Students looking for job and internship opportunities will have the chance to clean up their portfolio Wednesday at the LinkedIn Workshop.

LinkedIn is a social media website geared toward helping users increase their professional networks and serves as a useful tool for recruiters when looking for potential new hires.

The Center for Career and Professional Development will host the workshop on campus Feb. 27 from noon to 1 p.m. in Reed Hall room 202, with the goal of helping students design “a polished profile that reflects your professional brand.”

Terrence Hood, the interim associate director of the career center and the career consultant to the Addran College of Liberal Arts, is in charge of the event and shares the importance of being involved in linkedin automation software early.

According to a webinar held through LinkedIn Hood took part in last year, those who begin building their LinkedIn profiles as first-year or sophomore students tend to have more options by graduation.

“The more involved you are on LinkedIn, it gives you a higher chance to be noticed by employers,” Hood said. “It gives you a chance to even look at articles about your industry and influencers and people you might admire.”

Hood quotes the webinar, which stated there are over 63 million college students on LinkedIn and about a quarter of those users are first-year and sophomore students.

Aspen Illston, a first-year business pre-law student, said she has had a LinkedIn account for about a year, but she does not use the service much because she prefers networking in person.

“I prefer networking and knowing people instead of being on your phone,” Illston said, “I find that actual interaction works better than on a phone.”

Hood said it’s important for students to create a professional presence online to be noticed by hiring companies.

“If students don’t have a LinkedIn and employers are looking for them, it is almost like they are invisible,” Hood said.

Recruiters are using LinkedIn to vet candidates. Is your profile ready? Our interactive workshop will get your professional brand ready for employers. Feb. 27th, 12-1pm, Reed 202. Bring your laptop. All AddRan students are welcome. Lunch provided. No RSVP is required. pic.twitter.com/4QK3ETDgtB

— TCU Career Center (@TCUCareerCenter) February 25, 2019

Sophomore finance student, Dylan Barr, said he has had his account for two years and it opened many doors for him.

“I think its a super helpful tool with getting jobs and internships,” Barr said, “I have a few connections through my job currently that I made that are leading to internships.”

Although LinkedIn is not her preferred choice of networking, Illston said the workshop could be useful.

“If I can figure out new ways how to use it, I might be more inclined to go,” Illston said.

Although the Neely School of Business has held workshops in the past, this is the first LinkedIn Workshop to be held to all areas of study.

“The more involved you are on LinkedIn, it gives you a higher chance to be noticed by employers,” Hood said. “It gives you a chance to even look at articles about your industry, about influencers and people you might admire.”

For more information about the event, future events and other ways to improve your job searching journey, check the career center’s website.