3 Ways Nursing Students Can Leverage LinkedIn
by Victoria Bennett, CPRW, Senior Career Services Advisor
LinkedIn, an employment-oriented social media network, is a major player in the professional world today. Knowing how to leverage the platform will only help in making you stand out and get the attention of hiring managers and industry leaders.
Here are a few tips to get you started:
1. Research
Do you want to know inside information about a company or their top employees? If so, LinkedIn is a great starting point. Through its mega database, you can visit company pages to see what content they are sharing and join discussion groups to see what employees are saying.
Find out about company culture, open opportunities, and what current employees are saying. If you’re looking for a new gig, try taking a peek at someone’s profile who has the job title you want and see what experiences and responsibilities they have under their belt.
Use LinkedIn to not only research organizations, but also hiring managers or recruiters. If you do get to speak with them, you’ll have some insider information to connect on during your conversation. You may find you even have some shared connections!
2. Connect
Take advantage of being able to connect with a wide network of individuals from the comforts of your own home. Through the free version of LinkedIn, you can send requests to classmates, alumni, professors, colleagues and more.
By connecting with alumni that have graduated from your college or university, you will have a resource to get advice about your industry or organizations they make work for. To maintain the integrity of the platform, LinkedIn does ask that you identify how you know those you send requests to.
LinkedIn also offers various paid subscriptions that give you more access and allow you to connect with individuals who may be outside of your specific network, like recruiters or industry leaders.
3. Brand Yourself
What exactly does the term "brand yourself" mean? It means identifying your goals and personal values and communicating them in a way that sells you to potential employers and others who work within and outside of your industry. Branding yourself is so important to make you stand out above the competition.
Write your profile tagline in a way that’s clear and that communicates your core strengths and identifying characteristics. Think “Safety-Focused Student Nurse” or “BSN Graduate Committed to Community Health and Education.” Then find ways to highlight those same buzz words when describing your background and experience.
Ready to give it a shot and join the largest professional network around? You can start by joining Chamberlain University’s LinkedIn group. Be sure to introduce yourself, and start connecting with your fellow classmates, faculty and alumni!
