Matthew Hallock talking to students and referencing his own LinkedIn page during the event. Photo courtesy of Gloria Falach.
The University of Tampa (UTampa) Office of Career Services started off March with LinkedIn & Lattes, a LinkedIn workshop for students led by employer Matthew Hallock.
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By Gloria Falach
TAMPA, Fla. — UTampa Career Services has hosted LinkedIn-focused workshops for students to attend in the past, but on March 4, the workshop was led by Matthew Hallock, a corporate recruiter for SPOT Freight, Inc.
“I met Matt Hallock in 2023 when he and his organization, SPOT Freight, began building connections with University of Tampa students,” said Marissa Thompson, assistant director of Internships at Career Services. “Since day one, he has been committed to supporting students’ career readiness and professional development.”
During the event, Hallock gave students a crash course on what job recruiters look for in a student’s LinkedIn page.
Hallock began the workshop by saying the first thing he does when recruiting students is look them up on LinkedIn. He looks at the picture, the headline, and the about me section before going on to the experience section.
“The headline should say what you are seeking more than just that you are a junior at UTampa,” said Hallock.
He explained that the About Me Section should be where students not only pitch themselves to future employers, but it also allows us to openly talk about ourselves.
“[It should read like] This is what I want to do in the future if I had a crystal ball,” he said.
Some other advice he gave students was that their contact information on their profile should always be updated with their email and phone number, so potential employers have multiple ways to get hold of students.
When talking about the experience tab of the profile, he said that the section should be a copy of a student’s résumé to make it easier for the employer.
“[Matthew encourages] Students to be proactive rather than passive on LinkedIn,” said Thompson. “Whether it’s strengthening their personal brand, adding relevant skills, sharing updates about their experiences, or reaching out to alumni and professionals, the key is to actively engage and take initiative on the platform.”
Hallock also showed students his LinkedIn Recruiter to see exactly what the recruiter view looks like.
On LinkedIn Recruiter, employers can find a student’s profile by searching for certain keywords. The more skills or experience that are listed in a student’s headline, the greater the chance of a a student’s profile connecting to a recruiter.
Examples of keywords Hallock uses include teamwork and collaboration, communication, resiliency, critical thinking, and problem solving.
Employers using LinkedIn Recruiter can see the profile picture, headline, experience, education, and how often a user is on LinkedIn once they have been selected by keywords.
“We invited Matt to share his expertise on networking and personal branding on LinkedIn,” said Thompson. “Through his session, students learned how to use LinkedIn strategically to strengthen their digital presence, build professional connections, and position themselves to secure and succeed in internship opportunities.”
The next Career Services event will be on March 24 at 4 p.m. The event, Career Connections: Non-Profit & Social Services Industry Night, will allow students to stop by and connect with professionals from nonprofit and public service organizations.
“I want to get an internship for the summer,” said Sienna Campodonico, a freshman international business and finance major. “So I think the resources that he told us would really help me on LinkedIn and help me get recruited.”