Getting started with networking - How to make the most of LinkedIn

For a recent graduate, networking can be a daunting prospect. Reaching out to strangers can feel intimidating, but there are a lot of ways to make it easier.

Two Sheffield alumni networking at the London City Connections alumni volunteering event
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Many people have established LinkedIn accounts, and this is considered standard practice in much of the working world. But how many of us know how best to use LinkedIn and make best use of our network of Sheffield alumni?

What is LinkedIn?

Firstly, what LinkedIn isn’t – a social network. Yes, you can set up your page, follow individuals and businesses, and read their posts (many of which can be inspirational and insightful), but that isn’t the main purpose of LinkedIn – it’s about meeting and talking with fellow professionals.

LinkedIn is a great way of talking to other professionals within your field. Those groups you are a member of, or businesses you follow – comment on the posts they make adding your own perspective or asking about an issue and see what others have experienced. LinkedIn is all about creating a dialogue to encourage comments, either with the author or with other readers.

Setting up your profile

Think of your profile at the modern equivalent of a CV.

  • Profile picture - a clear head and shoulders shot is good, but increasingly people are using more natural shots which reflect their personality. Make sure it shows clearly who you are - and don’t use a selfie, get someone else to take it
  • Opening statement - clear and concise, saying what you do and what you want to do
  • Education experience - detail of grades for University and above, basics for college and below. Include any projects you are particularly proud of
  • Work / Voluntary experience - Be thorough but concise. If a job isn’t in your chosen sector focus on the transferable skills
  • Other experience - where else have you gained *relevant* skills (publicity and promotion for a society, event planning, finance and budgeting etc)

Overall, be clear, concise, and only include what is relevant

LinkedIn also hosts lots of job adverts and has great built in tools to let you search for positions that are relevant to your field, and allow you to speak directly to the employers advertising the roles. It’s a great way to discover roles, research what they are looking for, and get your foot in the door.

Starting to make connections

This platform can also be a great way to talk to experienced professionals working in an area you are interested in to see what advice they have about getting into the industry, or what a business is looking for now in new employees.

An alumna talking with a student

But how do you find appropriate people to talk to? Well you can search through the main LinkedIn search function (which has a range of filters to narrow results by area, employers and other aspects) to find people and groups, or you can try a different approach to find people you have something in common with – the Alumni Search tool. 

From the University’s main LinkedIn page you can click through to the Alumni section and see all the registered users from a university, and refine the selection displayed by a range of criteria (such as location, industry, course studied) to find people you might want to message.

From here you have a list of people you share something in common with – the place you studied. You can try messaging anyone on LinkedIn but, as with any other form of conversation, it’s easier when you have something in common. Breaking the ice by sharing a common experience can help build up a rapport with someone and make your message more personal.

From there it’s just down to writing a polite and personal message:

  • Introduce yourself and why you’re getting in touch – share that commonality
  • Ask specific questions and make them relevant to the person you are speaking to (have a look at their profile before you send anything – ask about a specific role they had) but don’t ask too many questions, at least initially
  • Keep it as brief as possible – everyone is busy, and try and make it worth their time to pause and help you out
  • Don’t send out masses of copy-paste messages, they’re impersonal – LinkedIn is about building relationships, which takes effort, so you need to put some in

Never just send a connection request without a personal message - make it clear why you want to connect with them, and why it’s worthwhile to them.

Be confident - don’t be nervous

Don’t be too daunted by sending a stranger your message, most people are happy to share their experiences – especially if you ask nicely, but don’t expect an instant response. Then when someone replies, have a read and take what they say on board. Maybe ask a follow up question, but make sure to thank them and if they have their own questions (such as what the University is like now) get back to them – remember it’s a two way street, think about what you can offer them as well as what they can give to you. And don’t underestimate what you can offer them – as someone fresh out of university, you’ll have great insight into current courses, research developments, and what their next generation of employees are like.

A student talking to alumni volunteers at our London City Connections event

These principles can be applied to other communications channels (email, Twitter, even on the phone), but LinkedIn is often the best bet, as everyone on there is already there for the same purpose – making connections.

Hopefully this has a few tips to get you started on LinkedIn and building some fruitful relationships as you climb that professional ladder.

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