likely to be your peers from uni and professionals you met throughout your studies during placements and internships, or volunteer work.
Like friend suggestions on other social media platforms, LinkedIn will suggest people you may know or wish to connect with. Don’t be afraid to reach out and introduce yourself to professionals or prospective employers in jobs that interest you.
Once you have them as a connection, consider sending them a message to ask about their career trajectory. While you might not receive a response from everyone, those who do take the time to connect and engage with you will likely be impressed by your ambition and might be able to share a few tips that will help on your career journey.
Tip: If you attend an in-person professional networking event, follow up by connecting with anyone you meet and interact with on LinkedIn and keep the conversation going online!
3. Search for job opportunities
As well as a networking platform, LinkedIn is also a job search engine.
You can search for roles relevant to you by inputting a title, skill or company into the search bar, as well as your location preference. Once you’ve begun a job search you can turn on notifications and be alerted to new job postings. Based on your profile and search history, LinkedIn will also suggest top job picks that might interest you.
LinkedIn also has an ‘open for work’ setting, which allows you to place a badge on your profile image that demonstrates to recruiters and employers that you’re seeking a new opportunity. You can also activate this setting to be private, visible to only recruiters and employers, rather than your entire network of connections.
Tip: If there are businesses and organisations you’d love to work for, ‘follow’ their company page to get updates on your homepage about new job openings.
4. Boost your profile with LinkedIn Learning
Whether you’re entering the workforce or have a few years of experience under your belt, it’s important to think about your continual learning and professional development to help you stay ahead of the curve and ready for the next step in your career.
LinkedIn Learning, which you may have already utilised as an RMIT student, is an online training library with thousands of courses on various topics focused on business and information technology skills and software.
With a number of free courses, LinkedIn Learning is a great way to top up your skills as you start out in your career and before you make any decisions about postgraduate study. You can even add your completed learning courses to your profile.
Tip: Courses and certifications add credibility to your LinkedIn profile and shape your professional brand. They demonstrate to prospective employers and recruiters your commitment to professional growth and mastering your craft, while staying up to date with the latest industry trends. Be sure to check out RMIT’s short courses and microcredentials.
5. Be active and keep your profile up to date
Like any social media platform, your LinkedIn newsfeed will keep you informed about your connections and their job changes and anniversaries, industry news and job openings. This ensures you never miss a professional beat!
Engaging with or creating content and posts will increase your visibility, which in turn can help to expand your network and demonstrate your knowledge, insights and experience.
Tip: Congratulate your peers on their career success and don’t be afraid to share your own achievements and career moves.
Lastly, the biggest tip of all: make sure your profile is always up to date – you never know who might visit your page next!
Graduated within the last 12 months? Access exclusive resources including LinkedIn workshops and photo days via RMIT Job Shop.
