Moving from Student to Professional: The Career Secrets Every Student Needs to Know

These staff members spend their days meeting with students, conducting training sessions and doing everything they can to prepare students for concrete short and long-term career plans. Bringing 12 years of recruitment experience, Mr. Niels Ellegaard is the School Career & Alumni Coordinator at Hotel Institute Montreux. With many tools at his fingertips to help students on their job search, he believes that LinkedIn is the game-changer and encourages and supports all of his students in the creation of their online profiles.

“The hospitality industry is extremely interesting because it offers jobs in every corner of the world but pinpointing the right opportunities and tailoring your CV to meet international standards is an ongoing challenge. I teach my students how to fine-tune their job searching skills and learn to stand out from the crowd by using the online social network LinkedIn”. Mr. Niels Ellegaard, School Career & Alumni Coordinator at Hotel Institute Montreux

LinkedIn is your one-stop-shop personal marketing profile – basically your resume that never sleeps! It’s the place to find and be found and the easiest way to stay connected to the strong professional network you will build as a hospitality student. If you aren’t on LinkedIn yet – seriously…what are you waiting for?

At 300 million strong, LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network and has the power to open doors to the international career of your dreams.

Mr. Ellegaard has seen firsthand the results that LinkedIn has brought to his students and has put together his top tips for making the most of the professional social tool.

9 LinkedIn Tips from Mr. Ellegard

1. Every detail counts when creating and updating your Linked-In profile. Make sure you include the correct school page, company logo and your professional history. And pay attention to all details including general set-up, spelling, professional picture etc.!
2. There is a hidden job market ready to be cracked. 60-70% of all positions are not even advertised due to various reasons. Many of these positions are filled through networking which is why it is so important to grow your network.
3. Follow companies you are interested in working for on Linked-In. By doing this you get the latest news and job opportunities straight to your inbox!
4. When networking online – never ask directly for a job. The best way to approach someone is by asking for advice. Most professionals will be more than willing to offer advice to a young student.
5. If you are moving to a new city use Linked-In to connect with people nearby. It is always good to have a friendly face when you arrive to help you get settled.
6. Use Linked-In to stand out! Today there are many qualified candidates sending CVs that get lost in the pile. Linked-In is your personal marketing profile that will help your CV get more attention.
7. Use Linked-In to prepare for an interview. You can search the profile of your interviewer to prepare and learn if you have common connections.
8. Create a tailored headline. Recruiters screen candidates by focusing on the headline. I have seen students get immediate results when they change their headlines indicating the type of opportunity they are seeking.
9. Use your Alumni network. Linked-In School Pages give you direct access to your alumni family. It can be useful to learn from their journey and reach out if they are working for a company that interests you.