Emmanuel LinkedIn

Linked In, More than an Online CV

There was the guy in the hat. No one wants to be the other guy in a hat. And so I became the student who wears shorts – all year round – in a naïve attempt to control the narrative. Thankfully it was an age before my future employers were easily able to compound my embarrassment. But the likelihood is that many potential employers will make an internet search on your name. Your LinkedIn profile, or absence of it, will influence their impression of you.

You have flexibility in how you present yourself in your LinkedIn profile. Extra details or omitted information are acceptable in a way that a traditional CV wouldn’t allow. It is a means for you to find potential employers and for them to find you. In fact, start-ups and smaller companies depend on LinkedIn as a cost-effective recruitment channel.

All great, however this article is about what sits at the heart of LinkedIn, and that is the power of networks. When I was a student I considered networking to be a despicable activity and networkers to be pushy egotists one avoids before they selfishly elicit favours from you. That would be to focus on the extreme and I’ve widened my view since then.

We all have support networks – family, friends, acquaintances, co-workers – why wouldn’t we expand that group and at a time of need lean on them to help us, perhaps through their own networks. And for those of you with purer souls, the connections run both ways – the power of networks empowers you to be your most effective self (by maximising opportunity) to help others and make the world a better place.

Emmanuel College values the sense of community amongst its members. One way the college demonstrates this is by administering a private LinkedIn group for college members. It is hidden from public searches. Once you have a LinkedIn profile you too can join this group and I encourage you to do so.

Before I get too carried away, I realise that there is a significant number of students who are yet to get started on LinkedIn. If that’s you, here are my three essentials for setting off.

1. Have an appropriate head and shoulders picture.

2. Make it clear your current status is as a student of the University of Cambridge.

3. Get your number of connections above 50. Student friends are fine to begin with.

These are the first glance impressions when your profile is initially viewed. Beyond that an easy way to stand out from the masses is to have a summary statement. Why wouldn’t you want to share an elevator pitch which defines your brilliant uniqueness?

The way LinkedIn has evolved is that, outside of concentrated periods of job search, most ordinary users employ LinkedIn as their business contacts database. It’s a ready resource for intel and initial contact as and when required. You are welcome to connect with me on LinkedIn. Grow your connections as a habit. I wish you a happy journey, whether that’s in shorts or not.

A guide to LinkedIn for Emma students is attached. Twice a year the Emmanuel Society organises a LinkedIn training seminar in college which is promoted by ECSU and MCR Careers Officers. To apply to join the Emma LinkedIn group type or paste the following link into your browser:

www.linkedin.com/groups/152071/

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