LinkedIn Updates Profile, Adds Sections For College Students And Recent Graduates

College students and recent graduates are among the generation who was the quickest to embrace social networking, but with the competitive job market, these budding professionals are less likely to have real-world job experience to list on their social networks. This is why LinkedIn has added some new sections to their profiles. Now all users can showcase a wide range of the accomplishments they’ve achieved throughout their education.
The new sections are completely optional, but valuable to students looking to land internships or their first job out of college. Just because a student doesn’t have professional experience it doesn’t mean they haven’t honed their skill set by other means.
The new sections are as follows:

• Projects: Showcase class projects or research that helped you gain experience in a skill related to your field. This is great for people who are majoring in computer science and may be developing new technologies, medical students who might be doing scientific research or users in the arts who might be writing screenplays or curating exhibits.

• Honors & Awards: Highlight any award-based achievements you’ve received throughout your education. This could be anything from Dean’s List to your merit-based scholarship.

• Organizations: Organizations like your school’s newspaper or Greek life demonstrate leadership skills and experience in work related to your field. While it might not be professional experience, it’s often the first steps to landing your dream job.

• Test Scores: If you received high test scores on major exams, why not brag about it? A high G.P.A and standardized test scores can set you apart from other students and recent graduates.

• Courses: Courses are the basis in understanding important skills in your field. For example, if you took a class on Adobe Suite or Java programming, it’s important to show potential employers that you’re trained in those skills.

These sections are only one of the many updates LinkedIn has added to their service this year. In March, they added a social news feature called LinkedIn Today and launched a student internship portal. The company is also planning to release a new job application tool.