If you signed up for the Minnesota Private College Job and Internship Fair, it’s likely that your LinkedIn profile (or lack thereof) is inadvertently signed up for potential employers to scrutinize as well.

LinkedIn has become an essential tool in professional networking and job searches for all ages and experience levels, so college students and recent graduates are wise in hopping on the bandwagon. It’s a massive networking pool that students should use to their greatest advantage.

So, as someone who hadn’t yet joined the social network, I figured an upcoming job fair was as good a time as any to get on the LinkedIn train.

I sat myself down for a crazy Thursday night of professional network development, and I was surprised at how much easier the process was than I expected. So there’s your first step: if you haven’t made a profile, you still have time. Quit dilly dallying and get going.

With the help of my resume (and a few phone calls to my annoyed, but very helpful dad), I easily completed all of the sections in a couple of hours. Considering how many potential employers you’ll meet at the fair, it will be well worth your time to have an online presence.

The hardest part was selecting the profile picture. Leaving your profile with a faceless white and blue avatar and hoping your glowing credentials will land you an interview won’t cut it. Photoless profiles are more likely to be ignored in a pool of applicants than a fully completed profile. You should have some kind of photo posted in your profile. Be smart about it—choose one with you looking as professional as possible and avoid the over-edited looks of Instagram photos.

Personally, I didn’t want to crop down a group photo, so I chose one where I’m pictured alone and smiling. It will do for now. Once you have more time, have a professional-looking photo taken of yourself by a friend or roommate. It should illustrate the image you want to portray Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Going the extra mile for a professional-looking picture will be worth your effort!

For those of you who have already created your LinkedIn profiles, you still might have some work to do before the fair.

Are all of your sections up to date? Does your summary section do more than regurgitate the facts of your education and job experiences? Are there any new clubs, relevant courses for your intended field, study abroad experiences or internships to add? This not only shows potential employers your full range of experiences, but it also shows that you actively use LinkedIn as a networking tool if you’re consistently updating your profile.

LinkedIn is all about branding. Think about how you want to portray yourself with the phrases and wording you use in each section of your profile. If you need inspiration, look at profiles of alumni or professionals in your intended field. LinkedIn allows you to add some pizzazz to your profile for a reason, so use it as a marketing tool. Describe yourself and your work with promotional adjectives. Be futuristic.

So why should you put in all this effort to your LinkedIn before the fair?

It’s a strong and evolving professional networking tool. While the resume probably won’t disappear anytime soon, LinkedIn has become a prominent part of the job market. It sheds light on multidimensional versions of job candidates rather than the simplistic displays of information on resumes.

If you’re giving out your resume at the fair, feel free to include the URL to your LinkedIn with your contact information. This is especially a great idea for students going into more creative fields. It allows you to give employers insight into your portfolio of work, whether that be a blog, examples of your writing, design projects or any other work related to your field of interest. You included your work on your LinkedIn because you’re proud of it, so show it off!

More than 200 employers will be at the fair. That’s almost twice as many as five years ago. As exciting as that is, there will also be students in attendance from 16 other private colleges and universities in Minnesota other than St. Thomas.

Employers will establish numerous contacts at the fair, so make yourself stand out with a polished profile. If you’re interested in an employer, ask if you can connect with them on LinkedIn and then follow through! Many students will overlook this concept, but asking directly and getting a business card or taking down their information will be more memorable than just simply asking to connect with them after the fair.

Be bold! It pays off.

Anne Gaslin can be reached at gasl8257@stthomas.edu