High school is all about teenage rebellion, prom nights, and first love, friendship and rival cliques.

It is also the time when students decide about their college or pursuing post secondary education.

Being a teenage mind with a maze of intense emotions, this young lot is constantly tuned with Facebook, Whatsapp, Twitter and all other casual social media channels.

But looking at the average time spent by a teenager on these channels makes me wonder what if they spend the same amount of time on LinkedIn building their professional profile???? (The idea seemed absurd at first but actually worth a thought!)

The high school goers have ample amount of leisure time at hand. By investing the same time on LinkedIn, they can think further ahead about their careers. Yes college actually prepares them to face the real world but high school too can be leveraged to have the biggest impact on their career success.

In the era of economic recession and increasing population, it’s all about the survival of the fittest at the end. Easy availability of social platforms like LinkedIn is the best way to prove you are fit, fully equipped and raring to go.

Here are the 10 ways to leverage LinkedIn that will help the high school folks carve a path towards career success by starting well ahead of time:

1. A LinkedIn profile is an Active Document rather than an online CV. Have a professional looking head and shoulders shot photo, ideally smiling with smart attire so that others will see you as an approachable individual.

2. Optimize your profile with your key information such as passions, interests, skills, hobbies, significant achievements. Use keywords that will highlight your skills and achievements. LinkedIn will be of great help if you are planning to convert your passion into your profession.

eg: Wildlife photography

3. The site also allows videos, blogs, images, presentations, links to your other social media profiles. You can easily upload your school level project information, presentations given and videos about various extracurricular activities you participated in.

4. Search for different Groups related to your field of choice and engage within them on a regular basis to get yourself noticed. Ask questions, participate in discussions, share your knowledge and project your expertise if possible.

5. Connect with professionals of similar interests and initiate talks, discuss about the passion you share and engage with them on regular basis. Learn about their experience and develop your skills accordingly.

6. Follow different Universities, Companies of your field of choice and connect with the employees working there. The employees can be Professors, Scientists, and Engineers etc. Share your subject knowledge and request them to guide you.

7. You can also look for Part time jobs at the universities or companies you follow. Investing in work experience will help you to develop basic work skills and occupational proficiencies such as soft skills, punctuality, effective communication techniques, respect towards fellow colleagues and supervisors etc.

8. Once you have the job, the experience and skills gained can be later highlighted in your profile.

After gaining a considerable amount of experience, the job will also enable you to gain recommendations and endorsement from your seniors and supervisors in the subject field you have worked in.

Another important benefit of having a part time job at high school or college level is it will help you in deciding to pursue the higher education and developing and investing in occupational skills such as certifications, degrees and relevant working knowledge etc.

9. Expand your network by inviting everyone you know to connect – send a tailor made connect message specifically highlighting the reason to connect with them by appreciating their skills and in-depth knowledge they have about the subject you love, to make yourself stand out among the rest.

10. Always keep a check on who has checked your profile. Connect with them if they are relevant.

Due to fierce competition, companies are increasingly seeking workers efficiently skilled in newly emerging fields. LinkedIn will not only streamline high school student’s career goals but will also help them keep a check about the demanding career field they can opt for. The choice of the subject major they make as an undergraduate will have wide impact on the career they can pursue after graduation.

What do you think? Do these tips make sense? Have you got any others to add? Please share your views and stories…