Purpose:
The purpose of this Action Guide is to learn about career possibilities by utilizing LinkedIn.
Description:
LinkedIn is a social networking website for people in professional occupations. It is the world’s largest professional network with millions of members, and it can help you learn about careers, companies, and organizations by tapping into the knowledge of your network.
Directions:
- Get started. Go to LinkedIn[1]and log in. If you are new to LinkedIn, you can follow these steps to create a great profile[2].Or you check outthis checklist[3] orthis 90-second video[4].
- How can LinkedIn help you as a student? Watch this 90-second video[5] that demonstrates how LinkedIn can be used to network with professionals and learn about different career paths.
- Now that you’ve watched a short video about how you can search LinkedIn for interesting career options, it’s time to give it a try for yourself.
- A great way to get started is to see what real U of M alumni are doing. Type z.umn.edu/umnalum[6] into your browser, then click on “See alumni” to search through over 250,000 profiles of alumni (NOTE: you must have a LinkedIn account and be logged in to view this resource). You can search by graduation year, major, profession, skills, company, and location. Try clicking on one of the options under “what they studied” (major) and watch the other columns shift to show you how many alums from a certain major ended up working in different career fields. This Tip Sheet[7] provides additional information on ways to use the LinkedIn Alumni Tool.
- Alternatively, you can click the search box at the top of the page and enter something you’re interested in. For example, it may be one of your hobbies, the name of a major you’re thinking about, one of your interests if you have taken the Strong Interest Inventory, or anything at all that you find interesting. Click search.
- What are some of the job titles for your search results? Which of those are interesting to you?
- Choose one person whose job title is interesting to you, and check out that person’s public profile by clicking their name.
- Look at the “experience” section. What position(s) did that person have before their current position?
- Look at the “education” section. What connections do you see between that person’s educational background and their career?
- Look at the rest of that person’s profile. What other observations can you make about that person’s career path?
- What are some companies who have job opportunities related to your interests?
Reflection Prompts:
When you meet with your coach, be prepared to discuss the following questions:
- What did you learn about the career paths for people who have interests similar to yours?
- Did anything surprise you or confirm what you already knew?
- What companiesor organizations would you like to learn more about?
- How does this inform your academic major decision?
- What additional education or experiences are important to keep in mind for preparation for some of these career options?
Updated 1/20/17
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[6]z.umn.edu/umnalum
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