LinkedIn Guide

A professionally networking tool that employers and job seekers use to connect!

Basic LinkedIn Sections

About this Section

Examples

Photograph

It isn’t necessary to have a professional

photographer take your LinkedIn photo, but

it is important that the photograph presents

a professional image. A good photograph

will be a head shot with a simple

background. A good photograph will make

someone want to get to know you. Smile!

This is NOT a good photograph. Someone has been cropped out of the

picture.

This is an appropriate photograph. The person displays a nice smile. There are

no distractions in the image. The smile is inviting!

Banner

The banner should also reflect a professional

image. You may use a background that

reflects your university, workplace, or

geographic location. You may use one that

promotes your cause or represents your

work. You can even use abstract design in

the background.

For example:

• As a USCB student, you may choose to have an image of the

campus in your banner.

• If you are an education major, you may choose an image that

depicts a classroom in your banner.

• If you are a nurse, you may choose an image of a hospital or medical

office setting in your banner.

• If you are a graphic designer, you may choose an image that you

designed in your banner.

Headline

The headline represents your title.

Use Job Title/Company + Keyword

A college student’s headline could include

the degree you are pursuing, and it should

include keywords about your strengths or

career aspirations.

Use keywords in your headline. Notice the

examples use “social media.”

Sample headlines for a marketing major:

Bachelor of Science in Marketing, University of South Carolina Beaufort/Proven

Results in Social Media Marketing

USCB Marketing Major/Specializing in social media marketing

Marketing Major, University of South Carolina

Beaufort/Emphasis in Social

Media, and B2B Development

Summary

(About)

This is a summary that should compel the

reader to look further into your profile. It

should be positive, upbeat, and confident. It

can include your accomplishments, career

goals, or passions. Giving accomplishments,

things you have done that made a

difference, can be a predictor of future

success. Whenever possible quantify and

qualify the information.

You can also end with a call to action by

asking the reader to connect with you.

Consider using your Clifton Strengths in this

section.

Sample summary statement:

Results-

driven social media marketing campaigns are my specialty. While

volunteering with a local non-profit in Bluffton, South Carolina, I implemented a

media campaign that resulted in 25 new student volunteers and community

donations of more than $5000 over a 3-month period.

My Clifton Strengths are Achiever, Belief, Strategic, Maximizer, and Woo. I

aspire to bring my strengths to other non-profit organizations. Connect with me

if you are interested in exploring how my skills can help you reach your fund-

raising goals.

Experience

There are three ways to approach

developing your experience section on

LinkedIn.

• You can copy and paste exactly

what is written on your resume.

• You can write about your

experiences with summary

statements based on your resume

• You can include only your

organizations, job titles, and dates of

service

Career Services recommends that you write

summary statements based on your resume

that highlight the skills you used and the

actions you took that significantly impacted

the organization.

A resume experience may look like this:

Beachside Resort Hilton Head Island, SC

Front Desk Clerk August 2020 – May 2021

• Employed for 20 hours a week while maintaining a full-time course load

in college

• Served as many as 100 customers per day during peak vacation

periods

• Recognized for providing exceptional customer care during a crisis

that resulted in monetary reward by management

• Initiated a check-in procedure that saved on average 5 minutes per

customer during critical first impression phase

A LinkedIn experience that summarizes the resume could be written like this:

Beachside Resort

August 2020 – May 2021

Hilton Head, South Carolina

Recognized for providing exceptional customer care to as many as 100

customers per day during peak vacation periods. Initiated a check-in

procedure that saved 5 minutes per customer during critical first impression

phase. Succeeded at maintaining full academic course load with strong GPA

while working 20 hours per week at the front desk of the resort.

Education

This section is typically at the end of the

profile. You should include all education that

is relevant. At the very least include your

USCB degree.

Resources Consulted: PicMonkey Business Blog and LinkedIn Learning Videos

Tips to Improve, Use, and Network on LinkedIn

Use a Custom URL

LinkedIn will automatically assign a URL, but you can set up a custom URL. You can use your name or your initials in the

custom URL. Make it easy to remember so that you can easily share it. You can add it to your resume and in the signature

of your email.

Add Links and Media to Your Profile

Use the “Experience” section to add links, images, videos, and files to showcase your work. There is also a “Featured”

section that you can use if that works better for your purposes. Consider linking to articles that discuss topics in your career

field or any website that you find to be especially relevant. Class projects, presentations, and reports that you have

completed can be showcased.

Add Certifications, Volunteer Experiences, and Languages to Your Profile

Being an engaged member of your community by volunteering for worthy causes or with non-profit organizations are

important to highlight. You gain skills from all that you do that can help boost your career. If you have certifications that

are relevant, be sure to add these to your profile. If you are multi-lingual, you can add this to your profile, and you can

even have your profile published in more than one language.

Use Endorsements, Influencers, Groups, and Companies

Review position descriptions to identify 5 – 10 important skills in your field and list them in the “Endorsements” section. Use

the “Influencers” section to follow notable people in your field. Join “Groups” that relate to your career goals to connect

with others and to learn from them. Be sure to follow companies in the “Companies” section. A recruiter will check to see

if you are following their company to determine how sincere is your interest in working there.

Be Active on LinkedIn

The more you engage on LinkedIn, the more connections you will make. Post relevant articles, write interesting content, or

share events taking place in your community. Follow companies that are of interest so that you can stay up to date on

their happenings and use the “People” section on company profile to find USCB alumni and connections that live near

you. Reach out to these people and start a conversation. Conversations lead to job opportunities!

Resources Consulted: TheMuse(themuse.com)

Using LinkedIn Job Search Function

At the top of your LinkedIn page, you will see the briefcase icon for job searching.

On the Jobs page, you will enter the job title and location. Then you will have the ability to filter

the search further. For example, you could filter for internships or entry-level positions. The

following example is looking for computer science internships in South Carolina.

You can apply for positions from LinkedIn. Be sure to start following the company and research

the company’s LinkedIn page. In the “People” section, you can find USCB alumni that may

work with the company and reach out to them to connect and start a conversation!