LinkedIn for High Schoolers: Get Started Now

LinkedIn is a company you associate with business networking. This online site is about networking, that is true, but at what age does networking become vital? The answer depends on your goals, but starting your LinkedIn experience as early as high school makes sense. There are a variety of reasons why beginning a LinkedIn profile while still in high school will work in your favor.

Advantages of LinkedIn

LinkedIn is one of the largest professional networking sites available. The company website states that as many as 150 million members keep LinkedIn pages for business networking and that number is growing exponentially every year. Their networking capacity is international; LinkedIn extends to over 200 countries and territories.

As you head towards college, a networking profile looks impressive to school recruiters. During your academic years, LinkedIn allows you to search companies for opportunities such as apprenticeships or internships. The LinkedIn search feature is a two-way street. There is a road for potential employers to find you and one for you to find them.

LinkedIn gives other people a chance to know more about you and your accomplishments. This will come in handy when you are looking for a job or trying to determine what career path you want to take. Businesses often use the search function on LinkedIn to find professionals for possible employment. This means if you keep your LinkedIn page current, you might end up with a job without ever applying.

Why Start Early

High school is an active time. The classes you take and the activities you participate in will work towards building your future. Even if you do not anticipate job hunting until after college, doing the legwork now will save you from having to rely on your memory or trying to reach people to get employment recommendations. Once you input the information, it becomes part of a cloud system. No matter how many computers you own over the years, your LinkedIn data will be secure.

Building Up Your LinkedIn Page

Things you do in high school can improve your chances of finding a job with the right company. The LinkedIn profile has sections for education, experience and recommendations. This is the time to add to those areas to cover your high school years. Make a list of clubs and other extracurricular activities that might interest a potential employer. For example, you might detail your involvement on the debate team or your election to student council in the education or activities section of your LinkedIn profile.

List any academic awards you receive such as Dean’s list or National Honor Society. This would be the time to hit up your coach, teacher or counselor for a recommendation that can appear on your LinkedIn page.

The Future and LinkedIn

Think of LinkedIn as a photo album. You start at the beginning and add to it over the years. Your career will technically begin during high school; this part of your academic life is something employers remain interested in throughout the years. Job applications almost always have a section to list information about high school. This is an indicator of how crucial this data becomes even as you grow older.

Starting your LinkedIn page during high school does two things; it gives you an online reference that tells college recruiters and future employers something about you. It also keeps the details accurate and consistent for years to come as it is easy to become confused about your accomplishments during high school 20-years after your graduate.

You are not the only thing growing. Every day more companies discover the advantages of networking with LinkedIn. The company that might scan employment resumes by hand today could be turning to the online format of LinkedIn tomorrow, as the membership of LinkedIn continues to grow.

The LinkedIn site is adding new features too. This means even if you can’t do everything today, by the time you are seriously looking for a career, you may have more options.

It is Time to Grow Up

There comes a time in everyone’s life that they realize the things they do today will affect their tomorrow. Starting your career while still in high school is the most effective way to get into the best colleges and to secure employment with heavy hitting companies. Part of growing up is thinking ahead. LinkedIn is a proactive way for you to:

• Secure vital information.

• List your accomplishments for potential employers.

• Network to improve on your business opportunities.

Setting up a LinkedIn page while still in high school will give you a head start to a promising career.

"LinkedIn for High Schoolers: Get Started Now" TopWritingCompanies, 27 November 2020, https://topwritingcompanies.com Accessed 03 December 2020.