(This is the first part of a three-part series that looks at leveraging LinkedIn, the importance of networking, and the high value of experiential learning for student veterans.)

In today's job market, one of the most accessible and helpful tools to leverage is LinkedIn. Touted as one of the world's largest professional networks on the internet, LinkedIn is a robust business and employment-focused social media platform. 

 Below are essential aspects to consider when setting up your LinkedIn profile:

Profile Elements

Before you even begin to make connections on LinkedIn, it is vital to ensure that all of your profile elements are complete and tell the story of who you are and what you are looking for on the platform. Linkedin will walk you through the completion of your profile. 

Profile Examples:

Before you start, look at other profiles of people in your industry. How do peers have their profiles set up? Take notes and be willing to personalize your version of a similar profile. 

Photos and Headline:

Use a high-resolution, high-quality, well-lit photo for your profile image. People are getting creative and moving away from more traditional headshot photos, so feel free to let your personality shine. Consider showcasing yourself in your element. Use a cover photo and headline that will encourage engagement from viewers of your profile. 

About: 

Keep this part brief and to the point but maximize the impact by sharing here more about who you are, where you have come from, what your interests are, your strengths, and what you're looking for in the future. Don't bury the lede, either. If this section is longer than a paragraph, include the most pertinent information near the top. The extra step of clicking through may divert others from reading subsequent paragraphs.  

Job Descriptions: 

List your job titles, and use LinkedIn's categorizing feature to list specific skills within each job. At a minimum, you can copy and paste this information from your resume, but be sure to include this information to complete your profile and offer pertinent details to prospective employers. 

Volunteering, Skills, Projects, Certifications, and Recommendations:

Include important volunteer work you have done, as many companies genuinely care about this. Include skills, projects, and certifications, as these can often relate to keyword searches done by recruiters. Include recommendations, as they are tangible ways previous employers and supervisors can vouch for you in a way that goes beyond listing them on a resume. 

LinkedIn is like a version of a living and breathing resume. The more frequently you engage on the platform and use it to showcase your professional projects and contributions, the more likely you are to connect with recruiters and other business contacts that could have a future impact. 

LinkedIn allows you to showcase yourself, but it is also a valuable tool to gather information about industries that interest you, get notified when positions and opportunities open up, help recruiters find you there, and develop or reconnect with new connections.