As a child of the 90’s, Wayne’s World was a firm favourite of mine. A marmite choice, I know. In the second film, Wayne decides to put on a concert following a visit from Jim Morrison in a dream. In this dream, Jim tells Wayne ‘If you book them, they will come.’ In this statement Jim was reassuring Wayne that if you have an amazing line up of artists, the fans will follow.

Similarly, students and graduates often receive similar messages about LinkedIn. “If you join the platform the jobs will follow.” It is no wonder that this belief exists. LinkedIn is heavily promoted to students and graduates as being one of the best ways to find new opportunities. But without help in understanding how to make the most out of the platform, I often find users becoming quickly disillusioned with it. “I have a LinkedIn profile, but nothing has happened” is a common complaint.

The fact is, that even with a totally knock out profile, we cannot expect opportunities to slide into our DM’s. We have to work to become visible. To coin a phrase referenced by another 90’s icon, Kurt Cobain, “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” Building a door in this case, includes reaching out to others and engaging in content. These two steps can, for some, feel terrifying. Below I have provided 3 top tips to help you to feel more comfortable in expanding your use of the platform and in doing so, improving your chances of being exposed to new opportunities. 

1) Explore your graduate network

LinkedIn has a wonderful 'alumni' tool which allows you to explore your graduate network and find out where other graduates from your course, and the wider University are now working. It can expose you to companies that you had never heard of, job titles that you didn’t know existed and provide some powerful inspiration. To use this tool, follow these steps:

Step 1: Enter Leeds Beckett University in the main LinkedIn search bar at the top of the page. Step 2: Once on the Leeds Beckett page, click on the ‘alumni’ tab. Step 3: Use the new search bar that contains the words ‘search alumni’. In the search bar you can search for graduates based on a job title, the company they work in, the course they studied, the location they now work in and more.

Exploring the career pathways taken by fellow graduates can expose you to rich insights. Click on the profiles of graduates to find out where they started out and what sort of content they are sharing. If you come across a graduate working in a job that sparks your interest, connect with them! From first-hand experience of working with many of our wonderful graduates, I can safely say that our graduate community is incredibly helpful and supportive. When connecting with others, always remember to add a note to say why and don’t be afraid to ask for a 10 min virtual coffee to find out more about their career story. That 10 minutes could be transformational.

2) Follow organisations

Once you have used the alumni tool to uncover the names of organisations that you had never head of, find out more about what they do by giving them a follow. Following organisations will expose you to other individuals who work there. It will also mean that you stay updated with any content shared by the company. This content can offer useful insights into the types of projects the company is working on, who its clients are, what its values are and give a flavour of what life would be like working there.

See something the company is doing that you like? Then like it!

3) Engage in content

This leads me on to my final tip which is all about content. Whether you like, comment, share or create, it is important to engage in content. As a student or recent graduate, your knowledge base is extensive. You are likely to have spent the last 3 years being carefully trained to think critically, challenge assumptions and form balanced opinions. Your knowledge is a valuable commodity. Examples of content you could share might include, a review of a journal article, your thoughts on a report, key insights from an online event or lecture, or examples of your work. Sharing can feel vulnerable and it can take time to feel comfortable in putting content out there. To begin with, you might prefer to share or comment on the posts of others.

It will take time, it will need a constant drip feed but as with most things in life, the more you put in the more you will get out. Sharing content can help you to broaden your reach, expose you to new ideas and ultimately new opportunities.

 If you want to find out more about how to share content, build your network and get going on the platform, tune in to one of our regular, live, online LinkedIn workshops.

As with any social media platform, there may unfortunately be content and individuals on LinkedIn that cause offence. Please be assured that if you have any concerns about the platform, we are here to support you.