I recently had the opportunity to go to LinkedIn’s Downtown Detroit location and hear, from LinkedIn professionals, about what makes an excellent student profile.  I learned about what goes into a strong profile, how to set yourself apart from other students, and how to get more recruiters to your page.

Below are 10 tips to create a strong student profile, even with minimal experience:

Headline

Your headline should be a short and memorable professional slogan. “Honors student seeking a marketing position,” for example. You should feel empowered to check out student profiles and recent alumni you’d like to model for ideas.

Headshot

Uploading a high-quality photo will make your profile 7x more likely to be viewed. You should ensure that you are alone and professionally dressed. 

Education

LinkedIn is not a place to be shy! Show off your GPA, test scores and honors or awards. Be sure to include all your schools, major(s), and minor(s), courses, and summer programs. 

Professional summary 

Your summary statement is the first couple of paragraphs of your cover letter. Be concise and confident about your qualifications and goals, don’t forget relevant work and extracurriculars. 

Skills & Expertise

This is the section that you should put keywords and phrases that recruiters search for. If you find yourself needed help, find relevant job listings that appeal to you and include specific skills and qualifications you have. (Protip: look at the profiles of people who have the kinds of roles you want).

Update regularly

Posting updates helps you stay on your network’s radar and build your professional image. You should always be on top of mentioning your projects, professional books or articles, or events you’re attending. More recruiters than you think read your feed.

Flex your network

Groups you join appear at the bottom of your profile. Joining some show that you want to engage in professional communities and learn the lingo. Start with your university and local industry groups! Local networks can be so helpful at any point in your career. 

Collect Recommendations

The best profiles have at least one recommendation for each position a person has help. Recruiters are most impressed by recommendations from people who have directly managed you. If possible, go back and ask an internship supervisor or professor to write you a brief recommendation on LinkedIn.

LinkedIn URL 

To increase the professional results that appear when people search for you online, set your LinkedIn profile to “public” and create a unique URL (e.g www.LinkedIn.com/JohnDoe).

Share!

You can also add actual examples of your writing, design work, or other accomplishments on your profile, where you can share rich media or documents. This is excellent for selling your skills to potential employers and showing what you’re capable of producing.