It's the season of career fairs, job applications, and interviews. Realizing graduation is only a few months away, many students jump vigorously into the job hunt, engaging in preparation rituals that typically include proofreading their resumes, ironing their dress clothes, and of course, updating their LinkedIn profile.

Certainly, a prepped and pristine LinkedIn profile is a staple item not only for job seekers, but all business professionals. According to numbers from LinkedIn, the social networking site currently has over 467 million members, and 40 million of those members are students and recent college graduates.

With that many LinkedIn profiles living out in cyber space, how can your's stand out?

First of all, it's not enough just to be on LinkedIn. While your profile will be similar to your resume, it wasn't made to sit there like a piece of paper. LinkedIn is a social network with many features that allow you to interact with others and share information, so you have to know how to use it.

Here are some tips on how to use LinkedIn to start conversations, share your ideas, build a reputation, and get noticed:

1. Share Relevant Articles

The LinkedIn homepage provides daily opportunities to learn about your network and share professional updates and content. In order to stay connected with your network, it's important that you share newsworthy articles within your industry and like or comment on other's content. This will help build your online reputation and position you as a knowledgeable candidate in your field.

2. Become a Publisher

In 2012, the ability to publish on LinkedIn was introduced. Since then, overone million professionals have shared their thoughts on LinkedIn in as many as 130,000 posts a day. Interstingly, 45% of readers are in high-level positions, such as managers, VPs, and CEOs. Certainly, publishing content on LinkedIn positions you as an authority on your topic.

Now, you may be thinking, "As a student, how can I become a publisher? How can I produce any relevant content?" But don't get discouraged. You have a unique point of view and many people want to read about your experiences. And LinkedIn has made it easy for you by creating a Student Publishing site with tips on how to publish and how to do it well, including an editorial calendar with monthly content ideas.

3. Participate in Groups

Another way to establish yourself as an industry expert is through participation in LinkedIn Groups. Join a group related to your interests to stay informed on relevant topics, make new connections, view job postings, and participate in thought-provoking conversations.

4. Write Recommendations for Others

Maybe you've already asked one of your managers to write a recommendation for you, but have you considered writing recommendations for others? You certainly don't have to manage someone to write a recommendation for them. And sometimes, peer recommendations are even more valuable. Show your support for fellow co-workers that you admire by composing a thoughtful account of their strengths and your experiences working with them. This will also show that you are a team player.

5. Incorporate Visuals

Did you know that content with compelling visuals gets 94% more views than content without them? Enhance your LinkedIn profile with visual content!

Anything that can be uploaded by a link or an image can be displayed on your profile. Include screenshots of your work or links to blog posts or articles that you've written. Or, if your work doesn't live online, add a photo or video of you doing something.Illustrating your achievements is far more powerful than just talking about them.

6. Check out the Analytics

Wondering if all of your efforts are worth it? Thankfully, LinkedIn provides easy-to-understand analytics so you can see how your profile and posts are performing. Depending on your privacy settings, you can get helpful information on what type of people are viewing your profile. You can also collect data on your published posts, including metrics and trends about the people viewing, liking, commenting on, and sharing your posts.

Are you on LinkedIn? How are you making the most of this social networking site?