CEA CAPA WORLD

How can LinkedIn serve you well as you enter the professional world? Addison picked up a tip or two (or nine!) and shares how you can implement them to find the role that you want and make connections. Learn how to make the most of your study abroad and internship experiences.

My name is Addison Cole and I am a senior at James Madison University who is interning with a company in Sydney, Australia this semester. The one difference from other internship abroad experiences is that I’m taking this journey while staying home in Virginia. Today I’m going to share with you some cultural events CAPA has held online for students in the Remote Global Internship program.

Because of the impact from COVID-19, I was unfortunately not able to travel abroad to study or complete my internship abroad. Lucky, I was still offered a chance to intern and I jumped on the opportunity. Currently I am the Marketing/Video Editor Intern for The Story Department in Sydney, Australia. I agree, the name is adorable. I’m working with the Creative Director, Karel Segers, and the rest of my team to increase the production level of the company’s website and masterclass videos. My job is to create professional looking masterclass videos by editing raw camera files, class materials, and graphics. I’m loving this placement and hope to visit Australia and my team at some point! You can check out some of my work here.

My WFH desk.

My original plan was simple. Go to London. Take some classes and intern. Then travel, travel, and travel. Even though that didn’t quite go to plan, CAPA offers virtual events, tours, and other activities based in all of their program locations—including London and Sydney! One of the events (called My Global City events) that I attended was a super helpful and educational meeting about LinkedIn! Katie Lander from CAPA London and Hayley Ni Bhriain from CAPA Dublin held a great discussion about the wonders of LinkedIn and how best to use the site to serve you. I thought I knew everything about how to use LinkedIn, but I learned a lot from these powerhouse women. I’ll sum up some of those steps for you all down below! Tip 9 is my favorite.

My Global City and professional development event:
a LinkedIn Workshop with CAPA.

*Quick tip: I was updating my profile simultaneously as the class was going on! I highly recommend this so you’re able to ask questions as you work*

1. If you are applying to jobs internationally, spell keywords the way that specific country would.

2. For your bio, mirror common words used in the industry and stray away from writing “student.”

3. Utilize the “summary” section on your profile page.

   a. Add a constellation image. For your banner image, make sure it relates to your profession. For example, maybe a picture of a meal you prepared if you’re an aspiring chef.
   b. Your “name” is only your name and your pronouns. 
   c. Your “professional headline” should not just be your job title— it should also include something about your career path and interests. For example, Katie Lander’s headline reads: “International education, study abroad, career advising.”
   
   
   

4. Customize your LinkedIn URL for your resume. This was a new one for me that was super easy!

5. Actions such as linking, commenting, and sharing others’ posts will build your visibility.

6. Including 5 skills will increase your profile views by 17%.

7. Connect with people you work with.

8. Turn your “visibility” on.

9. Saving the best for last here:

   When sending out an invitation to connect, include a personal message!

Before you send the connect invitation, customize a note in order to stand out from others. Introduce yourself and maybe include something about how they would remember you. For example, I might write something like:

Hey Katie, This is Addison Cole from the CAPA LinkedIn Discussion. Thank you for a great talk, and I hope to connect again soon.

The end result on my LinkedIn profile.

I hope this was helpful for anyone out there. I hope you all make the most of your internship and study abroad experiences. Remember that a great way to do that is to take advantage of all of CAPA’s My Global City events!

Thanks, Addison!

Addison Cole is an official CAPA vlogger for spring 2021, sharing her story in frequent posts on CAPA World. A Media Arts and Design major from James Madison University, she is interning remotely in Sydney this spring.

Addison's journey continues so stay tuned.