Building a LinkedIn as an incoming freshman?
I just started to set up my LinkedIn to try and connect with alumni over the summer before I start my freshman year. I've read a lot on here that having one is important for internship opportunities, but it's extremely easy to come off as cringey or douchey as someone heading into their first year of college.
Should I include things like high school GPA/valedictorian since I don't have a college GPA yet or non-relevant (working at a fast-food chain/grocery store) work experience?
If you guys have any key things to include/advice on what to include, I'd appreciate it as I'm kind of lost right now.
Chill kid. You don't need to do anything this summer except enjoy it. It does come off as cringey/tryhard for high schoolers to reach out to alumni. Alumni want to help relaxed, intelligent people, not hardos at the high school level. Enjoy your last summer, you'll have plenty of time to network once you actually start college.
As for your other question, I find it extremely cringe when I see people with their high school stats on their linkedin. Non-relevant work experience is fine, but it doesn't help nor hurt your profile.
There's absolutely no reason to feel lost. You're still in high school. I made a linkedin profile my second year in college, and I ended up at a top BB/EB. Just chill.
Thanks, I’ll definitely stay away from high school stuff.
And I didn’t mean to make it seem like I was planning on investing tons of time into this, I just figured it’d be nice to have one set up now and connect with a few alumni here and there.
Don’t really agree with the above poster. Connecting with people in the summer after HS allowed me to land an internship in the spring and definitely put me a step above others at my age.
Obviously, don’t come across as a douche or a moron. Just be genuinely curious and most people will be helpful/responsive. They may tell you to reach back out in the fall which is fine
"nontarget hardo."
Lmao OP don't take advice from this kid. The last thing you want to do is come off as a hardo, trust me. Some of the smartest kids in my school were hardos, and the more chill kids who weren't compete kiss asses/finance jerk offs were the kids landing the top roles. I can't stress how much personality goes in helping you a land a role. I reiterate what the first response says, just relax, and you'll have plenty of time to network once you start college.
Also, by the looks of your comment history, you're going to Stern, which is a major target for nearly all WS firms. If you were going to a nontarget, I could see why you would want to start right now, as you would be facing an uphill battle. However, you're not, so there's nothing you need to do right now except enjoy your summer.
Buddy, having a drive to get into finance doesn’t mean you have no personality. You probably didn’t have to fight to get everything in your life but if you did you would know that.
OP: Do whatever you want. Was simply trying to be helpful based on my anecdotal experience.
Edit: I’m mostly shocked how one dimensional you think people are. That linear thinking doesn’t make a lot of sense.
I've got some time, so I'm available to have this argument lmao. Never said "having a drive" means you "have no personality." Your name is nontarget hardo, therefore I inferred you were a hardo (ik crazy, right?). Finance hardos, and I went to Penn so I am very acquainted with said hardos, more often than not, don't know how to hold a conversation outside of finance. I would consider that having no personality. Instead, the people who weren't so fucking obsessed with GS and didn't center their entire college experience around getting a FO IB job (i.e. not being a hardo) were actually the ones who succeeded in the end, because recruiters saw them as people they'd enjoy working with. That's all it comes down to in recruiting. The work on the job is fairly simple. We don't need MIT CS 4.0 geniuses. We just need people who have a prestigious background (which OP does), and people who are easy and enjoyable to work with. No one wants to work with a hardo douchebag who knows nothing outside of finance (which is what a hardo is). Anyone can be ambitious and have a drive to enter finance, while not being a hardo (they're not the same thing -- being ambitious is a positve, being a hardo is a negative).
Yes, I didn't have to work nearly as hard as a nontarget kid, but neither does OP, so your specific situation is irrelevant to him/her. Not dismissing your anecdotal experience, but at the end of the day, it's anecdotal. Your's and OP's situation are two completely different ones.
One dimensional? Wtf? I'm saying hardos are one-dimensional, which they are (again being called a hardo is a major negative). Linear thinking? Bro, what are you even saying. Explain to me what linear thinking means in this context. All I fucking suggested to OP was to enjoy his summer and not be a hardo, feel like most people would agree with me.
I think the disagreement that we are having stems directly from our definition of a "hardo". I'm not going to argue the different parts of your posts as I feel it's countrproductive.
The only thing I actually object to in your post is the generalization of hardos and lumping them all into a bucket of being no fun and not being able to hold a convo. I just don't think this is the case (and again this probably stems from the definitions we are using).
Didn't realize that OP was going to Stern. If that's the case it's probably unnecessary, but having pre-college experience never hurts. I think it was the best way to help pay for my school. I guess it just comes down to two different lenses and seeing how much additional effort you need recruiting from a non-target.
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