In 2022, I’ve provided over a dozen trainings in which I’ve offered multiple tips for younger people who use LinkedIn.

In case you didn’t know, in order to be able to have a LinkedIn account, you must be at least 16 years old. As with other social media sites, you need to abide by the terms of service of LinkedIn.

For example, you must use your real name, and you can have only one account on LinkedIn. Click here to learn more about LinkedIn’s terms of service.

 

Resources for Younger People

Before creating a LinkedIn account, you might want to ask a relative or friend to show you their account. Also, ask them to give you some basic tips on getting started with this powerful platform.

A Google search will also provide many helpful resources. I especially appreciated Kathy Jamison’s article: “LinkedIn – Building Your Teen Profile.” She provides great ideas for teen LinkedIn users who have limited or no work experience. These tips also apply to other younger people.

 

Examples From LinkedIn Profiles of My Younger Clients

  • College students can include leadership roles they held during their high school and college years in their Experience section. For example, one of my clients was the vice-president of his college fraternity. He lists that role in the Experience part of his profile.
  • College students can list their academic major and their career aspiration in their headline. Another client of mine includes in her headline that her major is biology and that her career aspiration is to become an OB/GYN physician.
  • Include customer reviews for jobs held (or companies started) while in middle school, high school or college. A client who is a recent high school graduate created a landscaping business while in middle school which he still operates. He references that business as a position in his Experience section. He also includes a link to customer reviews on his website.
  • Both high school and college athletes can have their profile photo and background photo taken wearing their sports uniform. One of my college clients did this to increase his chances of landing sponsorships through his name, image or likeness (NIL). As of July, 2021, if a college athlete lives in a state where legislation has been passed to allow use of NIL, they can profit from their name, image or likeness according to state law.
  • Feature a link to information about an internship held during high school or college. One of my college clients is majoring in landscape architecture. She featured a link to information about her internship project which addresses sustainable living through urban agriculture, community gathering and restorative landscapes.

 

About Joyce

Joyce Feustel helps people, especially those age 55 and up, to become more effective using social media, especially LinkedIn and Facebook. She works with business owners, business development professionals, business consultants, job seekers, and more – ranging from entrepreneurs to people in large corporations. Find her at www.boomerssocialmediatutor.com.

 

*This blog post is drawn, in part, from a blog post I published on my website on August 10, 2022 that focused exclusively on teens using LinkedIn.

https://boomerssocialmediatutor.com/tips-for-teens-who-use-linkedin/