How one college student conveys his talents with his LinkedIn profile

Someday, Ivan Cisneros will become a communications titan of the interactive content industry. I’ve known him for about a year, and he has shown that key leadership capabilities of someone who can make things happen.

I ran into Ivan last week, and he showed me how he’s using LinkedIn to connect with people who can help him as he continues his last semester of studies at his Texas college.

As we talked about his future goals, Ivan showed me a LinkedIn message he sent to someone in the web content industry. It clearly conveyed what he hoped to get from connecting with the person and how they could help him after his graduation.

I would bet that the person who got Ivan’s message will look at his full LinkedIn profile to get a sense of his “who” element. And, here’s what he or she will find when they view his profile.

Here are four things other college students can learn from Ivan. First, he probably went to his college career center and got a free professional photo taken. Or, he had someone take his photo. Notice, the professional attire in the photo. Again, the University of Texas at San Antonio Career Services Office provides the loan of a tie, white shirt and suit coat for those who need one.