Advance your career

Here’s how to kickstart your career

College grads, it’s an amazing time to start your job search, with the number of entry-level job postings on LinkedIn growing by nearly 17% year-over-year.*

LinkedIn and Amazon want to turbocharge your efforts to find that dream role, so we’ve teamed up to offer a free six-month LinkedIn Premium subscription to new and existing Amazon Prime Student members, available for a limited time. LinkedIn Premium can help you network like a pro, be among the first to learn about job openings, and sharpen your skills with access to thousands learning courses. In fact, candidates with LinkedIn Premium get hired an average of two times faster than those without Premium.

​​Existing Prime Student members can click here to get LinkedIn Premium free for six months. College students who haven’t yet tried Prime Student can opt-in for a six-month trial of Prime Student here and then get the free six months of LinkedIn Premium. 

Designed specifically for higher education students, Prime Student offers all the shopping, savings, and entertainment benefits of Prime for a discounted price of just $7.49 per month or $69 per year. As a Prime Student member, you’ll also get exclusive perks for college life such as a free monthly Grubhub+ Student membership with unlimited delivery and up to 10% off flights and hotels through StudentUniverse. 
 

How to get started with LinkedIn Premium 

Whether you’re an existing LinkedIn member or new to the platform, it’s easy to get going with LinkedIn Premium. Here’s what to do. 
 

Build your profile and begin connecting

If you don’t have a LinkedIn profile yet, your first step is to create one. Upload a recent photo and add your location, contact details, and qualifications, as well as your skills and any relevant background information. If you have a profile, give it a quick review to make sure it showcases your top skills and accomplishments. 
 

Next, the networking begins 

Think through who could help you professionally—from classmates to teachers to your aunt who works at a tech startup. Then, ask them to connect with you. Once connected, you can message anyone in your network to ask about career advice or ask for introductions to others who can assist with your job search. To reach out to those who aren't part of your network yet, you can use InMail to message, which is 2.6 times more effective in hearing back than emails. With your LinkedIn Premium subscription, you get monthly InMail credits so you can write tailored notes to recruiters, hiring managers, or others to let them know you're interested in an open role or on the job hunt. If you’re looking for more tips on how to network check out this advice from our co-founder Reid Hoffman. 

Through LinkedIn Premium, you also get access to the Who's Viewed Your Profile feature so you can see, subject to applicable settings, when recruiters from your dream company, or a hiring manager for a role you applied to view your profile. 
 

Get insights and job alerts

With LinkedIn Premium, you also get personalized insights about jobs and companies on LinkedIn, helping you discover the right roles for you.

The Premium experience of our LinkedIn Jobs homepage immediately surfaces your connections at a hiring company so you can see who might be able to give you a referral, jobs where you're in the top 25% of applicants based on your LinkedIn profile, and firms that employ workers with skill sets similar to yours.

The job search function enables you to find jobs, internships, and student placement opportunities. You can also set job alerts, so you can get an early jump on any new job listings. These early notifications are vital, since applying within the first 10 minutes of receiving a relevant job posting can increase your chances of hearing back by up to 4X.

With your profile updated, applying is all the easier, and as your network continues to grow, you’ll likely find potential opportunities through your newfound connections.
 

Sharpen your skills

Unlike some of those mandatory core courses in college, your LinkedIn Premium subscription gives you access to thousands of classes that you actually want to take.

LinkedIn Learning has more than 17,400 expert-led courses and learning paths in areas such as business, technology, and creativity. These courses can help you build in-demand skills, learn interviewing tips, and negotiate a good salary. Plus, you can take fun and career-enhancing classes, such as how to grow your social media following.

Popular LinkedIn Learning courses to support you in your entry-level job search include Job Search Tips with Jonathan JavierNano Tips for Landing Your Dream Job with Austin Belcak, Nano Tips for Finding a Job with Jerry Lee, and Professional Networking for Career Starters with Jayla Hill.

You can also attend a #GetHired live event this week on Kickstarting Your Career with Austin Belcak, founder of Cultivated Culture.

Embarking into the professional world can be exciting and nerve-wracking. But with some networking, skills training, and a community of support, you’ll be sure to find success. We’re here to help you as you move forward. You’ve got this.
 

*LinkedIn data, Jan-March 2022 vs. Jan-March 2021

*Source: According to a 2022 Predictions survey from the National Association of Colleges and Employers.