1. LinkedIn and Your Job Search
Career Development Office
If you would like access to this document in a different format,
please us at

2. Goals
Increase your awareness of LinkedIn and it’s features that are designed to help you in your job search
Teach you how to STRATEGICALLY navigate LinkedIn and all of it’s benefits to help you get a job
Educate you on professional networking processes and practices that are sure to land you a job!

3. Agenda Overview of LinkedIn (benefits, functions, new features)
Develop your profile, demos of profiles
Build quality connections
Integrate strategic networking practices today!

4. The world's largest professional network!
What is Linkedin?
A few quick facts: LinkedIn is fast becoming the first resource recruiters go to for talent!
LinkedIn is fast becoming one of the most utilized job search tools for college students
UPDATE: (almost half of our 2012 grads reported utilizing LinkedIn for their job search for networking, applying to jobs, and/or recruiting companies)
The world's largest professional network!

5. 3M+ 30M+ 259M+ 64% 150+ 60K+ Fortune 500 Who Uses LinkedIn?
professionals
64% outside the U.S.
3M+
150+
companies
industries
60K+
Executives from every
Fortune 500
Here are newly updated statistics about LinkedIn.
The main takeaway from this slide is that there are a whole lot of incredibly diverse people on LinkedIn – all together in one place -- Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits, arts organizations, government agencies, small businesses, recruiters, active job seekers and passive job seekers. No matter what profession, position or locations you are targeted, you’ll find related people and opportunities on LinkedIn
college and university
alumni groups
company
30M+
students and recent grads

6. Students & recent grads = LinkedIn’s fastest-growing demographic

7. Who’s using LinkedIn from U-M?
63,000+ U-M Alumni group
220,000+ active U-M alumni on LinkedIn
Of the 3M+ companies on LinkedIn today, there is at least one U-M connection!

8. Who’s using LinkedIn from UMSI?
UMSI Group: 2,000+
UMSI Subgroups:
UMSI Network: 220+
Ann Arbor Alumni: 187
San Francisco/Bay Area Alumni: 58
DC Area Alumni: 35
Chicago Area Alumni: 26
Seattle Area Alumni: 21
New York Area Alumni: 12

9. LinkedIn Benefits for Students and Alumni
Build a professional online presence
Add connections with 'warm' contacts and alumni
Research companies, industries, and grad programs
Explore opportunities for undecided students
Learn professional networking etiquette
Don’t subscribe to Premium Account! Students can get exactly what they need to reach their goals with the basic benefits and current features!
Keep in mind that these are all supplemental methods and resources to your job search. LinkedIn should be just one of your resources! But it’s an effective one!

10. 1. Build a Professional Online Presence
While you may use Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. for personal use, LinkedIn is GREAT for building your professional online presence.
Because LinkedIn is 100% professional, it provides that professional online branding and appropriate visibility that YOU need to project to recruiters, alumni and other professionals.

11. “It’s no longer enough to simply have a solid resume
“It’s no longer enough to simply have a solid resume. Students now need a professional online presence.”
Holly Paul, Former US Recruiting Leader
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Recruiters agree…
According to NACE, LinkedIn is quickly becoming the foremost recruiting tools for employers today!
So why is a professional online presence important?
According to NACE, LinkedIn is quickly becoming the foremost recruiting tool for employers today! As you can see, 85% of Fortune 500 companies are using it.
The 2.7 million companies on LinkedIn WILL be looking at LinkedIn to learn more about potential candidates.
Recruiters will be doing keyword searches to find potential talent on LinkedIn – this is a key takeaway for when your polishing your profile.

12. Add Sections to Enhance Student Profiles
You may or may not have noticed that LinkedIn has been changing the way profiles appear.
When you go to edit your profile, there are tips on what you need to do to get your profile to 100% complete.
There’s also now an area to be used as a portfolio in displaying your work.
We would recommend adding some key projects to this, but know that this will NEVER take the place of creating your own professional portfolio.

13. Add Sections to Enhance Student Profiles: Organizations

14. Add Sections to Enhance Student Profiles: Courses
They’ve recently added sections to enhance student profiles.
That means you can now add courses, projects, organizations, publications, etc.

15. Mastering the Summary
This is a written version of your elevator pitch… or your answer to “tell us about yourself”
Simon Sinek start with the why

16. More Student LinkedIn Profile Tips
Professional photo of student alone
Headline with area of study and/or career ambitions
Keyword-rich summary that includes type of positions student is seeking
Inclusion of volunteer activities, internships and extra curriculars
Recommendations from professors, advisors, internships
Here you can see the 5 golden rules of LinkedIn student profiles.
We also have a handout for steps you can take to move your profile and presence to the next level.
If you’d ever like to have your LinkedIn profile reviewed by someone in the CDO, just make an appointment!
[CLICK THROUGH EACH TIP]

17. 2. Add connections with 'warm' contacts and alumni
Whenever I talk to students about networking, I often hear, “but I don’t know anyone!” or “they don’t know me so I don’t know what to say, or I don’t want to bug anyone” or “it makes me uncomfortable”
Students join Facebook and immediately connect to 600 people. LinkedIn takes more patience and professional savvy. It also requires an understanding of who is actually in your network.
LinkedIn provides a great opportunity to help you understand who is in your network and to connect with these important contacts. Networking doesn’t mean cold-calling dozens of people. It means connecting with the people you already know and building your network from there.

18. Who makes up your quality network?
1) Friends & family ( however, may not be big enough or relevant enough to your career goals) 2) University affiliation(s) 3) Shared work experience 4) Volunteerism 5) Professional Associations
A quality network is made up of people with whom you have someone in common with, something related.

19. Use Address Book Uploader to Connect to People Students Already Know

20. Write Personalized Connection Requests
How many of you have received a generic request like this one? Does it resonate or make any impact on your whatsoever?
How many have received a personalized connection? I have! And they certainly stand out more, and I’m more inclined to respond. Otherwise, I just automatically click “send”
Take time to write personalized connection requests. It’s more effective!
On your screen is the generic LinkedIn connection request, but I advise students against sending this. As a student, they need to show they are a young person who is willing to go the extra mile.
Be honest about how you know someone as well.

21. This is what I recommend: Write a brief, customized, polite note to explain your connection and why you want to connect.
It’s also a good idea to thoroughly read the person’s LinkedIn profile and mention something that stood out to you or something you have in common.
It is not appropriate to directly ask for a job in a connection request. As you can see in the example on your screen, I recommend using the request to build rapport and establish contact, then once the person accepts you can ask for advice or for the person to keep you in mind if he or she hears of any job opportunities that might be a good fit for you.
Remember to use proper grammar and spelling – this is a professional communication that is contributing to your reputation.
Remember that HOW you build your network is just as important as why you build it. Always be authentic, polite and positive. People will remember that when they hear about job openings.

22. Utilize the LinkedIn Alumni Tool
LinkedIn has a data visualization tool that can be used to help you continue to build and identify your quality network!
It’s also a tool for career exploration (find out where alumni live, where they work, what they do, what they studied, what they’re skills at, and how you are connected

23. Live Demo of LinkedIn Alumni Tool

24. 3. Research Companies & Industries
Social media is certainly a communication and networking tool for students. It is also a valuable research tool. This is the third way that LinkedIn can help you find jobs and internships.
If you’re interest in a specific company, you should make their LinkedIn company page part of your research. By doing this you will simultaneously learn valuable information about the company AND find networking connections into that company.
With advanced search and/or the alumni tool – you could also find fellow alums working at the companies you’re interested in.
Here is the NEW Company Search page, where you can search for companies in a variety of ways:
LinkedIn Company pages have recently been redesigned and feature a wealth of incredibly valuable information for job seekers.
Utilize this feature to: 1) build your list of ideal organizations 2)a deeper glance into the culture and structure of an org 2)be the first to be notified of the newest jobs being posted by your ideal companies 3)prep for interviews

26. Student Jobs Portal www.linkedin.com/studentjobs
Another brand new feature of LinkedIn is the Student Jobs Portal at
In a nutshell:
• LinkedIn has built a job portal for students and recent grads
• It provides quick access to entry-level jobs and internships on LinkedIn from the best companies in the world, including jobs in non-profit and government agencies
Based on a student’s education and interests, LinkedIn will recommend jobs specifically targeted to that student – right on his or her home page or with optional alerts.
Students can also search by job title, location, company, etc. You can then dig deeper and choose to search those results by 1st or 2nd level connections so you can see who works in the field, company, city, etc. and how you know them – quality networking.
The student job portal is free.

27. 4. Career Exploration
If you think you have an idea of what your dream job may be, but aren’t sure how to get there the Advanced Search option is a great tool.
Use this as a starting point in their career research. You can type in almost anything that interests them and discover how that interest might become a career option.
For instance, let’s say a student think sit would be cool to work in baseball. But he’s not sure what kids of jobs exist, where they are and what kind of experience you need to get those jobs.
Just type the word “baseball” into LinkedIn’s Advanced Search tool and you’ll see the profiles of anyone on LinkedIn who has the word “baseball” in his or her LinkedIn profile. Essentially, LinkedIn is a database of the career paths of over 175 million people.

28. You could search video games on google to explore

29. Or you could search on LinkedIn to find a possible connection for networking

30. 5. Learn Professional Networking Etiquette
Why do you think this is important?
Build confidence
Learn industry trends and professional vocabulary
Explore industries
Identify skills and experiences of successful professionals
Develop personal criteria to make career decisions
Improve interview skills
Expand your circle of professionals
Learn about jobs and internships
Give back by advising others

31. BEFORE AFTER Low stress way to professional networking.
ALWAYS be professional in your communications, no text lingo, smileys, or emoticons! All messages should be concise, succinct and error free. Remember you are networking with potential employers.
DO not ask for a job! Do not include conversation enders. What are those? “Do you have a job?”
Include conversation extenders… such as “Can I ask you a few questions to learn more about what you do?”
While beginning networking efforts can be effective on-line, we still encourage you to take your efforts off-line as well (as that is even more effective!) Ask if you could take minutes of their time and propose scheduling a phone conversation or follow up.
I would have even taken the message further with asking if I could ask a few specific questions on some key items from the presentation, or something that would extend the conversation, but not ask for too much.
LinkedIn – personal branding, networking, research and professional etiquette – will help set them on a lifelong path of success.

32. “Where do I start?”
That brings us to the end of our recommendations for how to use LinkedIn in your job search. I know we’ve covered a lot so I wanted to end with providing you with some tips to start maximizing your LinkedIn experience today!

33. A Few Tips Create your profile (make sure it’s 100% complete!)
Join the UMSI and U-M groups
Join professional org groups relevant to your career interests
Start connecting (do you have enough 1st and 2nd level connections with individuals, industry, and university affiliations?)
Endorse others’ skills and expertise (they are likely to endorse yours in return) same goes for recommendations!
Increase your visibility with potential employers! If you have a portfolio, add link to LinkedIn profile, AND add your LinkedIn url to your signature
Start following some of your top orgs of interest, identify some alumni & recruiters there, and start connecting!
Download the LinkedIn Job Search App today

34. 9 Ways to be less annoying and more productive on LinkedIn
If you saw someone interesting on the street, would you run up, introduce yourself, and then disappear never to talk with them again?
That's sort of what you're doing if you send a generic "I'd like to add you to my network" request to someone you don't know on LinkedIn.
It's worse still if you do so and they accept--and then you never follow up with anything useful for your new connection.

35. Get Inspired!
Check out some good UMSI alumni and student profiles:

36. You can access this presentation through the iTrack-Document/Library
Questions?
You can access this presentation through the iTrack-Document/Library