Whether you’re a graduating senior or a first semester freshman, LinkedIn is your friend. Jobs, internships, and new connections are at your fingertips if you know how to use it. Here are some tips for making your LinkedIn profile stand out.

If you’re reading this and wondering, “What is a LinkedIn?” don’t fret, but do get on the bandwagon. LinkedIn is the largest professional networking site in the world. It allows you to update your profile with as many professional experiences as you want and make connections with former and potential employers.

Trevor Cobb, student employee at Drury’s Career Planning and Development office, believes that LinkedIn is a good way to stay caught up with your professional contacts.

“In the same way that Facebook is good at keeping in touch with friends from a long time ago, Linkedin is good at keeping in touch with your professional contacts. Your bosses and coworkers are available for you to contact them for reference letters without you having to go on a wild goose chase trying to find them at their current employment,” said Cobb.

Cobb recommends that you add anyone you’ve ever worked with, your professors, and the Career Planning and Development office on LinkedIn and have them endorse your skills.

Senior finance major David Barberis has made many connections through his LinkedIn account and has had several businesses request for him to apply for their company.

“Potential employers find employees through skill searches and past experience. The employers find me through similar groups and skills matching the job set,” said Barberis.

The more you can include on your profile, the better equipped you can be to find a job, according to Cobb.

“It’s a really great way to keep up with your master resume because when you start to get a lot of different kinds of experiences, you might not to put everything in each resume. You’ll have resumes and cover letters that will be tailored to each job you apply for. This is a good place for potential employers to see all your well rounded experiences and for you to copy, paste, and edit your experiences along the way,” said Cobb.

For many people, this is one of the easiest ways to see what kind of job opportunities are available.

“I use LinkedIn a lot to search and apply for jobs because it is easy to use,” said Barberis.

LinkedIn can also be an added bonus to any application that you’re already filling out, as potential employers will definitely be checking out your profile.

“It’s important to update your LinkedIn. A lot of times on job and internship applications, it will ask for a link to your account. When you fill out applications it’s good not to have boxes left empty,” said Cobb.

Some advice that Barberis offers for a person starting out their LinkedIn profile would be to “make sure to double check your account for spelling errors and add skills that are relevant to your career.”

Remember that your LinkedIn account is important and is sometimes the first place that employers look, so stay ahead of curb and keep it updated.

If you get stuck, feel free to email career@drury.edu to set up an appointment with the career planning and development office or stop by their office in Bay 148.