Stand Out in the Crowd: Building Your LinkedIn Profile

The research is in, and according to Pew Research[1], less than 10% of secondary school students have an active LinkedIn profile and make use of it. With the long-term goals of increasing the number of youth enrolling in post-secondary education and pursuing STEM2D and healthcare careers, this is especially important to note for our BTE youth. Why? Because having an active LinkedIn account means they will have a better chance of standing out among their peers. In fact, social media experts are coaching high school students to create well thought-out profiles on LinkedIn and bring them to the attention of college and university admissions officers. Not only can students begin professionally networking and identifying career opportunities like internships or research positions, but they can also take control of their online narrative and showcase their skills and interests to admissions officers, recruiters, and potential employers.

To help build their professional portfolios, BTE has created the “Building Your LinkedIn Profile” toolkit, which includes facilitator instructions, session presentations, and student checklists. During this activity, students will receive an introduction to the LinkedIn platform, develop an understanding of its purpose, and take a deep dive in creating their own professional LinkedIn profile. Students will learn how to manage and maintain their profiles, build connections, and market themselves to recruiters and professional networks.

Available on the Bridge to Employment website, the “Building Your LinkedIn Profile” youth activity is an excellent resource for BTE sites across the globe to implement with their cohorts, particularly those nearing Year 3 or graduating from the program overall. Not only does it help build our young people’s professional portfolios, networks, and connections, but it also helps ensure BTE alumni stay connected with the program for years to come!

For access to the LinkedIn student activity, log into your account and check out the Building Your LinkedIn Profile toolkit here!