Include keywords in your summary statement. The Summary portion of your profile provides a chance to share the highlights of your bio in your own words. It's also a place to include key words and phrases that someone might type into a search engine to find a person like you. Be sure to include relevant keywords such as "career services," "conference speaker," "employment expert" or other terms you want your name to be associated with. Not sure what words are most compelling and search friendly? Check out the profiles of other careers professionals you admire and use some of the same terminology.

Write for the screen. LinkedIn, or any website for that matter, is not the place for long-form prose. Present your summary statement in short blocks of text with lots of white space. Bullet points are great, too.

Post a friendly photo. Campuses are primarily in-person communities, so a friendly-looking LinkedIn photo can help students recognize you around the quad and feel comfortable approaching you. If you don't have a photo you're fond of, ask a student to snap your picture with a camera phone.

List all experience. One of the most valuable aspects of LinkedIn is the way it connects you with former colleagues and classmates--which, as we all know, are some of our best networking contacts. It would be a shame if a long lost former colleague, who happens to be a recruiter now, couldn't find you because you hadn't listed that shared employment in your LinkedIn profile.

Collect diverse recommendations. Nothing builds credibility like third party endorsements. The most impressive LinkedIn profiles have at least one recommendation associated with each job a person has held. Think about soliciting recommendations from fellow career center staff, employers you've worked with, former students and professional association colleagues.

Share your news. The best way to stay on other people's radar screens is to update your status on LinkedIn (the box near the top of your profile) at least once a week. Tell people about events you are hosting or attending, major projects you've completed, books you are reading, student successes you are celebrating or any other news that you would tell someone at a networking reception or on a quick catch-up phone call.

Finally, I invite you to share these tips with your colleagues. LinkedIn profiles are a great way to build credibility for every member of your staff and to give students and alumni several touchpoints to connect with your career center. And, of course, I welcome you to connect with me!

Guest post by Lindsey Pollak is the author of Getting from College to Career: 90 Things to Do Before You Join the Real World and campus spokesperson for LinkedIn. She is currently facilitating a series of official, free LinkedIn training webinars for career services professionals. Register at: http://careerservices.linkedin.com/webinar.