Event Helps Students Optimize Marketability

When members of the Heider Business Senate met early in the semester to brainstorm ways the organization could benefit business students, they considered that the majority of students were either in the process of interviewing for internships or full-time employment or would be in the near future. The Senate landed on an event that would help them optimize their LinkedIn profiles. 

Most Heider students create LinkedIn profiles during their freshman year and update them as they join campus organizations and gain internship experiences. But why not consult the experts at LinkedIn on how to use the social media platform to present oneself in the best possible light, Heider Business Senate representatives thought. 

So, they invited LinkedIn executives to speak to students on ways to elevate their online presence and increase views from prospective employers. Get LinkedIn: An Event to Rock Your Profile was held April 27. Keynote speakers Amanda Choi and Dani Steffen, relationship managers at LinkedIn, shared their expertise, via Zoom, with more than 60 students in the Harper Center auditorium.

“This total attendance would be a success in a year without a global pandemic, so we were extremely happy with the turnout,” says Cameron Kresko, vice president of Heider Business Senate.

The Heider Business Senate is a liaison between the student body and the Heider College of Business administration. It also helps promotes the college’s mission and values – “to form leaders who use their business education to promote justice and improve the world” –with its myriad of events and activities throughout the academic year. It brings keynote speakers to campus to educate students on current business topics and hosts monthly networking events. Business Bites is a favorite. Employers sponsor lunch “meet and greets” on campus, though COVID-19 suspended the popular event during the 2020-2021 academic year. 

“Through events like Get LinkedIn, we hope to create an atmosphere in which all business students can thrive,” Kresko, a sophomore marketing, business intelligence and analytics and fintech triple major, says.

Creating a LinkedIn profile is more than just listing a few activities, work experiences and a resume, and Choi and Steffen shared numerous tips on making profiles truly dynamic. For instance, summaries in the “About” section should exceed 40 words to make it easier for a recruiter to find you in a search. Additionally, adding voice recordings of name pronunciation can prevent confusion during an interview. Also, profiles with five or more skills receive 17 times the views than those listing four or less. 

Participant feedback was so positive, the possibility that Get LinkedIn will be an annual offering is strong. Those attending the inaugural, hybrid event ran the gamut, from LinkedIn novices to those with fully fleshed out profiles. But even the students with multiple internships under their belts gave the event a thumbs up. 

“There were several students who attended who had already received internships for the summer,” Kresko says, “and they were pleasantly surprised that they still received a great degree of information they can use to obtain a full-time job in the near future.”

“We believe that the LinkedIn event will foster a clean, professional LinkedIn profile for students that will catch employers’ attention,” adds Kresko. “In a bearish job market, what better way to get a leg up on the competition than a new and improved LinkedIn profile?”