What is LinkedIn and how should I use it?

LinkedIn is the world's largest professional network. You can use it to find the right job or internship, connect and strengthen professional relationships, and learn the skills you need to succeed in your career.

A LinkedIn profile can help you connect with opportunities by showcasing your unique professional story through experience, skills and education.

You can also use LinkedIn to organise offline events, join groups, write articles, post photos, videos and more.

Who should be joining LinkedIn?

LinkedIn is a platform for anyone who is looking to advance their career. This can include people from various professional backgrounds, such as small business owners, students and job seekers. Members can tap into a network of professionals, companies and groups within and beyond their industry.

How do I get started on LinkedIn?

LinkedIn is an online platform that connects the world’s professionals. Here are a few steps to get started:

Create your profile: Signing up and creating your profile is the best way to begin using LinkedIn. A complete profile will summarise your professional experience to your connections, current and future employers, and recruiters. Through your profile, you can showcase your professional life, milestones, skills and interests.

Introduction section - The top section of your profile that displays details of your current personal and professional status. This includes:

• Name
• Profile photo – make sure that this a professional and appropriate photo. Ask yourself how you would want a future employer to view you.
• Background photo
• Headline
• Current position
• Education – include where you went to secondary school and where you go to university
• Location
• Industry
• Contact info – do not include your personal phone number

Summary

• Open to finding a new job?
• Experience - Professional positions and experience, including jobs, volunteering, military, board of directors, nont-for-profit, or pro sports.
• Education - School and educational information. Include where you went to secondary school and where you go to university.
• Licenses & certifications - Certifications, licences, or clearances you've attained. For instance, do you have a First Aid Certificate?
• Skills - A relevant list of skills on your profile helps others to understand your strengths and improves your likelihood to be found in others' searches.
• Courses - Adding your body of coursework can help your education to stand out.
• Honors & Awards - Show off your hard-earned awards.
• Languages - Languages you understand or speak.
• Organisations - Show your involvement with communities that are important to you.
• Test scores - List your scores on tests to highlight high achievement.
• Volunteer experience – Think about the Lower Sixth volunteering you did at KGS – could you include this?

Build your network: Your network plays a crucial part in unlocking the power of LinkedIn. It’ll help you understand what is happening in your industry and professional circle. You can begin by adding your family, friends, past or current classmates, and coworkers to your network. You can also follow people, companies, or topics by navigating directly to the ‘Follow fresh perspectives’ page, which displays recommended sources to follow.

Find a job: If you’re looking for a new professional opportunity, you can get started on your job search on LinkedIn. You can use it to research companies and reach out to the hiring community. You can also apply directly for roles, save job searches, and notify your connections and recruiters that you’re open for job opportunities.

Participate in conversations: You can easily participate in conversations on LinkedIn. This can allow you to share your perspective on relevant issues and topics with others. You can like and comment on posts and articles on LinkedIn. You can create or join LinkedIn Groups to connect and grow with members who share your interests, experiences, or aspirations.

Post content: Millions of members come to LinkedIn every day to connect, learn, and share. You can empower and educate your professional circle with the content you post on LinkedIn.

LinkedIn is a professional network; it not like Instagram or Facebook. On LinkedIn you need to approach what you engage with and how you post like you would a job interview. People, including those you are not connected with, can see what you post. Think carefully about what you put on your profile when creating it. If you would like any help or guidance, please email alumni@kgs.org.uk and we can help.

We encourage you to join our Kingstonians page to connect with other KGS alumni.