LinkedIn is growing in popularity among Gen Z, and it’s setting off a wave of envy and fear of missing out for some college students who worry they’re behind—even if they aren’t yet in the workforce.

“Looking at everyone else’s LinkedIn stresses me out,” said Nick Saunders, a sophomore environmental-engineering major at North Carolina State University.

Getting...

LinkedIn is growing in popularity among Gen Z, and it’s setting off a wave of envy and fear of missing out for some college students who worry they’re behind—even if they aren’t yet in the workforce.

“Looking at everyone else’s LinkedIn stresses me out,” said Nick Saunders, a sophomore environmental-engineering major at North Carolina State University.

Getting LinkedIn right is important as more recruiters turn to the platform to find potential hires amid a huge upheaval in the labor market. New hires made through LinkedIn more than doubled in the past quarter, compared with the prior-year period, according to parent company Microsoft. But if LinkedIn is causing a feeling of inadequacy, as other social networks often do, there are ways to conquer the FOMO. Below, I compiled a set of tips for college students to make their profiles stand out. 

Nick Saunders, a sophomore at North Carolina State University, said he gets stressed out looking at other people’s LinkedIn profiles.

Photo: Nick Saunders

Every time Mr. Saunders opens the app, it reminds him his profile isn’t complete. He hasn’t written the About section that’s supposed to summarize his personality and work experience. He doesn’t think he has enough to say yet. “I feel it will detract against me if I have an inferior About section,” he said, even more than just leaving it blank would.

People who include a summary receive up to 3.9 times as many profile views, according to LinkedIn. Crafting a short biography brings him the same kind of anxiety he felt about writing short biographical summaries on other social-media platforms. But on LinkedIn, he said, he realizes the stakes could matter more.

“I always want to be funny on social media, but I don’t want to be funny on LinkedIn,” he said.

Mr. Saunders said classmates at his school frequently ask one another to connect on LinkedIn to achieve the coveted “500+ connections” designation. He said he worries that employers will view people with few connections as too green. He has 267.

Cece Hawley, a sophomore majoring in romance studies and psychology at Wesleyan University, is also striving for more connections. “I do understand that as a sophomore in college, I shouldn’t have 500 connections, but that’s a goal of mine,” she said. She has 249.

Cece Hawley, a sophomore at Wesleyan University, said getting a LinkedIn skill endorsement is like getting a social-media like or comment.

Photo: Cece Hawley

When she first signed up for LinkedIn at age 18, she looked at the profile page of a former high-school classmate she admired. That person already had an internship listed, from her freshman year of college. 

“The feelings of inadequacy can definitely creep up on you,” Ms. Hawley said.

Then there are photos. The last time many college students had professional photos taken were for their senior pictures in high school, and they worry they no longer resemble their teenage selves. Ms. Hawley got new headshots recently but didn’t like them, and opted instead for a photo from a recent wedding, when she was dressed up. 

There can be highs, too, like the time another former classmate endorsed one of her skills on LinkedIn. “It’s the same rush as getting a like or comment on an Instagram post,” she said.

What Students Can Do

Consultants who advise students say they shouldn’t worry too much about connections or work experience: Employers don’t expect them to have much of either. There are other ways to stand out. Here’s what they say students should—and shouldn’t—do on LinkedIn.

Include both a profile photo and background photo. This is one of the most important things anyone can do. Having a photo makes your profile 21 times more likely to be viewed, according to Ada Yu, director of product management at LinkedIn.

A creative background photo can also help you stand out. Alan Katzman,

chief executive officer of Social Assurity, a consulting firm that helps students build digital portfolios for college and career applications, encourages students to choose a background image that matches their interests.

Consider a profile video. A new LinkedIn feature allows people to upload a short video; viewers hover over the profile photo to watch it. It’s a way for people to show their personality. Videos should be professional, brief and to the point, Ms. Yu said.

Highlight soft skills. Ms. Yu said skills like time management and communication are increasingly important to employers, so students should focus on those.  

Use keywords. The words that appear below your name and elsewhere in your profile are indexed in the platform’s search, and external search engines such as Google if your profile is public, so include keywords about the skills and interests sought by employers in your field. Ms. Yu said that the more complete your profile, the more places there are to include keywords. She suggests students read job descriptions and mention sought-after skills they see listed—provided they actually have them.

In an exclusive interview with WSJ’s Joanna Stern, LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky explains why the professional network has seen a surge in Gen Z users and details some new features, including a no-politics button, Creator Mode and live audio events. Photo illustration: Ryan Trefes for The Wall Street Journal

Write an elevator pitch. For the About summary, Mr. Katzman advises students to write five to seven sentences that tell a potential employer whom they’ve never met what to know about them. “Rather than using résumé talk, I want them to talk about what they’ve learned about themselves,” he said. “It could be volunteering, sports or family care,” he said.

Turn on Open to Work. LinkedIn created a feature during the pandemic that allows people actively seeking jobs to indicate that by turning on a profile-photo frame with the label Open to Work. People who use it are 40% more likely to receive messages from recruiters, Ms. Yu said.

Make meaningful connections. Quality is better than quantity. There are numerous groups on LinkedIn organized around interest areas such as independent filmmaking, economics and marketing. Students can join them to network with people who share similar interests.

Students can also make use of LinkedIn’s university alumni network to find potentially helpful professionals. Go to the university’s LinkedIn page—such as New York University—then search for alumni by title, keyword or company.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS

Do you find LinkedIn to be a competitive atmosphere? Why or why not? Join the conversation below.

Be personal. When sending messages to alumni or to people who work at companies you’re interested in, take the time to write a personal note—and be specific about your reason for writing, Ms. Yu said. The same goes for commenting on a post. If you don’t know what to say, ask a question, Ms. Yu said.

Include your contact information. Teens and 20-somethings are used to communicating via direct message, but not all employers are. Rather than relying solely on LinkedIn’s internal messaging system, add alternate ways to contact you, such as an email address.

Don’t try to be funny. What’s acceptable on social media with friends may not fly on LinkedIn. “Humor online is very difficult, especially in the written word,” Mr. Katzman said.

Get a second opinion. Before your LinkedIn profile goes live, ask a parent or other trusted adult to proofread and provide other feedback. The same goes for comments on posts.

“I would encourage everyone to reread what they write or run it by someone they trust if they’re unsure about what they’re planning to post,” Ms. Yu said. “We don’t have things that disappear in 24 hours.”

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Write to Julie Jargon at Julie.Jargon@wsj.com