LinkedIn: Your New Favorite Networking Tool

By now, you've at least heard about LinkedIn, the largest online professional networking site... And perhaps you've already made a LinkedIn profile to market your skills and make you look really good when people Google-search your name-- great!

...But now what? Now that you've created your LinkedIn profile, what are the best ways to use it?

You'll be happy to learn-- LinkedIn is far more than just a marketing tool: It's also a networking and research tool that really can, through harvesting valuable connections and focusing your job search, help you get hired.

Here's HOW:

Make *Meaningful* Connections
You always want to connect with people you know (otherwise it's a little creepy [just a little]), so maybe start with your family and friends! Best practice is to delete the "I'd like to add you to my professional network," and replace it with a personal message about how you know your connection, including their name and the words "thank you." LinkedIn is not like Twitter, where it's socially acceptable to follow anyone, or like Facebook where you can friend everyone you met once and their dog (if ONLY puppies had social networking sites!). With LinkedIn you need to be both professional and personable--so channel that deep-seated anxiety you have about your Twitter and Facebook profiles possibly preventing you from getting a job into the idea that maybe LinkedIn will!

Research Companies

There's a "Search Companies" function on LinkedIn where you can search companies by size, location, industry, or keyword. This is great for narrowing your job search or researching a company you're applying to. LinkedIn also shows you if there's anyone in your network employed at the organization. 

Prepare for Interviews

Before an interview, you should definitely look over the company's LinkedIn Page, as well as your interviewer's profile. Pay close attention to the company's values and culture, as well as the skills and job functions utilized by its employees. Think about way you have exhibited the same traits and used the same skills.

Join Tufts Groups
There are over 100 Tufts groups on LinkedIn--many of which are career-specific--so join as many Tufts groups as you find intriguing. Looking for a good place to start? The two largest Tufts groups on LinkedIn: Tufts University Professional Network and Tufts University Alumni are must-joins.

Gather Networking Contacts 

In Your Groups

Search your groups for potential networking contacts. Anyone doing anything you'd like to be doing? Anyone working for a company you'd like to work for? 

Using the "Find Alumni" Tool

Under the "Network" tab, LinkedIn has this AWESOME "Find Alumni" tool that can help you search your alma mater's alumni (THOUSANDS OF JUMBOS!) by keyword, company, location, major, activity, or field! Look for people whose career path is relevant to your interests, and then...

Network with Contacts!

Even if you're not connected, LinkedIn allows group members to message each other. So no need to pay money for InMail--Just search a contact's name in the group to send them a message... But not just any message:

THE INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW

This is essentially the meat (or tofu, if you're vegetarian) of LinkedIn networking. This is what you need to do to get you a job. I strongly suggest reading through this link, especially page 4 on Informational Interviews. In the meantime, here is a sample LinkedIn message:

Subject line: Tufts IR major seeking career advice 

Dear Mr./Ms. (Last Name),

I’m a senior IR major at Tufts and I found your name 

through the Tufts International Relations Program group 

on LinkedIn. From your LinkedIn profile, I see that you’ve 

worked at a variety of NGOs, most recently in Syria.

As I’ve focused my own studies on the Middle East, 

including time spent studying abroad in Cairo, I’d like to 

return to the region after college. I’d love to hear about 

your own experiences living and working in the region, as 

well as any advice you might have for me as I begin an 

international job search.

I wonder if you might have 20 minutes to speak, at your 

convenience, on the phone or via Skype. Thank you for 

considering my request.

Sincerely,

Your Name

Tufts University, Class of XXXX

Perfecting Your Profile
Before you begin using LinkedIn to network, you'll want to make sure your profile says everything you want it to say and is ready to go! Here are some of my favorite Career Center tips:

• Fill in your experience; don't be shy. Your resume should only be one page, so here is the place to show off what you've accomplished in detail. Use targeted keywords and don't forget about any projects, organizations, volunteer work, and causes you've been involved with.
• Update your headline. "Graduating Economics major seeking financial analyst position"--be direct and simple, but also engaging and meaningful.
• Upload a professional photo. You wouldn't trust someone without a profile photo--Adding a face to your profile breeds familiarity, which breeds trust, which is essential to networking.
• Tell your story. The section that says "Summary" is where you can write about what you do and why--or what you'd like to do and why! Write your summary in first person to add a voice to your profile, include targeted words, and keep it career-oriented.
• Market your skills. Give yourself credit for your areas of expertise-- What languages do you speak? Which computer programs or websites can you use proficiently? Are there any skills that you picked up while working in the lab?
• Pick a location and industry--any location and industry! It doesn't have to be "Higher Education in the Greater Boston Area" just because we're Tufts students on the Medford campus. Gives some thought to where you want to be.
• Include all of your links. Have a blog or Twitter that you're looking to show off to a potential employer? Link away! You can also link from your blog/Twitter to your LinkedIn.
• Don't forget to proofread. Because your skills should never be upstaged by the wrong "your" or "there." Because you care.
• Personalize your URL. So that when you include your LinkedIn address on your resume and emails, you won't have to remember: LinkedIn.com/abcdefg983745905820917452334.
• Publicize your profile! Your LinkedIn is one of the few things about you on the internet that you want everyone to see. That being said, it's best to update your privacy settings so you are in fact visible to "everyone."

If you found these tips helpful and want to learn more, call the Tufts Career Center at (617) 627-3299 to pre-register for our next LinkedIn Lab on Wednesday, October 23rd, 12-1pm in Eaton 208.

Until next time,
Best regards,
Nirvanna

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Career Center Coaching: The Inside Scoop

One of the greatest resources Career Center has to offer is Career Counseling.

I, myself, didn't know what that meant until just last Friday, when I arrived three minutes late for my 11:30 appointment with Donna Millmore, a Career Counselor, as well as an Assistant Director for the Tufts Career Center.

Luckily, she was still finishing up a meeting with someone else when I arrived.

I sat in the waiting area, consciously and continually deciding not to fumble with my phone while I waited. I didn't want to come off as another social media-dependent millennial (even though that's a real part of who I am). I wasn't really sure if a Career Counselor was someone I needed to impress and figured it was better to be safe than sorry.

I honestly had no idea what to expect from my first session with Donna. I'd met her twice before around the office and still didn't really know her. I'd been working in the Career Center for two weeks and I was also still getting to know it. But there was also the much larger element lingering in my subconscious: The giant abyss that is life after college. And like most other seniors, I was not ready to start talking about it.

I had set up this appointment on a whim, with nothing specific to talk about in mind--I really just wanted to see what it was, truthfully.

When Donna came to get me, I hurriedly followed her into her office. The room was small and cozy with warm light--like a living room equipped with a computer, desks, and chairs. On her bulletin board were pictures of who I assumed were her relatives or students she has helped--the photos gave the room an amiable vibe. And Donna fit right in--her demeanor was just as warm.

"What can I do for you?" she asked.

I laughed and told her the truth, "I have no idea!"

Unfazed by what I now know is a common response, she proceeded to tell me about the Career Center and all of the resources available to me. She told me about upcoming events and marketed The Career Fair as an exciting learning opportunity: "The only time you'll be in a room with over 100 people looking to hire," she said. She told me about Jumbo Jobs and the different tabs on the site that lead to information on campus interviews and resume jobs. And about the Career & Internship Connection Career Fairs occurring over winter break.

In a normal circumstance, this would be a great introduction to the Career Center and the events and services it offers to the Tufts community; however, my job is to publicize those same events and services, so I already knew a lot about them and I wasn't shy to share my thoughts.

"You really did your homework!" said Donna, surprised.

In my nervousness, I awkwardly had not let her know from the start that I worked for the center, thinking she already knew. But she didn't! 

It proved to be a humorous situation, and Donna's pleasantness alleviated any sense of doom I was having at the start of our meeting. It was much easier to speak with her once the ice was broken.

"Tell me everything about yourself," she said.

Everything. There are so many things about me! And for me, personally, that's a huge issue where my career goals are concerned. My interests are so varied that I can see myself doing literally anything most things after college.

For someone like me, Donna recommended turning to some self-assessment tools, to help me better understand my interests and personality. She finds these tools helpful in working with students to identify a focus and figure out the types of jobs and work environments that will make us happiest.

I then brought up another enormous anxiety I have about my career search: having spent the last few years studying social inequalities and unjust systems, it makes me personally uncomfortable to earn a living by indirectly supporting stereotypes and other unconscious biases, as well as the self-fulfilling prophesies they put forth. A media job is all I've been trained to do and as the media is a mirror of society, perpetuating existing societal problems can be unavoidable in the field--especially in a starter position. 

I hope this doesn't come off as arrogant,  but the same student who was accepted into this school with colossal dreams of making the world a better, happier, more peaceful, and more efficient place for everyone is still alive and thriving within in me, four years later. I still want to do BIG things, even after countless pessimistic conversations about logic, statistics, and the so-called "reality." (Cue Ashton Kutcher's Teen Choice Award speech: We create our world).

Instead of laughing at me or trying to tame my goals and pull me back down to earth, Donna brought my attention to positions on the opposite side of the same professional spectrum: Cause Marketing and non-profit work. She recommended Idealist.org as a resource for finding work in non-profits.

This bout of support and encouragement helped me realize that Career Center "Counselors" are more like coaches! Their job is to instruct, teach, and train us professionally.

The Career Center staff is here to coach you on exploring yourself, potential majors, and different careers; finding jobs and internships; networking with relevant professionals; and refining your interview skills, resume, and cover letter. They can train you for your job hunt with one-on-one resume critiques and mock interviews. Career Counselors will open doors for you as a young professional, but it's your job to walk through them.

"I hope you work with me," said Donna invitingly at the end of our meeting. She asked me to send her the most up-to-date copy of my resume and gave me her card, putting it upon me to take initiative and schedule our next meeting.

I left the meeting feeling really good about myself, more confident about my big goals, and ready to start thinking about my future. The dreaded abyss that is life after college suddenly seemed like something I wouldn't mind jumping into.


And that's the inside scoop!

To schedule your appointment with a Career Counselor, call (617) 627-3299.

Best regards,
Until next time,
Nirvanna

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