When building futures depends on navigating a digital landscape with short lived trends, one social media platform stands out from the rest when creating an online professional persona: LinkedIn. While most assume LinkedIn is for seasoned professionals or those seeking a job, creating a LinkedIn profile is one of young adults’ most strategic career moves.

High school is a critical time to discover interests and dislikes. Like what most parents tell their teenagers, you figure out who you are in high school. By joining industry groups and engaging with their content, one can gain insight into numerous career paths. Networking is so much more than fielding new job opportunities; it is about discovering newfound interests and socializing with a range of people.

LinkedIn offers a wide range of free courses and webinars for their users. From balancing work and life to asking great sales questions, LinkedIn has a course for everyone. Committing to learning valuable skills is not attractive to future employers, but it cultivates curiosity and adaptability in a fluctuating job market. What is the best part? Certifications earned from free courses are added to LinkedIn profiles.

Anything posted on the internet will be there forever. Because of internet permanence, in today’s world, online presence can make or break the opportunities one encounters. Teenagers must learn how to curate a positive digital footprint early. Unlike other social media platforms, LinkedIn provides users with a space to share their professional persona online. Taking the time to create a thoughtful profile allows teenagers to spearhead their online image and cinches potential employers to view them as serious, standout candidates.

Recently, businesses have prioritized hiring employees with early career experiences, meaning the earlier one has a LinkedIn profile, the more likely they are to stand out. A well-crafted LinkedIn profile can be a substitute for a supplementary resume. If correctly updated, by the time one graduates from college, a LinkedIn profile started in high school will give job seekers a leg up.

At a time where every job applicant brings a unique perspective and experience, there are limited standout factors. Get ahead in the game and create a LinkedIn account.