I created this presentation for the annual Mount Holyoke College Alumnae and Student Networking Fair in 2013

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?