Written by: Lisa Cannavale ’20 | đź“– 3 minute read
COVID- 19 has changed a lot of how we live our day-to-day lives. Maybe you have some extra time on your hands right now, or perhaps you’re just looking to brush up on those professional development skills. Whatever it be, now is a good time to think about expanding your professional network.
Now, where to begin? Here are some easy steps to help you find professionals on LinkedIn!
Start on LinkedIn
Don’t have a LinkedIn or want to brush up on your online profiles? Try this virtual training to get started: Internships AMA: Do online profiles really work to find an internship?
Think About What Industry You’re Interested In
Industry is another word for a job field. Ever hear someone say, “I’m in the marketing field,”? It’s just one way we categorize and cluster different types of jobs. If you want to be a teacher, you would look in the Education industry.
Example industry names: Sports Marketing, Pharmaceuticals, Information Technology, Software, Engineering, Health…and more!
Type That Industry In the Search Bar
Here you can search by people or a group. I recommend joining a group- it’s a great way to stay current on industry trends! Take a look at the professional’s profile and see what skills they have and what makes them unique. Is this someone you think could provide you with solid advice? Are they working at a company that you’re interested in working at one day?
Visit the University at Buffalo LinkedIn Page
Click alumni to meet UB alumni professionals. You can see where their geographic location, what they do for work, and what they studied in college. You can then type the industry name in the keyword box to find alumni that work in a specific industry or company!
Press the Connect Button- but don’t stop there
If you have never met this person before, you’ll want to write a message explaining who you are and why you’re reaching out. Here’s an example:
Hi Rob,
My name is Angie, and I am a communication major at UB looking to get into the marketing field. I found you through the University at Buffalo Alumni page and wanted to reach out! I think your experience in Google Analytics is really interesting to me because it is something I’d like to learn more about. Would you have time for a zoom call next week so I could ask you a couple of questions about what you do? Thanks in advance for your time!
Best,
Angie
And One Last Thing to Keep in Mind,
Professionals are more eager to help than you think. They likely wish they had someone to ask questions to when they were on their career journey. They probably will be happy to hear from you. Now go find those professional friends!
đź’ˇ Pro Tip:Â Find out how to record and display your name pronunciation on your LinkedIn profile >>
