Job Hunting and
Networking: Using
LinkedIn to Get
Ahead
Holly Prescott, 9 February 2017
Our aims…
Intended Outcomes – by the end of the session, you will:
Be able to use
LinkedIn to job
hunt and explore
your career options
Understand the
different kinds of
contacts you can
make on LinkedIn
Learn techniques
to make such
contacts
LinkedIn: professional
networking
LinkedIn Job Search app…
LinkedIn Job Board
Contacts and connections
‘Hot’
contacts
• Who you know
• Academic contacts
• Classmates
• People you work
with
• Family contacts
Contacts and connections
‘Hot’
contacts
• People linked to
your past – have
an ‘affiliation’
with you
‘Warm’
contacts
• Fellow alumni
• Former
classmates
• People you have
worked with
• People involved in
groups/ societies
that you were in
Alumni search (and how it
can help)…
Alumni search (and how it
can help)…
Alumni search (and how it
can help)…
• Find people working in the company/ sector/ country that
interests you
• Research how they got to where they are now
• Explore what former students from your subject area have
gone on to do – exploring options
• Further links to information on/ job adverts for these options
• ‘Commercial use limit’
Contacts and connections…
‘Hot’
contacts
• People your
‘warm’ contacts
know
‘Warm’
contacts
‘Cool’
contacts
• Contacts of your
direct contacts
• 2nd and 3rd level
contacts
Get introduced…
Contacts and connections…
‘Hot’
contacts
• People you find
‘Warm’
contacts
‘Cold’
contacts
‘Cool’
contacts
• People working in
your field of
interest
• People working in
companies of
interest
• … and in your
country of interest!
Advanced people search
Contacts and connections…
‘Hot’
contacts
People
who FIND
YOU!
‘Cold’
contacts
‘Warm’
contacts
‘Cool’
contacts
• People who view
your profile
• Discussion Group
members
• Recruiters
HOW TO
CONNECT?
Develop your online
presence:
• Join groups
• Comment on posts
• Follow companies
& ‘thought leaders’
Using groups…
Using groups…
Inviting people to connect
Personalise this!
Personalised invites…
Dear Jim,
Dear Inger,
I really enjoyed your recent
article on the Chaos Theory of
Careers in the Career Matters
Magazine. I covered this
theory in my PGDip; I’d like to
add you to my LinkedIn
network and ask you a few
questions if that would be ok?
I see that you graduated from
my current university, the
University of Birmingham. I’m
studying International
Development and it would be
great to hear more about your
work with The Red Cross and
how you started working in the
humanitarian field.
- Holly Prescott
Many thanks,
Emily
Summary…
• Use ‘alumni search’ and ‘advanced people
search’ to find people working in the
industry/country that interests you
• Ask your contacts for introductions to
others
• Personalise your invitations to connect
• Join relevant groups and follow companies
• Know what you want to get out of LinkedIn!