Bestselling author Dan Schawbel wrote an article entitled, “HOW TO: Build Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn”.  Trying to decide how to best market yourself to prospective employers is not easy.  As a student at Fordham University, I know that professionalism takes adequate practice.

Below are some pointers to get started building your personal brand on LinkedIn:

1. Properly position yourself. If you are in transition mode, portray what you want, not what you currently have.   As a student, state your career objectives and goals upon graduation.
2. Fill in the space.  Do not limit your work experience to the last few years. Add all relevant jobs and projects that you have done. Show off your diverse portfolio.
3. Cover your page with key phrases.  Recruiters use keywords to find prospective employees. It is important for you to be highly visible in the search.
4. Build your network. As a novice, it may be difficult to think of everyone to invite. The best way to start is using the import feature, which adds your contacts from various email accounts.
5. Join Groups.  Find groups within the industry you want to work and become a member.  Interact within the groups.  This will give you more exposure to potential employers, as well as, help with networking and finding key contacts.
6. Invitations. If someone adds you as a contact, accept them. The more people on your network, the more opportunities created. One distinct aspect of LinkedIn is that there are three different connections: first degree, second degree, and third degree. Adding one person potentially adds hundreds of two degree and thousands of third degree connections.
7. Show your leadership abilities! If you have a blog or personal website, add it to your page. If you do not, you can develop a group on LinkedIn to show your interests and strengths as a leader.  Or you can create your own blog for free.
8. Stay up-to-date. Make sure that your profile is updated. As a personal brand, your presence should embody everything that you do. To best market yourself, keep jobs and experience as current as possible.
9. No Errors! Since you are developing a brand, make sure it is completely flawless because everything you do reflects who you are.

LinkedIn is one of the best professional tools appropriate for college students. Before entering the marketplace, have a topnotch profile. Remember to keep your personal brand consistent among all networking sites!  When recruiters are researching you, it will be quite impressive.

Stand out: Brand everything, especially your resume. Link your blog, showcase your internships, highlight your achievements, and take initiative. Your resume should be an extension of you. Be prepared to talk about everything on your resume and have a story to back it up. It should all support your personal brand story.

Employers have a wealth of potential employees that they can hire. Try to see things from the employer’s perspective and think– why would I hire you? Be able to give the reasons on what makes you a better candidate than the next person. It’s all about knowing your audience in order to effectively communicate your message.