Senior Struggles: Expert answers to your LinkedIn questions

March 7, 2012

Follow each week as we present step-by-step suggestions to achieve post-college success with less senior year stress.

The Career Center’s resident LinkedIn expert, Scott Tsuchiyama, answers some basic, yet important questions about how to maximize your LinkedIn networking experience and find a job.

1. My profile is complete, what is the first step toward having active interactions with the people on LinkedIn who can answer my career questions or possibly help me find a job?

First, start by finding and connecting with your family, friends, co-workers and classmates–anyone who knows you and will want to help you. Don’t worry about whether or not these people work in your field of interest; the more connections you make, the better. Next, start joining the LinkedIn groups that pertain to you. You should join the obvious college and alumni groups, but also groups that relate to the field you want to work in.

2. What are some things to do on LinkedIn to get my profile noticed, so that people start contacting me?

Visit some of the groups that relate to your career of interest and post thoughtful and smart questions. The people who who can help you are likely to see those and reach out. So, for example if you wanted to work in social media marketing, you could ask something like, “What are the most important social media platforms to be experienced with?” If someone answers this, you can ask to connect with them and then begin a conversation about how they got to where they are and if they have any advice for you.

3. What if I’m not ready to start contacting people directly? How can I still use LinkedIn to my advantage?

LinkedIn can be a great learning tool. Start finding people who work in the field you want to find a job in. Check out their career path–what experiences led them to their current position? How can you emulate their route to career success? What groups are they a part of? Think of this as a non-creepy form of Facebook stalking, only this might actually benefit your future!

4. How do I know if it’s ‘okay’ to connect with someone whom I don’t know personally?

This varies from situation to situation, but in general, LinkedIn etiquette dictates that you should not try to connect with anyone whom you do not know. However, if you want to make contact with someone outside of your network, try looking to see if you have any connections in common. If you do, you could ask them to ‘introduce’ you on LinkedIn, or even better, you could email or call the mutual connection and politely ask them to email the person you want to connect with. The person you’re trying to connect with is much more likely to agree to communicate if you are recommended.

5. Okay, I’ve connected with someone whom I think might be in a position to help me, how do I initiate a conversation?

Come up with several solid, smart questions, but DO NOT start with, “Hi, can you help me find a job?” You can either InMail them or email them with a few questions and simply ask them to help you answer those questions. If you are able to start a dialogue with someone, see if you can eventually take the next step and achieve in-person contact. Ask if you can take them to lunch or coffee. People are way more likely to remember you from an in-person meeting than by your online profile alone.

Remember, LinkedIn is a great tool for online-networking, but it is not magic. It only works if you work it! So, get online and start making some connections. If you’re still unsure, here are some more tips on learning to use LinkedIn.

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Posted by Nell Gable

Senior Struggles: 8 basic networking tips

February 15, 2012

Follow each week as we present step-by-step suggestions to achieve post-college success with less senior year stress.

Whether you’ve been looking since the fall or haven’t begun to think about it, it is by no means too late to start or continue your job search. In fact, sometimes it’s best to take a deep breath, and go back to the basics. Here is a basic set of networking tips to help you get started.

spider web

Not that kind of web.


1. Cast a wide net. Start by making a list of anyone and everyone whom you know that might be able to inform you about your desired career OR who might be able to link you to someone who can. Some find it helpful to create a networking spreadsheet, others a simple word document. Find what works for you and start emailing, phoning and talking to your web of contacts. I try to constantly talk about my career aspirations–to my hairstylist, professors, co-workers friends–anyone who might suddenly realize that they DO have a friend or uncle or hairstylist who might be able to help. You just never know.

2. Don’t forget about social networking. Is your LinkedIn account up-to-date? Is your Facebook profile appropriate? Start learning the tips and tricks to networking via social media.

3. Keep asking questions, but make sure they’re the right kind. Once you’ve reached out to your network of contacts, start asking questions and advice. Say you get the email address of someone in the industry/area you’d like to get a job in. Don’t start off with, “Hi I’m really hoping to get hired at your company, can you help me?” It’s best to ease into this new and fragile relationship. Start by simply asking how they got there, and what advice they have. Hopefully previous networking has led you to some of the “right” questions. By building on your previous networking experiences, you are better informed when it comes to the next level of networking.

4. Thank people as you go along. It’s easy to forget this one, but it may be the most important part of networking. Being gracious and appreciative makes people WANT to help you. If you treat people like stepping-stones, they tend to disappear.

5. Target specific organizations. We often talk about researching an industry, but at some point you need to start targeting specific companies and perusing networking contacts within them. There are a number of ways to do this:

  • LinkedIn- search the company you want to work for and find someone within it to politely contact for advice, NOT a job.
  • Career counselors- visit The Career Center and talk with a career coach. Ask about ways you can identify people to contact for advice or even an informational interview.
  • Google- you can find out just about anything on Google these days. Try searching the company you want to work for and finding an employee to reach out to. Take a look at names mentioned in press releases, news articles, and on websites.

6. Achieve in-person contact. This can take shape in a number of ways, but will likely be an essential part of job search networking. Here are some things to try:

  • Set up an informational interview with one of your contacts. Ask to buy them lunch or coffee, and come prepared to ask questions, NOT ask for a job (yet).
  • Join a professional association.  These groups often hold networking events and gatherings where you can meet people and practice your pitch.

7. Maintain relationships. Again, don’t forget to express gratitude to those who have helped you along your networking path. Simple thank-you cards are great, thank-you emails and phone calls are good too. Let people know how you are doing, and ask how they are doing too. Networking is two-way street.

8. Stay true to you. Take some time to revisit your iPlan. Make sure you know your story, community and presentation, and don’t stray too far from your unique personal brand. Stay true to who you are what it is you really want to do. And remember…

“If you work really hard and you’re kind, amazing things will happen.”

-Conan O’Brien

Photo credit: cybershotking / CC BY 2.0

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Posted by Nell Gable

Winter Break: Tackling LinkedIn

December 28, 2011

LinkedIn penThe professional networking site LinkedIn can seem a bit overwhelming to college students, but it can be an invaluable resource when it comes to connecting with professionals. Why not work on building your LinkedIn profile and network while you have some free time this winter break? Once you’ve created your profile, you can use InMaps to see a visualization of your connections, and from there, the possibilities are endless! Here are some helpful LinkedIn-themed blog posts we’ve run on this blog previously, to get you started:

Getting started on LinkedIn

The value of LinkedIn

Student-friendly LinkedIn profile options

InMaps tips and tricks

LinkedIn for struggling seniors

Photo credit: sheilascarborough / CC BY 2.0

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Posted by Nell Gable

Eight New Alumni Profiles

December 6, 2011

Wherever you go, Go Blue!

The University of Michigan has one of the largest living alumni bodies in the world, at over 500,000 strong. Have you ever wondered what your fellow Wolverines do after graduation, and how they got there? We’ve recently added eight new alumni profiles to our website to help showcase a few more paths that are available to you when your time in Ann Arbor is complete. You’ll find out why these alumni chose their major, what their first year on the job was list, what’s on their “career to-do list,” and more! This round of additions includes Wolverines working in sales & marketing, law, financial services, government, non-profit, education, and human resources. Take a look!

For more ideas about what Michigan alumni are doing after graduation, take a look at the rest of the alumni profiles on our website, visit the UM Alumni Association, or take a look at one of the various alumni groups on LinkedIn.

Photo credit: Michigan Union Graphic Design Office

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Posted by Scott Tsuchiyama

Senior Struggles: Grooming Your Social Networking Presence

November 9, 2011

Follow each week as we present step-by-step suggestions to achieve post-college success with less senior year stress.

Social media monitoring website Reppler.com recently conducted a survey which found that 91% of the 300 hiring managers surveyed visit social networking sites to screen candidates—that’s huge! Of the managers that use sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to evaluate job candidates, 69% said they have rejected an applicant and 68% said they have hired an applicant based on what they gathered from the candidate’s social media presence. If you’re searching for a job, take an hour or so to look at your social networking profiles from the perspective of an employer. Do they reflect an image you want employers to see? Are you sharing too much information? Not enough? These days, you don’t just have to worry about your mom getting a Facebook page, future employers are stalking you as well. Don’t stress, just follow these tips to ensure that your social media presence will help, not hurt your job search.

  • 39% of employers who hired people based on their profiles, did so because the candidate gave a positive impression of their personality and organizational fit, according to the survey. Use your social networking profiles to promote yourself and display your achievements, not just your social life.
  • Companies may screen your profile to see how well you communicate, so try to monitor your grammar, spelling and style.
  • Be careful about what you say on the Internet AND be careful of what you let others say to and about you. Employers may see other people’s interactions with your profile as a reflection of your personality.
  • Check your privacy settings frequently as they tend to change, sometimes with out warning. For example, check out the Facebook Blog to stay up to date on any changes with Facebook’s privacy settings. It’s always safest to maximize your security when you’re not sure who might be looking.
  • It may seem obvious but try to limit photos and posts about drinking and partying on Facebook and Twitter — what gets posted on the Internet STAYS on the Internet.
  • When entering personal information into networking sites like LinkedIn, make sure your information is accurate and that you haven’t lied about your qualifications or skills. According to the Reppler poll, employers listed false information as the main reason for rejecting candidates based on their social networking profile.
  • Don’t bad mouth current or past employers on the Internet…EVER. Potential employers do not want to hire someone who is spiteful and untrustworthy.

Social networking isn’t just for fun anymore. Hiring managers screen potential employee’s social networking sites, and what they see can make the difference between putting you over the top, or taking you out of the running. There’s no need to worry as long as you frequently evaluate your presence and ensure that the presentation you set forth over the Internet is the right one.

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Posted by Nell Gable

Senior Struggles: Learning to Like LinkedIn

October 19, 2011

Follow each week as we present step-by-step suggestions to achieve post-college success with less senior year stress.

LinkedIn Logo

Maybe you’ve already mastered LinkedIn, maybe you’re scared to try it, or maybe you’re just plain overwhelmed by it; whether you love it or hate it, there’s no denying it’s a valuable networking tool that can be a huge asset to the fall job search. Since we’re all in the same boat here, let’s just take it one step at a time. Here is the step-by-step guide to creating a LinkedIn account and actually using it (don’t just let those messages pile up in your inbox):

1.  Go to LinkedIn and create an account
2.  Import your address book to see who is using the service that you already know (it defaults to selecting all your contacts, but you shouldn’t send ‘invitations to connect’ to everyone)
3.  Add yourself to the groups University of Michigan Alumni and Wolverine Networking
4.  Use the ‘people’ search to find at least one person working in your field of interest – it might be one of your contacts, one of their connections, or a fellow Wolverine
5.  Ask for an informational interview (if you need help with etiquette here, you can contact us for an appointment)

Now that you’ve made one connection, keep up the momentum. Like in-person networking, it takes time to strengthen your LinkedIn networking skills, but the payoff can be fantastic.

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Posted by Nell Gable

New Student-Friendly Profile Options on LinkedIn

July 20, 2011

It’s no secret that here at The Career Center, we love LinkedIn. It’s a great tool for professional networking, but it has always seemed to cater just a little more toward full-time professionals than to students. Recently, however, the folks at LinkedIn have been making a concerted effort toward more student-friendly features, and some new additions to the profile section are another step in that direction. Here’s the scoop from the LinkedIn Blog:

  • Projects: Participating in projects shows that you can apply classroom learning to real-world challenges and work effectively in a team. Add compelling research or class projects to your profile – especially those that demonstrate experience relevant to your professional goals.
  • Honors & Awards: Did you make the Dean’s List or earn a merit-based scholarship? Add it to your profile. While much of your profile is a subjective characterization of your abilities, Honors & Awards provide objective validation for your accomplishments.
  • Organizations: Participation in on-campus or external organizations shows your contributions outside the classroom. Leadership abilities, and making a positive impact within an organization, are talents widely sought by employers and recruiters.
  • Test Scores: Employers often view strong test scores as indicators of good  problem solving skills. If you have excelled at standardized tests, or have a stellar G.P.A., include these scores on your profile.
  • Courses: Do you consistently push the envelope by enrolling in rigorous coursework?  List select courses on your profile – especially those that qualify you for positions you are seeking, or demonstrate your commitment to expanding your academic horizons. Many employers know your school’s course catalogs as well as you do, so include the strongest courses of your college experience.

With these additions, you can more easily include some of the valuable experiences you have had both inside and outside the classroom as a student here at Michigan. In particular, the ‘project’ and ‘organization’ sections offer the chance to discuss practical, transferable skills that you have developed, that can serve you well as an intern or entry-level employee. Often times, those experiences are just as or more relevant to an employer than something you did as a part-time job just to earn a little extra cash. We’re always happy to work with students on their LinkedIn profile in the same way we can help you craft your resume — so don’t be afraid to schedule an appointment if you’d like some help taking advantage of these new profile options!

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Posted by Scott Tsuchiyama

LinkedIn Tips & Tricks: InMaps

June 15, 2011

Later today I’ll be giving a presentation to colleagues in the Division of Student Affairs about helping students take advantage of LinkedIn for personal and career development. It’s a topic we’ve covered on this blog many times before, but I have some new tips and tricks that I’ve used with students recently, and thought those should be shared here as well! There will be more to come, but let’s start with a network visualization tool called InMaps.

example of inmap, a visualization tool for linkedin networks

Here's a screenshot of my InMap

InMaps was released earlier this year, and it helps provide a birds-eye view of your personal LinkedIn network. The algorithm takes in data from you and your LinkedIn network (including jobs, schooling, and mutual connections) and creates an interactive map of your network, by grouping and color-coding your connections. Aside from creating a cool looking visualization, I’ve used it in a couple practical ways:

  • Look through each grouping, and try to identify the reason those connections are grouped together. Are they all people you used to work with? Maybe they’re people from your academic major? Sometimes the groupings are obvious, but in other cases they can provide some insight into common connections you didn’t realize were there.
  • Pay attention to the relative size of each group. My map has equally large groups that represent co-workers, personal friends, and classmates from my undergraduate years. However, the cluster of people from my graduate program is much smaller than the rest. It indicated to me that I haven’t done as much work in building that particular portion of my network, which is something I now hope to put more effort into.
  • Look for the large dots that seem to sit at the ‘hub’ of a particular group. These are the people who have the greatest number of mutual connections with you, but they also represent people who might be what Malcolm Gladwell refers to as ‘connectors.’ Connectors’ networks stretch across many different groups of people, and they tend to enjoy making connections among the people they know. They’re the type of person who, after you mention you’ve decided to get in shape and train for a marathon, can immediately rattle off a handful of their friends whom you should talk to about training tips. If you’re able to identify the connectors within your own network, make sure they know when you’re looking for a job or internship, and what type of work you’re interested in. You never know if they can connect you to just the right person you need in your search.

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Posted by Scott Tsuchiyama

A few things to know about your internship search

January 14, 2011

Early January through March is the primary recruiting season for internships, and you might be starting (or continuing) your search right now as Winter semester kicks into gear. If you’re like a lot of students, this could be your first time preparing a resume (one that isn’t for your college application), writing a cover letter, or interviewing with an employer. It can be daunting, and we have plenty of resources to help. But before we tackle those questions, it’s important for you to know a few things first:

Know your goals

Do you know why you want an internship this summer (and please don’t say “because people say that I need one”)? You don’t need to know your full career trajectory before taking on an internship, but it really helps to understand what your goals are for the summer before starting up your search. If you feel clueless about your career path, one goal might be to better explore a few options so you can start to narrow your focus to a particular industry. If you already know what industry you’re interested in, your goal may be to gain more professional experience in that field, or to explore differences in company culture. The better you understand your goals, the easier it will be to find the right type of experience to help you get another step closer to a great post-graduation career.

Re-define the word ‘internship’

Once you understand the goals you’re trying to accomplish, you might realize that you don’t have to define an ‘internship’ as a full-time, 40-hour per week summer job. If you want to explore options in multiple fields, it might be advantageous to look for an opportunity with a shorter duration, or a couple part-time options. If you’re a freshman or sophomore you may not be competitive for some highly-regarded internship programs, but you can take this opportunity to hone some transferable skills in a part-time job, while conducting informational interviews or job shadowing to learn more about a particular industry. Whatever you do, it doesn’t necessarily have to have the word ‘internship’ in the title for you to accomplish those goals you set for the summer.

Look in the right places

You’ve probably tried some job boards, which can be OK as a starting point if you want a quick idea of what’s out there. But here are two other methods that you should be spending much more of your time using if you want to find something great for this summer:

  • On-Campus Recruiting – Did you know that many organizations come to Ann Arbor every year for career fairs and to conduct on-campus interviews with Michigan students? We have our Winter Career Expo coming up next week (check out these tips to prepare), and plenty of postings available on Career Center Connector, our online recruiting database. Not all organizations recruit this way, though, so if you don’t see the types of internships you want…
  • Ultimately the best way to find an opportunity is to talk to people. You have a number of great communities to reach out to, including family, friends, and UM students and alumni. Getting on LinkedIn is a good start, and we have plenty of other resources on our website to help de-mystify the process for you. Reaching out to people in your chosen field is a great way to learn about un-publicized opportunities, and get a leg up on your application by learning what people in your industry truly value in an intern.

    • The internship search can be a new and strange process at times, so don’t hesitate to make an appointment to meet with us if you’d like some one on one help. We’re also hosting a series of workshops on the internship search.

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Posted by Scott Tsuchiyama

Use LinkedIn to Identify Your Existing Network

October 4, 2010

social networksWe’ve explained before on this blog how useful LinkedIn can be useful in a job search, and last week The New York Times ran a great story with the same emphasis.  I like the highlight about how helpful it can be in identifying your professional network (emphasis mine):

Not only will you be able to pinpoint the right person, you will be able to see all the people who are in your network — your direct connections and their connections — who are somehow affiliated with that right person inside a company. I thought I hardly knew anyone at Oracle, for example, and found that 245 people in my network either work there now or have worked there in the past — all potentially useful contacts if I were looking for a job there.

As an undergrad it can be difficult to recognize who the people in your professional network actually are, and how much your community can help you.  Your connection to a great job or internship might come from an unlikely source, and tools like LinkedIn are great to identify those opportunities to connect.  Take a look at the full NYT article here, and get started with LinkedIn if you haven’t yet!

Photo credit: Beck Tench / CC BY 2.0

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Posted by Scott Tsuchiyama

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