How to Use LinkedIn for Internships, Without Getting Lost in the Scroll

About the Author: Sherry Xu leads employer partnerships at Simplify, helping fast-growing startups and Fortune 500s attract early-career talent

If you're trying to land an internship, people will tell you to "just network on LinkedIn." But what does that actually mean?

Should you be posting every week? DMing random recruiters? Changing your headline every two days?

Truth is, everyone uses LinkedIn differently, and depending on your industry, you might not need to do that much. But if you're applying for internships right now, there are a few things worth doing that can help you get interviews, referrals, and visibility.

We talked to the team at Simplify, who've reviewed thousands of internship applications and built tools to help students cut through the noise. Here's a realistic guide to using LinkedIn to your advantage, without overdoing it.

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Step 1: Figure Out What You're Aiming For

Before you touch your profile, start by asking:

• What kind of internships are you looking for?
• What companies (or types of companies) interest you?
• What do those job descriptions actually say?

This matters more than people think. Knowing what roles you're targeting helps you:

• Use the right keywords in your profile
• Reach out to the right alumni, interns, or recruiters
• Know when a job post is worth applying to

Even if you don't have experience, being clear about direction helps people help you.

Step 2: Clean Up Your Profile (Just Enough)

You don't need a personal logo or a color-coded resume section. But your LinkedIn profile as a student should be clear, up-to-date, and skimmable.

A few low-effort, high-impact fixes:

• Write a headline that says what you're looking for:

  Sophomore @ Rutgers | Learning data analysis | Open to Summer Internships in BizOps or Marketing

• Add skills, tools, and coursework you've touched: SQL, Canva, Tableau, JavaScript, Excel, etc.

• Include projects: class work, club projects, or anything self-started, as long as it's real

• Link to your portfolio or GitHub in your Featured section

• Keep it honest and specific. No one expects you to be a pro, they just want to know what you've actually done and where you want to go.

Step 3: Use It As a Research Tool (Not a Full-Time Job)

You don't have to spend hours a day on LinkedIn. But it is a useful place to:

• Look up recent interns at your target companies
• See what paths other students took to land the roles you want
• Understand what skills or projects helped them stand out

One suggestion from the Simplify team:

Rather than scrolling endlessly, Simplify+ helps you surface potential connections and referrals automatically, using your LinkedIn data, ranked by the strength of that connection. That means fewer cold scrolls and more hearing back from people.

You'll still have to reach out, but now you know who's relevant and what to ask.

Step 4: Reach Out (Without Being Annoying)

Cold DMs are a tool, not a shortcut. And most students do them poorly.

Instead, reach out early (not the day the app drops). Keep it short, personal, and low-pressure and don't ask for a referral upfront.

Example:

Hi [Name], I'm a junior exploring roles in design. I saw you interned at Spotify last summer and would love to hear one thing you wish you knew before applying. Thanks either way, and congrats!

One message. One follow-up. That's it. People are busy, if they don't respond, move on.

This goes without saying but make sure you spell the person's name right and personalize the message. No "[FirstName]" placeholders. You'll be surprised how often that happens.

Step 5: Be Findable (Even If You Never Post)

You don't have to post on LinkedIn to get noticed. But you do want your profile to:

• Include the roles you're looking for (Product Intern, SWE, Marketing Analyst)
• Use industry-specific language and tools
• Show recent activity (update it once in a while!)

Think of it like this: you're not trying to go viral, you're trying to be findable to recruiters and alumni already looking for someone like you.

TL;DR

LinkedIn is a helpful internship tool, but it's not your only one, and it's definitely not magic. The best use of your time is to be clear, be real, and get in front of the right people early.

Here's the short checklist:

[] Your profile says what you want [] Your projects and skills are listed [] You've connected with people in roles you're aiming for [] You've sent a few targeted, thoughtful messages [] You're using tools (like Simplify+) to avoid the scroll trap

And remember: most students are confused about networking too. You're not late. Just stay visible and keep moving.

💡 Tip: Every job internship apply to using Simplify is automatically saved to your job tracker. Their tracker makes it easy update your status for each job and generate follow-up LinkedIn messages to recruiters. Check it out here!