How to use LinkedIn to find internships (by a college undergrad)

[Ed. note: This belongs to our series of posts featuring tips for recent grads from LinkedIn users. Jeffrey Anderson is a junior accounting student at the University of Washington with a passion for business. He is without an extensive professional background yet manages to find great career opportunities]

Finding a good internship was difficult and frustrating for me. Student resources and other web options were just not enough. I wanted to know: what made a good internship, how I could set myself apart from thousands like me, and how I could find those opportunities some people are able to find?  I was able to answer all of these questions by using LinkedIn and a little enthusiasm.

Here are four things LinkedIn helped me do:

1. Gain knowledge of an industry:  The question & answer function was a great tool to ask for advice or any specific questions for a specific industry or job. The first time I asked a question I received seven answers. One of these answers gave me a contact which lead to a recent interview I would have never found otherwise.

2. Research companies: When choosing which company is right for you, LinkedIn’s company tab is a great place for research. I like to look at present or former employees’ profiles and send them messages or get introduced to learn more about the company or to develop a good recommendation.

3. Utilize contacts: To increase my chances of landing a job, I looked through my contacts to see if I could find people who were in a relevant company, in a prominent position, or even shared similar interests. Remember, it’s not what you know but who you know!

4. Increase exposure: Let contacts come to you. A great way to do this is to join groups that are in your desired industry and ask intelligent questions and build relationships. I saw a sudden influx in my page views and contacts days after.