Students in Singapore are no strangers to social media. They live and breathe apps like Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Reddit, and so many more.
However, out of the massive pool of social media applications, one serves a slightly different purpose than sharing life stories, opinions, and memories or connecting with friends.
LinkedIn is the world’s leading professional network with over three million users in Singapore alone, according to Statista.
However, most people assume that the platform is geared only toward working graduates and experienced professionals.
On the contrary, a small but growing chunk of LinkedIn users in Singapore are students in schools and universities.
But, why?
In recent years, the entry-level job market in the country has grown exponentially in terms of openings and competition.
Moreover, many companies are intentionally opting for younger, more tech-savvy employees to grow into different roles, especially ones that require minimal experience or technical expertise.
Unfortunately, many Singapore students don’t understand the lucrative benefits on offer.
Moreover, the majority of those who understand the benefits don’t know how to reap them. Therefore, in this post, we aim to kill two birds with one stone.
First, we’ll share the top benefits of Linked In for students in the post-pandemic age. Secondly, we’ll share how Singapore students can use LinkedIn to boost their career prospects with 10 simple and effective hacks.
Benefits of LinkedIn for Students in Singapore
1. Improved Professional Network
One of the most important steps any student or graduate can take in boosting their prospects is to build a solid network of professional contacts at an early age.
Getting ahead in life often falls down to who you know and not just what you know. This doesn’t mean you simply start connecting with CEOs of giant companies.
Instead, you should start small by looking within your circle. For instance, you can connect with your school or university lecturers. You can also connect with friends and family and learn about their professional life.
You never know which connection can help you secure a job. So, the more you have, the greater your chances of boosting your career prospects.
2. Job Alerts
LinkedIn is more than a platform where you take time out of your routine and look for job openings.
The platform also offers an alert feature that students can use to ensure they get notified when certain companies list jobs based on their keywords.
In other words, you can focus on studying and other aspects of your daily life as a Singaporean student in school or college and let the platform do its thing.
3. Enhanced Visibility
LinkedIn isn’t just a place for unemployed and employed people to look for jobs. It’s also the go-to platform for companies looking to find suited candidates to fill different roles, especially entry-level ones.
However, since most students spend their time on Facebook and other social media sites, those who use LinkedIn can stand out simply by appearing more professional.
Moreover, they can accelerate the hiring process by proactively learning about your educational background or previous work experience (if any).
4. Interview Preparations
Interviews can be nerve-wracking for even the most experienced professionals in the market.
The experience can be worse for students, especially those that have never been in one or passed before. LinkedIn is an excellent source of information along with company websites and social media pages.
It can allow you to do more research into the company, speak to employees, and learn about the roles and responsibilities you’d be expected to carry out if hired. So, when you walk into an interview, you can feel more prepared and confident.
5. Improved Employer Perception
Having a LinkedIn account while you’re still in school or university is a great way to prove your dedication to pursuing a career.
Many employers are impressed with young adults being serious about their career goals and are more likely to help them with their journeys.
Even if you don’t have any work experience, you can showcase your interests, skills, and your motivation with people in your field of preference to prove you’re putting in the time and effort to join that bandwagon.
6. Skill Assessment
LinkedIn recently added a new feature in its app that allows you to complete different tasks to add different skills to your profile.
The more skills you can add as a student, the greater your chances of securing a job as LinkedIn requires you to show adequate knowledge of the skills you put in. By having your skills backed by the platform, employers will get more assurance about your capabilities.
10 LinkedIn Tips for Singaporean Students
1. Have a Professional Picture
The first impression you make can often make the difference between getting hired and being rejected. In that context, the first thing any employer is going to see is your picture.
Hence, your profile picture needs to look professional and not just a solo shot you’d post on Instagram. One of the best hacks you can use is to have a professional headshot taken on your school or university campus.
If you’ve graduated, you should post a picture of yourself in a graduation gown.
What this does is build a positive impression that the candidate values and celebrates their educational achievements, meaning they’re likely eager to showcase their knowledge and skills and improve their capabilities in a professional environment.
2. Utilize the Summary Function
One of the best ways to boost your career prospects using LinkedIn is by letting people know what you’re using the platform for.
For instance, if you’re looking for a job while in school, you can mention the field you’re interested in and that you’re looking for internships or student jobs to gain professional experience.
Make sure you also talk about your skills and theoretical expertise to help employers learn more about your capabilities and manage expectations.
3. Make Sure You Include All Your Proof of Knowledge and Expertise
As a student with little or no work experience in Singapore, you’re going to have to rely heavily on your academic achievements.
In other words, when creating a profile, make sure you add your courses, certifications, languages (spoken/software), publications, awards, and other resources providing proof of knowledge and expertise.
Doing so will help potential employers assess your capabilities and determine if you make a valuable addition to their professional environment.
4. Don’t Be Afraid to Add Your Experiences
Most students and graduates in Singapore avoid adding their previous job experiences, especially if the experiences were not in their preferred industry. For instance, a fresh engineer may not mention their experience as a waiter at a restaurant in Singapore, thinking it’s irrelevant.
Similarly, those with no prior job experience often leave the experience field empty. As a student, you need to understand the importance of self-marketing to build a solid perception.
For instance, you can talk about the skills you learned while working as a waiter, including hospitality, communication, customer service, active listening, etc.
All of these skills (and others) are easily transferable into any industry or role.
Moreover, your experiences as a student in school or university are also valuable. You can talk about projects or events you participated in during your time on campus.
5. Increase Your LinkedIn Followers
As mentioned earlier, the more your connections, the greater your chances of finding a job as a student in Singapore.
LinkedIn allows you to add a whopping 30,000 first-degree connections. Moreover, you can follow unlimited users and see their posts/articles without connecting with them.
However, you can only share your achievements with your network.
One way to do that is via articles. For instance, if you have an article published by your university newspaper, you can post and share it on your profile.
Similarly, if you have prior job experience as a student, you can write an article about what you learned and your future ambitions.
6. Connect with Students, Teachers, Colleagues, and Even Parents
One of the best ways to ease your transition to becoming a savvy LinkedIn user is to connect with people who already know you on the platform.
This includes university or school friends, teachers, parents, and coworkers. By connecting to everyone you know under the hot Singaporean sun, you can potentially meet people in several industries, including the one you wish to pursue.
You can also take this opportunity to learn about different jobs if you’re unsure about your future.
However, when adding people who you don’t know personally and vice versa, make sure you send them a personalized connection explaining why you want them to be a part of your network.
For instance, if you want to become an engineer, you can send them a message letting them know about your intentions and ask them for guidance.
7. Personalize Your LinkedIn URL
Most students remain blissfully unaware of several lucrative LinkedIn features, such as creating a unique URL.
The platform allows you to customize your profile URL and allows you to share it with others easily through different channels with a simple copy-paste.
However, when leveraging this feature, make sure you keep the link short and simple to improve the click rate.
8. Endorse Your Network on their Skills
One of the best things you can do as a Singapore student with little or no work experience is endorsed your connections on some of their skills.
This could be one of your teachers at university or a former boss or colleague at a prior workplace. The idea is to help others, especially those who could be of help to you in finding a job or guiding you regarding the industry you’re looking to pursue a career.
At the very least, they can endorse you for some of your skills and improve word of mouth in context to your knowledge and capabilities.
9. Include Groups and Organizations in Your Profile
Along with including your education, certifications, and experiences (if any), you should also list any professional organization or group you’re affiliated with.
For instance, you can join Singapore’s largest professional networking groups, including the SBM Group, SCCI, Freelancers Singapore Meetup, etc.
You can also join your school or university groups and display them on your profile. Many recruiters look for students from certain schools and universities in Singapore.
10. Switch to LinkedIn Premium
One of the best ways Singapore students can use LinkedIn to boost their career prospects is by becoming a premium user (at least, temporarily).
LinkedIn Premium offers a host of benefits that can increase your chances of securing your job by up to 2.6 times. For instance, it allows you to connect with hiring managers and anyone within or outside your network.
It also shows you who has visited your profile in the last 90 days so you can approach them for a job. Although most students opt away from a LinkedIn account, taking this initiative can be well worth it, especially if you work quickly.
For instance, the platform offers a free month’s trial so you don’t have to pay until the second month. In other words, you can avoid paying altogether by removing your card before the time comes.
Conclusion
So, there you have it – 10 useful hacks that help Singapore students use LinkedIn to boost their career prospects.
With this information, you can reap the key benefits the platform has to offer and accelerate your transition into the professional market, regardless of your educational background and level.
Whether you’re in school or university, or a graduate, you can use your optimized profile and our hacks to build more connections and become a better-rounded individual with sufficient skills and knowledge for any role.
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