GETTING STARTED

To use LinkedIn, users must complete the free registration process. To begin, go to

www.linkedin.com and follow the registration prompt on the homepage.

After completing registration, users can create their LinkedIn profile. It is VERY important to have a

complete and professional profile on LinkedIn. Employers, alumni, and recruiters are constantly

viewing LinkedIn profiles and unfinished profiles can have negative or minimal impact on viewers.

THE BASICS

The 5 basic headings on your LinkedIn page will be in the upper left hand corner: Home, Profile,

Network, Jobs, and Interests. In the upper right hand corner of your page, you’ll find 4 icons: an

envelope, a flag, a silhouette, and your profile shadow.

This heading will bring you to your homepage. On your home page you’ll find a newsfeed

highlighting updates from your contacts and group discussions.

When you’d like to view your profile, click this heading. Your profile is the public page that

contacts and others on LinkedIn see when they view your page. This is also where you should go to

make any edits to your profile.

This heading allows you to view all contacts in list order. Your contacts can be ordered

alphabetically, chronologically, recently added, etc.

Review jobs posted on LinkedIn by clicking this heading. From there, you can use

LinkedIn’s job search database to view all job postings.

Under this heading, you can elect to follow companies, join groups, and connect with

current and previous educational institutions.

Messages: This icon represents your message center. Here you will find LinkedIn messages

as well as invitations to connect from other Linked In users.

Notifications: This icon notifies users to any activity on their page, including likes and

comments from other contacts. It also tells users when they have new connections.

2

Add Connections: This icon allows users to find LinkedIn contacts via email contact lists.

Account & Settings: This icon allows you to view/edit account settings and access the Help

Center.

CREATING A STRONG PROFILE

Summary Statement

The Summary Statement gives a brief overview of your professional identity. This is a great way

to create an interesting and creative tagline. For example, “2nd year student at the University of

Minnesota Law School dedicated to pro bono causes and public interest law” might be a great

way to summarize who you are (2L at U of M) and your professional interests (public interest law

and pro bono work).

Adding a Summary Statement: Profile Edit Profile Background Summary Add

a Summary Save

Experience and Education Sections

The Experience section on your LinkedIn profile provides information about your professional

experiences and qualifications. Consider this your digital resume.

Include any and all experiences that you feel are important to your legal image. Feel free to

include information that may not fit on your resume as well. Details are good!

The Education section highlights your educational background. Include your undergraduate and

law school information as well as any additional degrees. Don’t forget to include any

certifications, trainings, or other experiences related to your professional education.

Adding Experience: Profile Edit Profile Background Experience

Add a position Save

Adding Education: Profile Edit Profile Background Education

Add Education Save

3

Photo

Connecting with others is much easier with a photo because they are more likely to recognize

your photo than your name. However, make sure your LinkedIn picture is professional and

polished.

Remember, the legal profession can be quite conservative so choose a professional photo. Be sure

you include a recent photo, edit as needed.

Upload Photo: Profile Edit Profile Add a Photo Upload Photo

Contact Info

Include your preferred contact information in your profile. Again, remember to use a professional

email such as your University of Minnesota account.

Edit Contact Info: Profile Edit Profile Edit Contact Info

Create a vanity URL. Vanity URLs will often be the first link that appears if employers Google

applicants. Consider using your LinkedIn URL for business cards and email signature lines.

Simplify the URL by deleting the URL characters and leaving your name. For example:

www.linkedin.com/in/laurawenclclemens.

Edit URL: Profile Edit Profile Edit (to the left of Edit Contact Info) Your Public

Profile URL Customize your public profile URL

4

USING LINKED IN FEATURES

Connect With Others

Once you have created a detailed profile you can begin building your network. You can use the

LinkedIn search engine OR import contacts from your email account. (See below)

Begin with friends and family. Don’t forget to include your classmates as well as current and

previous co-workers.

Adding a Contact: Once you’ve found a contact, click “Connect.” Depending on their security

settings, some contacts may require an explanation regarding your relationship to them. Using

the drop down menu provided, choose your connection to that contact.

Once you’ve requested a connection with someone, an email request with a generic message will

be sent to each potential contact. Personalize each message so that contacts can identify you. For

example:

“Dear John, Thank you for speaking with me last week at the Hennepin

County Bar Association happy hour in Minneapolis. Your thoughts and ideas

on volunteering opportunities for law students interested in criminal law

were really helpful. I’d like to add you as a contact on LinkedIn.”

Viewing Contacts: Network Contacts

People can also invite you to connect with them. When that occurs, an invitation will be sent to

your mailbox. You can review each member’s profile and Accept or Ignore the request. If you

would like to connect with the person, accept their invitation. If you are unsure of the person’s

5

identity or connection to you, it’s often best to ignore the request. You may also send the inviter a

LinkedIn message asking for additional details if you are unsure how you’ve met them.

Viewing Invitations: Messages Invitations Accept or Ignore

Similarly, LinkedIn members can contact you via LinkedIn mail. Follow the directions above and

click on “Messages” instead of “Invitations” to view any messages you’ve received. You can also

compose new messages from that screen as well.

Join Groups/Follow Companies

LinkedIn groups are networks dedicated to a particular profession or area of interest. You can

search for groups in the main search section at the top of the page. Once you find a group of

interest, click “Join” and you will be added to the group. (See below)

If you are interested in a particular area of the law, search to see if there are any groups

dedicated to that practice. Most likely there are several groups to join. Many times, group

members post job openings in group discussions and forums so this is a great way to be alerted

to new jobs!

Viewing Groups: Interests Groups

If there are particular companies, firms, or businesses of interest to you, it can be helpful to

follow them on LinkedIn. This is a great way to stay up-to-date with a particular company while

also showing your interest in them. Search for companies in the search section. If you find a

company of interest, you can click the “Follow” button and you will automatically be added to the

company’s following.

LINKED IN VOCAB

1st Connection: When you add a contact, that person is a 1st connection.

2nd connection: A 2nd connection means that you share a 1st connection with another user. This is

a very useful tool in LinkedIn because it gives members an opportunity to take advantage of

networking connections through people they know. Before an interview, look up the interviewers

and you may be surprised to find that you are connected through one or more people.

3rd Connection: One of your 1st connection contacts has a 2nd connection with that person. This

may be less useful but can illustrate how interconnected most industries can be.

Endorsements: LinkedIn allows users to endorse one another for certain skills and abilities that

are applicable to particular career fields. These endorsements are visible in each user’s profile

under the “Skills and Endorsements” section.