Should You Make a LinkedIn Profile?

Yes. Well, if you want to find a job, that is.

Listen. We know – LinkedIn isn’t the “fun” social media platform. There are no clever memes, delicious food, or funny pictures of your friends (#lame). But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have a solid LinkedIn profile! Why?

It’s a simple first step to take towards getting a job. At its most basic, a LinkedIn profile means that you are serious about a) wanting a job, b) making professional connections, and c) getting hired.

Here are three big reasons to make a LinkedIn profile:

1. It’s really easy to set up.

Seriously. LinkedIn walks you through the whole thing step by step and you’ll be done up and running in less than 20 minutes (less than the time it takes to absentmindedly consume an episode of Bob’s Burgers). Pick your most professional selfie, and get ready to copy-and-paste your resume.

Once you’ve made your profile, start adding connections! Start by searching for your favorite professors, family members, other students you know (both college and high school), and your friends. Then you can branch out from there. Send some messages to people who do the job you want to do or work where you want to work. What did they do to get where they are today? Plus, you don’t have to check your LinkedIn profile every day. After you get it set up, just log in every once in a while to make sure everything is still up to date.

2. Employers do actually care if you’re on LinkedIn.

87% of hiring managers check LinkedIn to see if you’re on it. If you’re not, it’s an automatic red flag for them. With hundreds of candidates applying for each job opening, hiring managers can toss your resume over the smallest of things. Make LinkedIn a resource for you. Use it as a tool to add all those other tidbits you couldn’t fit onto your resume because they didn’t feel “relevant.” Drop it onto your LinkedIn profile! Did you walk dogs at the humane society a couple of times? Add it to your volunteer section!

Not to mention that you can score some serious unintentional brownie points with the hiring manager if you have overlapping interests.

3. Networking is literally the main way people get hired these days (and all the days before these days!)

And that’s LinkedIn’s whole business. Connecting people. With jobs!! More than 85% of people find work through people they know. And it can be hard to remember exactly what everyone you know does for a living. But LinkedIn tells you that and keeps them on your radar. Remember that people like helping other people. So use LinkedIn to figure out who you should talk to and then meet up for lunch sometime. It could get you hired!

So yeah, it’s not the sleekest or coolest site. You can’t recap your recent happy hour or post a picture of your ornate chai latte. But it really can help get you off on the right foot with potential employers and make meaningful connections that could land you an awesome job!

So what if your dad’s on LinkedIn? Add him!

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