LinkedIn is the place for students and recent graduates to find jobs and internships. Here are some steps and tips to get started.

STEP 1: Make Use of Your Existing Network
Contact your existing connections on LinkedIn for internship opportunities before searching for new ones. Your connections
are an important resource.

#TIP – Contacting college alumni / professors can be insightful and resourceful.

STEP 2: Build Your Network
After considering the connections you already have, don’t be afraid to reach out directly to a recruiter on LinkedIn. Search for “HR” or similar terms like “Recruitment Specialist” or “Talent Manager” in the search field.

STEP 3: Scale Down Your Search Results
Add filters to your search for refined and productive search results. Narrowing down the search result from a certain person’s connections to a particular area can provide quicker results.

#TIP– Add your college recruiter in the “Add connections of” search field. This way all the HR Professionals in contact with your college recruiter will show up. You could also add people from the same field you’re interested in. For example, a person interested in connecting with marketers could add a marketer from his list of connections in the search field, as mentioned earlier. (This is a great way of getting access to connections of top executives.)

STEP 4: Personalisation
Always try to add connections with a personal note so that they know your purpose of connecting with them. Blank connection requests have greater chances of being unaccepted. However, if it’s someone you’re unable to add due to missing connection links then you can send an InMail to them. (Use InMails carefully as they are limited unless you use LinkedIn
Premium)

#TIP – Even if you’re unable to connect with someone, you can still follow them and look out for job vacancy updates or any other opportunities.

STEP 5: Message/ E-mail Structure
Once you have connected with people, send them a mail stating a few focus points-

1. Don’t forget to greet them!
2. What do you do or study? (Don’t be redundant about your name and other obvious details which can be easily figured out through your LinkedIn profile)
3. I am seeking __________________
4. Why you’re seeking that role or position. (As a freshman, you might not have experience so you can talk about an ad campaign or initiative of the organisation that has inspired you. This will show that you’ve done your research and are keen on learning)
5. Experience doesn’t have to be paid or full-time to be on your profile. Your Experience section can include internships,
extracurriculars, part-time jobs, volunteer work, or projects that have given you real-world skills. You never know what
might catch an employer’s eye.
6. Try to arrange a meeting with them so that you can take this discussion further. (Recruiters usually end up calling you
to office or if they’re busy, they’ll conduct a telephonic interview/conversation)
7. Thank them, be grateful for their time and effort into reading your internship application.
8.Lastly, do not forget to attach an updated copy of your resume. Cover letter should not be attached as you have already conveyed your message in the email. (If a cover letter has been asked for, then simply greet them in the mail, state what you seek or what you’re applying for and then thank them. Points 1 to 7 will be conveyed in the cover letter in this
case.)

DON’T give up if the recruiters don’t reply. Recruiters receive tons of mails daily and often tend to overlook mails. You never know when you’ll get the right opportunity. KEEP GOING!