Five ways to improve your Linkedin

It’s that time of year when third year panic is most definitely setting in. The majority of soon-to-be graduates can be seen having nervous breakdowns all around campus over what they’re going to do once the money stops flowing from Student Finance.

Well, fear not. Graduate scheme deadlines may have passed (some are still looming: go and have a gander quickly before your chances dwindle away) but there are still many ways to find a path for yourself post-uni, and one of them is Linkedin.

Most of us have had it since the first year but it has lay dormant, waiting patiently for you to figure out that it is graduate gold. Here are a few tips for improving your profile and increasing your chances of becoming a successful graduate as opposed to taking a delayed gap yah and moving back into your parents’ basement…

1. Ditch the miserable selfie

On many graduate profiles you will find the sinister, serious selfie: I beg of you to ditch this. You may look very serious and grown up but no doubt you also resemble a serial killer at the same time, and nobody wants to employ that. Have a short browse through your Facebook pictures, skipping past the ones from Med, and choose a more realistic, cheerful snap. Not only will you appear more human, it will make you stand out and hopefully attract some positive attention.

Cropped night out photos: perfect for putting yourself across as a normal person

2. Get endorsing

The more you endorse others, the more you will be endorsed: FACT. Sally from your Mechanics lecture may not have displayed teamwork skills to you in person, but rest assured if you proclaim your love for her skills on Linkedin she will most definitely feel obliged to big you up in return.

Thousands would argue that I do not possess these skills but SELF CONFIDENCE WILL PREVAIL

3. Don’t lie, only embellish

This is an age old rookie mistake applicants the world over have been making for years, and will continue to make until the end of time. DO NOT list skills you do not possess: this will only lead to embarrassment at the interview stage and (if you’re lucky enough to get further) you could end up in a role completely unsuited to you, resulting in graduate misery. What’s the point? Do not list your mathematical proficiency if you can hardly split a Pizza Hut bill: stick to what you’re good at and you will rewarded in the end.

Do not claim to be ‘competent with finances’ if you’re on the breadline with a £2k overdraft

4. Follow relevant organisations

You may feel like a pimp following every organisation on Linkedin but what use is it following PWC if you’re not interested in their job roles? Stick to relevant companies and industries, allowing you to peruse job opportunities and events that will actually be useful to your career. It may look amazing when someone glances at your computer in the library and your page is covered with Investment Banking opportunities but what’s the point if you’re only qualified to be an investment banker’s cleaner, at best?

Look out for these bad boys

and finally…

5. Get out of bed and actually do something worth noting

Your profile is always going to be shit if you can’t be bothered getting out of bed and actually do something. You can have the fancy picture but it’s to no use if you’re always too hungover to attend any of your lectures and you’re skirting on a 2:2. Pull yourself together: stop drinking so much, attend your lectures, gain some work experience and do something useful with your days: that is the fail safe way to calm your third year nerves.

See these? Books. People read them, and so should you…

Happy networking!

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