How to use LinkedIn: A Presentation to Mount Holyoke Alumnae and Students
- 1. Career Development Center Mount Holyoke College Catherine McGraw, Associate Director Danielle Desjardins ‟13, Peer Career Assistant Tatum Lindsay „14, Peer Career and Pre -Law Assistant
- 2. How LinkedIn Works Your Friends‟ Friends Your Friends Your Friends‟ Friends‟ Friends
- 3. Who Uses LinkedIn? • 120 million+ professionals • Over 150 industries • Executives from every Fortune 500 firm • 6.5 million+ students • 9 million+ recent college grads • 37,000 college and university alumni groups • People are joining LinkedIn at a rate faster than 2 new members per second! Latin America 3% Other 0% North America 61% Europe 24% Asia 8% Africa 1% Middle East 1% Oceania 2%
- 4. 1. Build a Professional Presence Online
- 5. 2. Connect with Alumnae and Other “Warm” Contacts
- 6. 3. Find New Opportunities
- 7. Why Should I have LinkedIn? You will be Google searched 93% of recruiters use LinkedIn to make hiring decisions Maintain professional connections Staying abreast on current trends in your field will make you stand out in applications Will be helpful for networking
- 8. The 5 Golden Rules of Student LinkedIn Profiles 1. Professional photo of student alone 2. Headline with area of study and/or career ambitions 3. Keyword-rich summary that includes type of positions student is seeking 4. Inclusion of volunteer activities, internships and extra curriculars 5. Recommendations from professors, advisors, internships
- 9. Getting Started Have a complete profile with professional, quality photograph List at least three skills “Bragging” is ok Share work you have done with URLs that are linked on your profile Create a vanity URL linkedin.com/tatumlindsay v. linkedin.com/579BGE No spelling or grammatical mistakes Be Active online
- 10. Job and Internship Search Strategies • Join professional association groups Join the MHC Alumnae Association, Seven Sisters, and Five College Alumnae groups Join groups that are specific to the area you’d like to move to
- 11. How to use LinkedIn to Your Advantage WOW Interviewers and personalize cover letter “Follow” companies and leaders in your field Do research, read articles posted, ask questions Read the email digests from LinkedIn Learn common career trajectory paths of professionals Use all this information to customize your application and get an edge!
- 12. Other Tips LinkedIn does not replace a phone call, thank you note, or in person visit Link your account to other places on the web Or have a QR code linked to your profile on a business card Conduct informational interviews with professionals in your field and connect with them on LinkedIn Visit the Alumnae Association in Mary Woolley Hall Practice “networking” and elevator speeches in the CDC
- 13. Promote your LinkedIn Profile: Email Signature Line ------------------------------ Jane Doe National Company, Inc. Ph: (800) 555-1234 Fax: (800) 555-5678 Jane.Doe@National.com Connect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/JaneDoe
- 14. The Career Development Center Resume and cover letter writing Internship search Job exploration Pre-Law advising Free LSAT practice exams every Friday! UAF Networking Suit Yourself! Program $mart $tart MBTI Career Fairs Mock interviews LyonNet Recruiting Exclusive online resources One-on-one 30-minute and 15-minute advising sessions Peer Career Assistants available M-F, 8:30am-5:00pm
- 15. THE CAREER DEVELOPMENT CENTER 413-538-2080 cdc@mtholyoke.edu Located next to the Health Center and Campus Police Questions?