Graduating from college is a huge achievement. But after all your hard work in school, it’s time to start looking for a career. If you are one of the lucky ones who has a job lined up immediately after graduating, congrats! But for most, the next step after graduating is finding a job.
Here are a few reasons why LinkedIn can be the perfect place for recent college grads to find a job.
There’s not a lot of competition
As a recent graduate, many of your peers may not be on LinkedIn yet. Sure, they will be active on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. But those sites aren’t likely to land you a job.
The sooner you create a LinkedIn profile, the better. So if you haven’t graduated yet, I’d recommend making a LinkedIn account during your last semester of school. Over 90% of recruiters are using LinkedIn and recent graduates are hot commodities. Be the first in your class to get on LinkedIn and recruiters will be all over you.
You can network with people at target companies
It’s tempting to accept the first offer you receive out of college. After all, it’s exciting to receive a salary with benefits as a recent graduate. Before accepting any offers, take some time to learn about the company you will be working for and the job responsibilities you will have. You can save yourself a lot of time in the long run by doing this.
If you don’t know anyone who works in a similar position at the company, you should check LinkedIn. It’s a great place to find and connect with other employees at the company. And you’d be surprised how many people are willing to get on a phone call to discuss the job with an interested applicant.
After getting some insider information, you’ll have a much easier time making a final decision.
There are plenty of high-quality jobs
LinkedIn is a great website to find and apply to jobs. It’s completely free for the job seeker and they even offer a filter for “Internship” and “Entry level” jobs.
It’s also one of the few sites that will occasionally show the recruiter who posted the job. This is a great opportunity for you to send them a message on LinkedIn expressing your interest in the position.
Networking with the job poster is a great strategy that is done regularly for higher-level jobs. But as a recent graduate, very few of your peers will know to do this.
You can get recommendations from professors and classmates
Recommendations are a great way to spruce up a LinkedIn profile. Since you just graduated, you should have a large list of professors and classmates you can request recommendations from. Recommendations are written testimonials that people can write about you. By asking some of your favorite professors or classmates to say a few kind words, you will stick out amongst your peers.
Very few recent graduates have LinkedIn recommendations so even getting 2-3 will make you look like a rockstar to hiring managers and recruiters.
Takeaways
Here are some things to remember about why LinkedIn is great for recent graduates to land a job:
- You will be amongst a minority of peers on LinkedIn.
- You will save yourself from accepting a job you hate.
- You will find high quality jobs to apply for.
- You will receive recommendations that set you apart.
Author Bio: Mike Podesto is a former recruiter and current Founder & CEO of Find My Profession, a leading resume writing and career coaching company. Mike is passionate about helping job seekers find fulfillment in their careers by breaking down the tedious job search barriers
