LinkedIn is the first place an employer will go to evaluate you. When someone Googles your full name, the top result is generally your LinkedIn profile. (One exception is if you’re a celebrity, or have a common name.) Because of this, if you’re not on LinkedIn, you don’t “exist” in the eyes of a hiring manager or recruiter.
There are four main reasons why you need to be on LinkedIn as a software engineer.
LinkedIn verifies your professional identity. Recruiters use LinkedIn to source potential candidates while employers use it to research applicants and see if they'd be a good fit. Having a completed LinkedIn profile can help build trust. And in some cases, it can even allow you to be discovered for a job opening.
LinkedIn is a tool for building a professional network. It allows you to find like-minded people in your area as well as beyond. LinkedIn even shows you what employees work at the companies you want to work for, as well as how you’re connected to them. This is a great way to get an introduction from a mutual connection.
LinkedIn also serves as an effective research tool. With LinkedIn you can research both companies you want to work for and contacts. Because of this, you can use LinkedIn to gather information for a coffee meeting or as a way to research a company before an interview.
Unlike any other social media network, LinkedIn has a whole component on the platform where companies can post job openings. And you can apply to them—without having to leave LinkedIn. LinkedIn can even email notifications letting you know when openings are posted in your area where you have a skill-match.
Did you know that a person with a complete LinkedIn profile (scoring 100%, or an “all-star”) is 40 times more likely to receive opportunities through the platform? This is because LinkedIn will rank complete profiles higher in their internal search than incomplete. Meaning if a recruiter is looking for a “full-stack developer” in Philadelphia, you’ll show up higher in the results than your peers if your profile is complete, but theirs is not. Even if your skills and experience are comparable.
So, having a complete profile is important. And here is what you need to do to achieve a completed profile:
- A profile photo
- Include your industry and location
- Have an up-to-date current position listed, with a description (indicate that you are a full-time student of web development if that is the case)
- A summary section that describes a bit about your past and how you discovered web development.
- At least two previous positions
- Your skills (with a minimum of 3)
- Education
- And at least 50 connections
Your Profile Photo: Do not underestimate the importance of your photo. One the biggest mistakes you can make is not having one. Did you know that having a LinkedIn photo makes you 14 times more likely to be found?
Here are a few things you want to avoid in your LinkedIn photo.
- Sunglasses/hats
- Pictures with animals (unless you’re a veterinarian...which, if you’re reading this, you’re not!)
- Poor lighting
- You out on the town in Vegas
The idea is to keep your LinkedIn photo identifiable and professional. Also, to come across as friendly and easy-to-work with. (No scowling!)
You don’t have to invest hundreds in a professional photographer to get a polished photo. (However, if you do have the funds, it’s certainly a worthwhile investment.) Many have a friend (or two) with a photography hobby - and they’re the perfect people to ask. If you’re unable to find a friend with a nice camera, you can always use your smartphone. Learn some smartphone portrait pro-tips here. Basically, you want to be aware of lighting and the background.
Professional Headline: By default, LinkedIn will use your first job title from your Experience section as your professional headline which appears right under your name at the top. We suggest you go into “Edit Profile” mode and change it to something that entices people to read your profile. While you’re still in school, you can put your headline as “Student in full-stack web development” or “Studying full-stack Web Development @ Flatiron School”. Be mindful that once your headline says you are a developer, you’re more likely to get pinged by recruiters, and you want to wait until you’re really ready before you make that your headline.
A Custom Profile URL: LinkedIn allows you to make a custom URL for your profile. Usually it will look something like this: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yourname You can customize yours in the “Edit profile” section. A custom URL looks more professional and adds legitimacy.
Privacy Settings: If your privacy settings are too tight, hiring managers won’t be able to find you on LinkedIn. If you’re actively looking for a job, you want to make sure all of your information can be viewed by the “public”. (The only exception would be for someone who cannot be searchable online for their own safety—like a survivor of domestic violence.) You can adjust what is shown to the public under the “Privacy & Settings” section. Also, make sure to include your email address in your summary, contact information, and advice for contacting sections. This way, it makes it easier for people to get in touch with you.
Contact Info: You want people to be able to easily get in touch with you. Fill out the Contact Information (it’s at the bottom of your main information box where you will see “Contact Info”) Populate these fields with your email, phone and link to a blog and portfolio if you have one. Another place to put all your contact info is in the “Advice For Contacting” section.
Summary: This is a 2,000 character advertisement you can write for yourself! Describe how you can benefit a company here and again, be sure to add all your contact information (email, phone, etc.) to make it easy to get a hold of you!
Keywords: Be Searchable on LinkedIn. Decide what employers will be searching for to find candidates like you, and then make sure you fill up your profile with those keywords. Your keyword is your job title, core function, or core skill. To come up high in LinkedIn searches for your keyword, add your keyword throughout your profile, but especially in these sections: Headline, Summary, Current Job title, Past job title. To get ideas on all the places to put your keyword, search and look at profiles of other professionals with skills like yours.
LinkedIn Groups: LinkedIn also has a forum-like feature on the platform: LinkedIn groups. These groups allow you to connect with likeminded people around a certain interest. Like Ruby on Rails or JavaScript. Groups are great for people who don’t live in big cities, but still want to network. Remember, always provide value to the group you’re in - don’t just promote yourself!
Messaging Functions: On LinkedIn you can send direct messages to your connections. There is also a messaging feature called InMail. InMail allows you to connect with LinkedIn members you’re not connected to. However, only premium accounts have InMail capabilities.
When connecting with people on LinkedIn, you want to keep it personal. Think of your LinkedIn network like your real-life network, meaning you want to primarily connect with people you know in real life.
Be careful about how many invitations you send out and to whom. If enough people ignore your invitation or mark that they don’t know you, LinkedIn may prevent you from sending out invitations. Yikes!
Another tip to follow, especially when connecting with people you just met, is to add a custom message to the invitation. Never use the default message that pops up when you're connecting with someone. Something like this below is a good custom message.
Hey Brad,
It was great to meet you at the RoR meetup! Hope to stay in touch.
-Laurence
However, if you'd like to make a cold outreach or connect with someone you never “met”, here’s a few ways to go about it:
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Pay them a compliment. Maybe you read their blog and love it. If that’s the case, let them know this in your invitation message. Say something like, “Hey! I follow your blog and love what you share. Wanted to stay up to date with you on LinkedIn as well.”
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Identify a mutual connection. And use that shared connection as your "in."
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Note a common interest. Perhaps you’re both members of a certain LinkedIn group, or you both volunteer with the same nonprofit.
The point is: whenever connecting with someone on LinkedIn, make sure you give them a reason why they should accept your invitation. If they are unsure who you are, and your invitation message is blank, the chances of them connecting with you is slim to none. Especially for influencers who are bombarded with invites everyday, you want to make sure yours stands out from the rest.
LinkedIn is the social media network for professionals. It’s paramount that you have a profile on the platform. Otherwise, you’ll look like a recluse in the eyes of hiring managers.
LinkedIn has many features like the ability to apply for jobs, join groups, message others, and more. While you don’t have to take advantage of all LinkedIn has to offer, at least have a profile that is filled out and up-to-date. A polished LinkedIn presence can take you a long way.
In this assignment, create a new Google Doc. Remember to title it ""Your Name" + "LinkedIn"
Paste the url of your LinkedIn profile. Make sure that you've created a custom profile URL. Below that, answer the following questions about your profile so that you and your coach can work on making the necessary improvements:
- Is my profile photo professional and welcoming?
- Have I listed a headline, industry, and location?
- If an outsider were to read my summary, what would that person think about me?
- How detailed are my past jobs? Do they accurately represent my experience?
- How easy is it for a person interested in my profile to contact me?
- Are my privacy settings set such that my profile is publically searchable?
Email your assignment to your coach. You'll be assigned a coach once you're through ~75% of the full stack web track so if you don't have a coach now, just keep learning to code and we'll get you set up with one when we feel you're ready to focus on career preparation in addition to technical curriculum. Once you have a coach, you can start submitting assignments.
In this case, your email subject line will be “Your Name” + "LinkedIn”
In the body of your email again include:
Your Name
Assignment Title
Your City, State
Url link to this specific google doc
Update your Careers Prep Tracker sheet with the date submitted, and for this particular assignment, also in the noted cell, include your LinkedIn profile url.
View Careers LinkedIn on Learn.co and start learning to code for free.