LinkedIn is an excellent way to expand your professional network. It is also an excellent way to research jobs, and to see what our University of Oregon alumni are doing, and to connect with them for informational interviews! Here are some tips and tricks for starting your profile page:

• Photo: Pick a professional photo of only you from the shoulders up, eyes looking at the camera (not a selfie—have a friend take it!).
• Headline: Create a descriptive headline that is future-oriented and packed with keywords.
• About: Communicate who you are, what you’ve done, and where you’re going. Focusing your message on the companies, industries, and jobs you’re interested in.
• Experience: Use the same bullet points on your résumé or write short narratives. Consider using the WHO method (What did you do? How did you do it? Outcomes of your work?), highlighting jobs, volunteer work, projects, coursework, and any other relevant experience. Include relevant photos, links to websites, videos, or reports to supplement your experiences.
• Media: Show evidence of your work by adding documents, pictures, screenshots, links to blog posts or websites, and reports. Remember, get permission from your employer because some content may be proprietary.
• Education: List your college degree and additional educational experiences. You can list your activities and societies here, which can also be explained in more detail in your experience section.
• Skills: List several key skills your connections can then endorse.
• Accomplishments: Optional sections such as courses, languages, certifications, organizations, publications, honors and awards, and projects. List the ones that showcase your interest and skills toward a specific industry.
• Recommendations: Ask for recommendations from professors, co-workers, supervisors who've worked with you closely, giving your LinkedIn extra credibility to your strengths and skills.
• Customize your URL: When on your own profile click on “edit public profile and URL” located on the right side and personalize the link to a version of your name. You can then add the URL to your résumé and email signature.

Next Steps

• Ask for feedback: Have your LinkedIn profile reviewed. See a peer coach during daily drop-in or make an appointment with a career coach.
• Keep it up to date: Continually add and edit LinkedIn as you build experience and your career direction progresses.
• Build connections: Add new connections, follow companies you are interested in, and check out the alumni tab on the University of Oregon LinkedIn page to connect with UO alumni and check out where they are working and reach out for informational interviews.