Linkedin is essentially the social media for professionals. When entering this world you must ensure that you carry yourself accordingly, don't use childish language and make sure that your profile is very clean and organized. If you have this established you are more likely to be accepted into people's networks, even if they are much higher above you. Linkedin can be complicated so I am attaching some links below that I myself found helpful in creating a legible profile that makes sense.
step 1
The first thing you want to do is create an account. Do NOT hastily assemble a sloppy profile! I'll say it again: Do NOT create a sloppy profile!! This is super important because people will decided whether or not to create a connection with you based on the way you present yourself. Here are some resources for making good profiles and guides for understanding Linkedin:
Step 2
Once you have made a profile you’re going to want to login and you’ll be on the homepage. This is similar to Facebook in which you see your feed, however this is specifically limited professional networking, so you’ll see posts of those you have connections with and big companies you follow. On the bottom right corner you can see that’s where the mini messaging area is that you can expand, an on the left is some information about yourself. The menus on the top of the screen are pretty self explanatory so we’re going to start right off the bat with finding internships.
Step 3
There are several ways to acquire an internship through Linkedin. The most straightforward and simple way is by simply searching the word internship in the search box. The website will automatically know you are searching for a job, and when you see the choices there are also filters you can apply to moderate your search, for example, I selected remote only instead of in person internships because of the pandemic. If you want to get emails about when there are jobs/internships available according to a certain selection (based on the filters you applied) you can turn on Job Alert which will do just that.
Step 4
You can also change the option that Linkedin automatically applies from Jobs to anything from People to Events. This way you will find search results of internship groups, or companies that have interns, or other interns on Linkedin like you! Let's say you want to apply for a position as the digital intern in the internship described below. You would click on the apply button which would bring you to an external webpage where you would apply based on how it was formatted.
Step 5
Here is an example of an external webpage. When we clicked apply we were brought to this page where you have to play around with the websites as they are almost always different in some way or another in terms of formatting. If you are having lots of trouble finding the location of where you can apply, I suggest re-reading the full job description on Linkedin and if you are still having trouble after clicking around everywhere you can imagine, shoot them an email as their contact information is most likely located at the footer of the site or in the Linkedin description.
Step 6
Going back to Linkedin, let's say you aren't interested in the internships offered, or they aren't well suited to the industry you want to become involved in. You can also search for professors or skilled peoples of such industry, so if you are going into journalism you can search Journalists, if you are going into law you can search lawyers, if you are going into business you can search entrepreneurs, and so on. For this example I am going to search writing professors. When you do so there will be results of people that are writing professors or have been- if the filter is on groups or something you can change it to people. Underneath the little descriptions of each person you can see if you have any connections to them. (if you are connected with someone connected to them) You are creating connections with them in order to later ask if you can have an apprenticeship underneath them, as you respect their work and wanted to learn under their guidance. (I go through what you should say later) If you feel that you want to connect with them, press the connect button.
Step 7
When clicking the connect button you will receive a message to customize the invitation. I recommend adding in a note that makes it more personal and gives you a better chance of them accepting your invitation to connect. But remember this is all optional and you can still simply send the invitation without a note.
Step 8
If you do so choose to include a note here is a sample of something you could say:
Hello __________,
Thank you for accepting my invitation! I am a current student at __________ and have being doing some research into __________ to see if it would be a right fit for me and I was wondering if you could give me any insight into what it is like working there? Is there a lot of room for growth? Are educational benefits provided?
Dear Professor __________,
I'm __________, a high school __freshman, sophomore, etc.__ at _highschool name_. I am fascinated by your research in __________, especially _something from research_. I would really appreciate the chance to learn from you, possibly as an intern for great experience. Thank you!!
Hello __________,
Thank you for accepting my invitation! I am a current student at __________ and have being doing some research into __________ to see if it would be a right fit for me and I was wondering if you could give me any insight into what it is like working there? Is there a lot of room for growth? Are educational benefits provided?
Dear Professor __________,
I'm __________, a high school __freshman, sophomore, etc.__ at _highschool name_. I am fascinated by your research in __________, especially _something from research_. I would really appreciate the chance to learn from you, possibly as an intern for great experience. Thank you!!
following up
So now that you have sent out your invitation for them to connect with you, keep in mind that if they do respond you want to be cordial and professional as to not throw your opportunities out the window. I recommend responding with something along the lines of:
Thank you so much for that information! __________ seems like a place whose ideals and missions line up well with my interests and passions. I am especially interested in working on __________. I currently have skills in __________ and am looking to expand my skills in __________. Do you have any suggestions into potential internships the company is offering where I could best benefit the company, while also developing my skill set?
Get a point of contact email & send resume and cover letter.
Thank you so much for that information! __________ seems like a place whose ideals and missions line up well with my interests and passions. I am especially interested in working on __________. I currently have skills in __________ and am looking to expand my skills in __________. Do you have any suggestions into potential internships the company is offering where I could best benefit the company, while also developing my skill set?
Get a point of contact email & send resume and cover letter.
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