While social media is a means for interacting with friends, sharing selfies and learning what's going on in the world, it can also serve as a powerful tool in your career. Learn ways to use social media to create a professional brand, network and engage with industry, and build credibility as an emerging leader in your field of study. Presented at the 2015 ERAU Student Leadership Conference.

2. What is professional
branding?
The perception of who you are as a professional … a
leader, a go-to person, an expert, etc.
A means for differentiating yourself from others
Specialties, areas of expertise
Contributions to field of study, profession
Leadership experience

3. How do you build your
brand?
Determine what you have to offer
Fill in the gaps
Engagement in the classroom, student groups, professional
organizations, conferences
Social media, networking, friends
Image, body language, personality, how you treat others
Be authentic and stay consistent

4. LinkedIn: An effective way to
build your brand
A social networking site designed with
professionals in mind. It highlights information
similar to a résumé, provides forums for career-
related discussion, and gives you a platform for
career research.

5. Who Uses LinkedIn?
332M+
©2013 LinkedIn Corporation. All Rights
Reserved.
professionals
4M+
companies
150+
industries
Executives from every
Fortune 50060K+
college and university
alumni groups
67%67% outside the U.S.
company
39M+
students and recent grads

6. Students & recent
grads
=
LinkedIn’s fastest-
growing demographic
©2013 LinkedIn Corporation. All Rights
Reserved.

7. 98%
78%70%
91%
69%
48%
94%
89%
73%
73%
97%
54%

8. 98%
of recruiters use
social media to
recruit
78%
have made a
hire through
social media
70% of
employers have
successfully hired a
candidate through
some form of social
media
91% of companies use social
networking sites to research
and screen job candidates
69% of employers have
rejected a candidate because of
something they saw on social
media
48%
screen
candidates
using
LinkedIn
94% of
recruiters used
LinkedIn
89% of companies
have hired someone
through LinkedIn
73% of
18-34 year olds
found their last
job through a
social network
73%have
made successful
hires using social
media
97%
LinkedIn remains dominant
54% of
recruiters now
use Twitter

9. How Do I Capitalize on this
Trend?
 Get on LinkedIn
 Proactively manage your online brand
 Clean up your social networking sites with a professional brand
 Use privacy settings carefully
 Share industry knowledge on blogs, LinkedIn (groups and
newsfeed), Twitter, and Facebook
 Learn how to use social media sites to network and build your
professional brand

10. LinkedIn Benefits for
Students and Alumni
1 Build a professional online presence
2 Add connections with 'warm' contacts and alumni
3 Research companies, industries, and grad programs
4 Explore opportunities for undecided students
5 Learn professional networking etiquette
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Reserved.

11. Build and Enhance Your
Own Professional Brand
• Brand defined
• Brand of YOU
• Promoting your brand

12. Build and Enhance Your
Own Professional Brand
©2013 LinkedIn Corporation. All Rights
Reserved.

13. ------------------------------
Michael Loring
Student, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Ph: (800) 555-1234
MichaelL@erau.edu
Connect with me on LinkedIn:
www.linkedin.com/in/MichaelLoring
Add LinkedIn to Your
Email Signature

14. How should a Brand be
Represented?
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Reserved.

15. “It’s no longer enough to
simply have a solid resume.
Students now need a
professional online presence.”
Holly Paul, Former US Recruiting Leader, PricewaterhouseCoopers
©2013 LinkedIn Corporation. All Rights
Reserved.

17. Key Elements
• Photo/Headshot
•Make sure that it is up close, professional in nature but appropriate
for you field, and just of you
•Headline
• This automatically pulls from your current/most recent job, however
you can change it to reflect an interesting brand statement
•Should include area of study and/or career ambitions
•Profile URL
•Always update your profile url to be your name
•This helps your profile pop up when you are Googled
•You can also add this to your resume and email signature

18. Key Elements
Websites
•This is a great place to link blogs,
Twitter, or other professional
websites
•Include your personal websites if
you have collected projects and
information for professional use

19. What does your profile
highlight?
?

20. Key Elements
Summary
•Create a professional summary
written in the first person
•Focus on answering three main
questions:
(1) Who are you professionally?
(2) What do you do or want to do?
(3) Why are you unique? What are
your skills and specialties?
• Should be keyword rich for your
industry that includes the types of
positions you are seeking
• Review job descriptions for
keywords to include

21. Key Elements
Experience
• Post at least three recent positions
• Be sure to include volunteer
positions, internships, and jobs.
Under each position, list the 1-2 most
important bullets from your resume
• Then, add 1-2 that you didn’t have
space to include on your resume.
This helps ensure that someone who
has seen your resume is finding
supplemental information on your
LinkedIn profile
• Start your bullets with action words,
just like you would on your resume

22. Key Elements
Education
•Include all education
• Honors, awards, activities,
significant projects, relevant
courses, and/or other highlights

23. Key Elements
Skills & Expertise
•Add industry and technical
terms that relate to your field(s)
of interest. This is a great
section to also focus on
keywords that may be used
when employers are conducting
searches on LinkedIn
•View other professionals’
profiles to get more ideas

24. Key Elements
Recommendations
•Ideal to have 1-2 recommendations
for each of your most recent
work/project experiences
•Customize the recommendation
request to share why you are
looking for a recommendation and
what you would specifically like them
to highlight
•Recommender must be a LinkedIn
member and connection must
already be made

25. Add Connections with ‘Warm’ Contacts and Alumni
©2013 LinkedIn Corporation. All Rights
Reserved.

26. Connections
• Connections should first be made with people that you have
a relationship with
• Begin by connecting with family , friends,
coworkers/supervisors, classmates, and staff/instructors
• Remember to add connections from internships/co-ops. The
more 1st degree connections you have, the more helpful
your 2nd degree connections will be; then 3rd degree
connections will appear
• Always customize connection requests. This adds a
personal touch and will remind the person who you are
• Continue to maintain your LinkedIn connections. As you
meet new people at networking events or future jobs,
connect with them right away

27. Yourmessagecanhaveupto300characters.
This is for a 1st Degree connection
Remember to personalize your communication
Nope
Yep
Connections

28. This is for a 2nd Degree
connection
Make sure you feel
comfortable and confident with
your 1st degree connection
before you request an
introduction
If your connection is fairly
new to this feature, you may
need to help him/her by
providing these steps:
1. Search for one of the connection's (ex: Sean or
Emily’s) profiles from the top of your home page
2. From results, click on the name
3. Hover over the "Send InMail" dropdown box and click
“Share profile"
4. Enter each recipient's name in the "To" box
5. Modify the message to explain how recipients could
benefit from knowing each other
6. Click Send Message
Connections

29. Follow-up
communication from an
introduction should result
in you replying and asking
for the contact’s preferred
email address. This will
allow you to use the
“Connect” button with the
“Other” option which
requires an email address
Be sure to include a
follow-up message that
expresses your sincere
enthusiasm to get to know
this person
You will need to make
a 2nd degree connection
before you connect with a
3rd degree connection
Connections

30. Essentials
Complete your profile! Fill out sections that are
suggested such as projects/organizations, etc.
Join the ERAU Alumni Association Group, ERAU
Career Services Group, professional associations
and other relevant groups
Comment on group discussion boards or post
your own topic/question/request
Tap into the LinkedIn Alumni Tool and University
Pages

31. Connecting with Alumni via “Network Tool”

32. Communication to ERAU
Alumni
Hi Greg, I am currently a senior at ERAU and came across your
profile. I will graduate in May 2014, also with a degree in Aerospace
Engineering, and have been interning with Gulfstream this last
semester. I’m currently job hunting and hoping to make the transition
from student to entry level engineer. I am really interested in knowing
more about your career and was wondering if you might be willing to
offer some advice or perhaps chat by phone? I would really appreciate
your time and would be happy to help you in any way that I can.
Thank you! - Alicia
You can typically connect with alumni or people in groups you are in without needing
an introduction.

33. Groups
• Use groups such as
ERAU Alumni Group
to ask questions and
get to know alumni
• Contribute to
discussions to
demonstrate you have
professional
knowledge
• Use the Job tab to
check out any position
being recruited for
Groups

34. • Use the “Interests”
feature to connect
with groups,
companies, and
influencers
• Follow companies of
interest to learn more
• Use the company’s
“career” tab to learn
about their
opportunities and
culture
Interests

35. Search for Positions
Using the Jobs
Category
Several ways to search include:
• Simple search by keyword
• Search using connections
• Search by location

36. Keep a Clean House
• Update your LinkedIn profile - along with your resume
• Continue to connect with those who you have already worked
with to help build your network
• Participate in discussions and groups- sign up for Google
Alerts @ www.google.com/alerts it will send you emails about
specific topics you would like to post about
• Accuracy and details matter!
• Check for grammar
• Use a professionally branded photo
• Achieve “All-Star” status by completing sections of your
profile

37. Protect Your Online
Presence
Privacy settings
Negative content
Professionalism

38. Questions?

39. Career Services Website / Blog
EagleHire
ERAU Connection
ERNIE/Blackboard
Facebook
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Twitter
Instagram
Connect, follow, join, like, and engage Career Services
via all our communication methods…