Workshop on utilizing LinkedIn

1. Getting ‘LinkedIn’
Online Networking Workshop
School of Chemical Sciences Career Services

2. What We Offer
• On-Campus Interviews with National Employers
• SCS Symplicity Recruiting System
– Access to over 3,000 nation-wide job listings
– Contact information for over 10,000 different
employers
– Information on workshops, company information
sessions, and other campus events
• Collaborative Campus Career Fairs

3. What We Offer
• Résumé/CV and Cover Letter Assistance
• Educational Philosophy Critiques
• Mock Interview Program
• Career Advising
• Academic & Industrial Job Search Coaching
• Negotiation & Networking Support

4. About LinkedIn
“Throughout 2008, social networking sites and blogs saw more time spent by users
than personal e-mail.” - Nielsen Online
• Founded in 2003 – professional social media
• Members from over 200 countries
• Executives from every Fortune 500 company
have profiles
• Over 700,000 groups
• LinkedIn has a network of over 80 MILLION
professionals
• A new member joins every second and ½ are
from outside of the United States

5. Your Profile
• LinkedIn profiles are often one of the first
searches in a Google search
• Allows you to maintain and separate ‘work life’ &
‘personal life’
• A complete profile is 40X more likely to be seen
• Never include anything you wouldn’t want
printed on the cover of the New York Times
• Tell your story – 1st impressions are critical
– Have a strong ‘title’ and summary
– Include keywords/specialties
– Ensure you have a professional photo

6. Your Profile
• Include volunteer and other activities
• Keep your profile current!
• Obtain recommendations (1/position held)
• Claim your LinkedIn url – add a ‘public profile’
• Create your profile in additional languages if
applicable
• Include website links to research or professional
blogs
• Update your ‘Opportunity Preferences’

7. Groups, Applications, Blogs, Articles…
• Applications allow you to post portions of blog
posts you’ve written to your page
• Amazon reading lists allow visitors to review
your current interests
• Add research presentations via slide share
• Groups have sections for Discussions, Job
Postings, Event Announcements, News, and
more for connections & discussion
• Update settings to receive digests, etc.

8. Making Connections
• Join groups related to your field, school, etc.
• Connect with people you already know
• Watch the connections your links make…chances
are, you know them as well (but don’t spam!!)
• Quid pro quo – offer to return the favor for
someone who makes an introduction for you
• Do be careful about whom you add as connections
– Introductions can be difficult if you don’t know person
– “I Don’t Know” button
– LIONs (LinkedIn Open Networkers)

9. Creating Connections
• Determine what information you are seeking
• Prepare list of questions and introductory email
– Brief introduction (incl. Illinois connection)
– Why you’re writing
– 60 second spiel
• Find out more about your potential connection
and review his/her profile
• If someone ‘introduces’ you, copy them on emails
• Request advice/guidance…NOT jobs
– Trends in their industry/Companies they respect
– How they prepared themselves to succeed

10. Maintaining Connections
• Request (& give) recommendations
– Illustrate achievements
– Project credibility
• Never share others’ personal information with
colleagues unless you have permission to do so
• Do make your connections public
• Ask for telephone connection: 15-20 minutes
• Always follow-up with thank you emails/notes!
• Keep your contacts/connections informed

11. Job Search Feature
• Utilize the ‘Find a Job’ feature to search for actual
positions
• Join groups and check out their ‘Jobs’ tabs
• When you join groups, sign up to receive the ‘feed’
• Great resource for students new to the system:
http://grads.linkedin.com/

12. Researching Companies
• Find information on companies in a specific
geographic location
• Look for related companies and ‘popular’ profiles
• Review ‘before’ and ‘after’ career paths
• Read ‘News’ about the company
• Check out a company’s ‘new hires’

13. Finding/Giving ‘Answers’
• ‘Answer’ questions as applicable – if you get a
‘good answer’ mark, you are seen as an expert
• Post questions that you may have, but remember
that millions of people have access to what you
write
• Write answers/questions in Word and use spell-
and grammar-check and then cut & paste into
LinkedIn

14. Career Counseling & Placement
Services
School of Chemical Sciences
105 Noyes Lab
217-333-1050
http://careers.scs.illinois.edu/
scs-illinois-csm.symplicity.com
plblum@illinois.edu
Hours:
Monday-Friday
8:30 AM-12:00PM & 1:00PM-5:00PM